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TIP Stern Flipper Rebuilt Kit - Where to buy?

ShootAgain

Member
Aug 6, 2013
177
24
18
Gatineau
I was wondering where is the best place to get a Flipper rebuilt Kit for my LOTR?
I heard many complains about the quality of Pinball Life's rebuilt Kit and I know for the Bally/Williams it is best to order from Pinball Resource.
Is it the same for the modern Stern?
 

mwong168

Administrator
Staff member
Nov 14, 2012
6,652
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Toronto
Good thing LOTR only has two flippers because each one will run you $52.33usd plus shipping from Pinball Resource.

500-6307-00.jpg


http://www.pbresource.com/rebuildkit.html#STERNRK

You can contact your local SB because last time I spoke to Doug at SB in Toronto he quoted me $58cdn + taxes per flipper kit which I think was from PBR.
 

Pharoah007

Active Member
Nov 17, 2012
260
35
28
Ottawa
Nothing "wrong" with the PBL kits.

I am just saying that most flippers can be rebuilt by replacing a few parts vice a whole kit.

Link it to an entire flipper assembly for less $ as well ;)
 

mwong168

Administrator
Staff member
Nov 14, 2012
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kt-wflip-06.jpg


I don't think I have ever bought a complete flipper rebuild kit from PBR or PBL. But as you can see from the PBR Williams kit above why lots of people swear by it. It is complete and includes everything you need including an allen key too! I would say the only thing missing in this kit is a flipper gaping tool but if you've rebuilt enough flippers in the past you can normally do this by feel or in a crunch I heard people use a business card.

GAP-TOOL.jpg


I usually keep a healthy stock of common flipper parts such as coil stops, coil sleeves, plunger and crank assemblies for both sides.

I have a few EOS switches on hand but I think in the past 5 years I've only had to replace 2-3 of them on my games. Otherwise I just clean the contacts and re-gap while in the switch edge test to make sure it engages at the end of stroke. If you notice when removing the old coil sleeve that it is very tight or seized it could be a sign that the old EOS switch is bad or wasn't gapped properly causing the coil to overheat swell up.

I don't always change the playfield bushings whenever I do a rebuild but I do have a few on hand just in case I notice there is a crack or wear. If you notice after rebuilding your flipper that it still isn't strong to make shots it could also mean there is too much play in your old playfield bushing causing flipper drag. This in turn will cause your playfield to look like over time:

!B3,04zgBGk~$(KGrHqJ,!g4E)73uoeEMBMmKuMMIFQ~~_1.JPG


The other parts which come in the PBR kit such as return springs, screws, nuts and washers I have in my general hardware stock. The only screw hardware that has ever broken on me during removal are the little silver ones which are used to hold the playfield bushing into the mounting plate.

Lastly if you notice that after you have rebuilt your flipper but they still look uneven like this:

P1070595.jpg


Then you probably need to replace the small black rubber grommet which has worn down from the the plunger linkage hitting it.

1-13-2016 11-16-21 AM.png
 

Menace

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Nov 14, 2012
2,440
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Santiago de Aurora
The issue many of us are finding beyond the lack of parts in PBL kits vs PBR is the quality of the material being used to make them. The stops and plungers are mushrooming / wearing out much quicker than normal from what I've seen, and I've heard that the plastic links can break prematurely as well.

D
 

Chris Bardon

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2012
1,301
158
63
Mississauga, ON
Hmm, good to know about those parts. I've still got a bunch of spares on hand, so I haven't had to replenish in about a year, but I'll keep that in mind.