Found this on youtube. Very cool

[Austin]

I found this on youtube and thought it was pretty cool. What I thought was really interesting, was that the original bin on the 70A in this video is made of plastic and looks like a very early version of the durabin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irb-AzXzc1M&feature=related

Enjoy everyone.

[Tablejam]

Yes there are several interesting things about this machine besides the roll over bin. Take a close look at the distributor, spotting cups, giant stepper chassis, sweep telescoping links which are actually shocks, and the 4 table cams as well as two solenoids, plus there are lots of other things.

Check out this awesome video.....

[Austin]

Very awesome. Wish there was some 70 A's in the land down under to watch in operation. Would be very interested to see how that roll over bin works.

[House]

AMF redesigned the A machine to the more known and familiar version of the 70. This version almost put them out of business because of the distributor and roll-over style bin. they called in some guys and redesigned it to the "now" 70.

[Toby]

TJ, are the telescoping links unusual? The machines at the Moose Exchange still have them. I never really compared the sweep assembly to the A.

[Tablejam]

The A machines originally had an actual shock and half moon bracket instead of the telescoping link and threaded link and bracket and the sweep would also have two counterbalance springs like the table.

Im a little sad, I just learned the bowl I went to school at in 2004, AMF Cascade Lanes in Portland Oregon closed in 2008, 48 lanes of 70A machines converted to MPs with most of the original parts I mentioned... I wonder what happened to the machines? Looks like the building is still there but the lot is pretty empty.

What's up Toby!

[Toby]

Not much, man! The machines at the Exchange have updated sweep assemblies... no springs or anything like that. There were a few alleys in Pennsylvania I still mean to check out at some point, but they're used frequently enough that I'm not expecting to find too many treasures. One place has me a little excited. A historical society in Danville, PA bought an old Elks lodge a couple years ago, and they contacted us saying they had "pieces of a bowling alley" in their basement. Their insurance company wouldn't let us in because the heat and electricity were all shut off. I've already found a basement with two Brunswick B10's, complete with masking, and I'd really like to stumble on some older 82-70's. In Pennsylvania's coal region, you never know what you're going to find.

Toby

[Tablejam]

I's possible they changed the shocks to the current links and removed the springs but, if you were to look at the top of the sweep stabilizing link you'd probably see this...



The springs helped to counter the shock as the sweep went down and helped smooth out the bouncing, when the sweep was up the springs were stretched. The machines I went to school on still had these and none of the sweeps bounced at all, it was amazing.
The sweep springs bolted to the back side of the box channel (if you look at the link on the left then look straight forward at the back of the channel you see two holes, this is where the other end of the spring was secured with a bracket) and connected to a bracket that was bolted to the top of the sweep stabilizing link. The springs were the same type that is used for the table, big. The link on the left has two tapped holes in it the one on the right (current) does not, this is where the spring bracket would attach. Several of my C machines have these links, which are very old, which also leads me to believe some of my machines were converted from B to C machines.


And good luck on your treasure hunt.
Could it be possible they have 82/30 machines?