I decided to try my luck at a playfield restoration, along with restoring the rest of a beater Comet machine. I've only done touch-ups and topside tear downs and cleaning previously on playfields, so this is new territory for me. I'll end up paying more in the end than it is worth when I'm done, but I could care less as I'm just doing this for fun. Worst-case scenario is that I'm out a few bucks and I have to part it out if I totally screw things up. Hoping that won't happen.
The machine was a mess. Cracked ramps, plastics, wear down to bare wood, board work needed (battery corrosion). Cabinet was the only thing in decent shape.
I started with the board repair. Haven't fired it up yet, but spent a good deal of time repairing battery corrosion damage on the MPU and rebuilding the PSU, fuse holders, board hacks, etc. Also re-capped and had to replace some pin headers and connectors. 10 hrs work I'm estimating there. Checked traces, all looks good. I'll find out later when I fire it up.
Tearing down the bottom side is a daunting task and very time consuming. I thought I picked a simple machine to tear down. I can't imagine how long it would take to tear down something more complex, so I have a new found respect for those who do this regularly. I also made labels for each and every switch, coil, bulb. It took a good two nights working for about 2 or more hours to do it, separating everything into labeled baggies.
After the tear-down, here is the wreck I was looking at, AFTER mylar removal and an hour with a few Magic Erasers: