Quoted from jsa:Ok, the game has been pretty solidly working. Almost ready to declare victory. When you folk adjust leaf switches, such as stand up targets or slingshot switches, do you remove them from the playfield first or adjust with them in place? Right now, this appears to be our biggest challenge in ironing out the little bugs. That, and identifying what is supposed to be "normal behavior" and making necessary changes to accomplish that. It's remarkable to me how much variation the ramps have from the original ramps (thickness), which definitely creates its own set of challenges. I've also installed Cliffy protectors. Clearly, these are 100% required, as the ramp entrances are completely destroyed on our original set.
We installed plastic protectors as well. The challenge here is that now that everything is installed, we can see how certain gates, the spinner, and other hardware can get caught on the protectors. I have no problem adjusting them... Would you folks think there would be any problem shaving them down "in place" with a dremel? Removing plastics that are under ramps can be... frustrating.
Some additional thoughts about the reassembly process:
-Photo context is everything. I've found a good technique is to place the end of a post or screwed in object next to the hole it belongs in during teardown for the photo...making sure to have a wide enough angle that you can see the context of the location.
-Existing restoration photos reveal there is some artistic license involved in this process. What one restorer choses to do in a location is different than another. Furthermore, the restorers before you may actually have a better solution than the original game had, so take that into account as well.
-Tumbling screws can remove their magnetic plating. If I could do one thing differently, I would have audited each screw type during teardown and bought 100 of each type. Finding screws in a tumbling batch royally sucks, and losing magnetic capability will make you want to poke your eyeballs out with a fork.
-Repro playfield screw holes are just markers. They aren't big enough to be pilot holes for a #6 screw. Best investment I made was a hand crank drill for this purpose. It keeps you from over-shooting and is great for protecting your playfield.
-Repro playfield screw holes are about 99% accurate. Pretty close to 100%. I had to move a couple but they were marginal and clearly visible from the playfield art (hole not quite inside a circle, etc).
-I ended up with parts, mostly screws, that have no place to be installed. How is that possible? The answer is that when you don't find a screw you need, you don't have time to go through every screw in the batch, so you grab a new one.
-Doing this project with my son was the most rewarding thing we've ever done together. Playing this game with him was just plain amazing. The challenges with this have to do with what is largely one person jobs (screwing in a screw), so it was easier to involve him in the cabinet work than the playfield work. That being said, even having him around during the playfield work was a complete joy.
I will post some photos soon.
Totally stoked for you guys!
I adjust leaf switches in the game with a leaf adjusting tool, or long thin flat head driver
Dremel stuff in the game!?! Lay covers on everything, even have a vacuum going to suck up the slag/dust while you are dremeling... if you must do it in the game, I hate the thought of you having to do that with everything all together finally....
Once I pulled the castle out of my medieval madness, which requires removing rails and ramps, I had everything together when I was finished, then only to realize I forgot something that was under the castle... I had to remove it all over again, sometimes it just happens, and you have to pull stuff off a few times
Manchester, MI
Now go play it. 
