sloppy holes on legs what do you do?

pinkpot

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i have a roller disco the bolt holes on the legs seem to be sloppy and need to be reinforeced.
what do you do or use to make a cheap and easy fix on that sloppy leg hole...

I mean its quite important if they are really sloppy...they hold the machine up.

i actually meant the holes on the cab are to big and sloppy not leg holes sorry...duh!

any help would be appreciated....
 
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i have a roller disco the bolt holes on the legs seem to be sloppy and need to be reinforeced.
what do you do or use to make a cheap and easy fix on that sloppy leg hole...

I mean its quite important if they are really sloppy...they hold the machine up.

any help would be appreciated....

Replace the metal plates inside the game. That's the easiest option and you can get them from most pinball parts suppliers. You could also make your own plate for "free" if you have the right tools and materials.

Another option is to add a nut and lock washer inside the cabinet. You'll need to lift or remove the playfield to do so. That's my least favorite option because now you have to screw around with the playfield when you want to remove the legs.
 
Resisting the urge to make inappropriate comments...
You could try something like JB weld (or even a real weld) to fill in the slop, but you may find you have to buy new legs!

cheers
/Tim
 
Sorry, I thought you were talking about the threads. If you're actually talking about the hole in the leg then tighten the bolt. If the bolt head goes through the hole then use a washer or get new legs.
 
im sorry i didnt proof read before i had to peel out...
i actually meant the holes on the cab are to big and sloppy for the bolts...
 
The holes in the cabinet are just that... holes for the bolt to go through.. the threaded metal plate on the inside is what tightens the whole thing up.

cheers
/Tim
 
the size of the holes thru the plywood doesnt matter, the strength of the joint is actually the contact of the leg against the cabinet. As long as the bolts will tighten down, the size of the holes between the 2 pieces of steel doesnt matter
 
I have seen some ops put a large nut on the inside of the leg bolt. Makes them super tight and it won't come off no matter what. Pain if you are going to sell it soon, move it etc, but not really too much.
 
im sorry i didnt proof read before i had to peel out...
i actually meant the holes on the cab are to big and sloppy for the bolts...

I suppose if you wanted a tighter fit between the bolt and the through-hole in the cab, you could try wrapping some masking tape around the bolt, just under the head, to "thicken" the bolt a bit and make a more snug fit.

If it doesn't work, at least it will be easy to remove, and it won't do any further damage to the through-hole on the cab.
 
I suppose if you wanted a tighter fit between the bolt and the through-hole in the cab, you could try wrapping some masking tape around the bolt, just under the head, to "thicken" the bolt a bit and make a more snug fit.

If it doesn't work, at least it will be easy to remove, and it won't do any further damage to the through-hole on the cab.

good idea ill try that...looks like there are no metal plates inside the cab...rrrr
 
good idea ill try that...looks like there are no metal plates inside the cab...rrrr

The good news is they are cheap... any of the pinball vendors would have them. You can get the cheap metal plates or the better corner brackets
cheers
/Tim
 
then what are the bolts threading into?

just the holes in the cab but they are really large and they wobble back and forth...
ill set it up and take a pic later on (probably a week) lol

its a gottlieb wide body if that makes any difference...
 
just the holes in the cab but they are really large and they wobble back and forth...
ill set it up and take a pic later on (probably a week) lol

its a gottlieb wide body if that makes any difference...

That's because the bolts are not intended to thread into the wood...
 
whats the best way to attach those metal pieces when they arrive?
any suggestions on the right adhesive?
 
whats the best way to attach those metal pieces when they arrive?
any suggestions on the right adhesive?

I would think you could just use a small woodscrew or two through the small center holes to keep it in place.

Once you thread both leg bolts in and tighten it down, it doesn't really matter if it's adhered to the cabinet or not. By then, it's doing its job.

I'll have to check on my Mata Hari the next time I open it up to see if they're all attached or not. I seem to recall one or two of the plates falling off when I removed the legs for bringing it home.
 
I have seen some ops put a large nut on the inside of the leg bolt. Makes them super tight and it won't come off no matter what. Pain if you are going to sell it soon, move it etc, but not really too much.

This is not a good thing. You don't want the leg bolts "super tight." Leg bolts should be snug but not overly-tightened. This allows a bit of give for more precise nudging/handling of the game. And you won't dig gouges into the cab corners that will happen when you "super tighten" the leg bolts.
 
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