Hey guys, came across this awesome site and this is my first post on this, so just wanted to say hi and thanks for reading! I really do appreciate any help I may get.

This is my first pinball machine, and it is a beauty! This F 14 Tomcat I got about a 6 months ago, and played quite a bit in the first few months, but an issue with the ramp right has limited my play quite a bit... and than some stuff came up and I never got around to fixing it. But now I have time, and want to clean the whole machine and do some refurbishing on the playfield.

Now, when I first got the machine, I thought to myself "Hey, it is in pretty good condition! Its not perfect at all, but it plays fine, everything seems to work, fine with me!". After looking online, it turns out mine is indeed in pretty rough shape, but like I said, everything seems to be working perfectly, so I am pretty happy! I am indeed an EXTREME newbie to pinballs, and electronic games in general. I played them when I was a kid, but never EVER tried to fix a pinball machine before. So please excuse my ignorance in advance, and be as clear as possible when explaining things to me haha

So my first order of business is to fix the ramp issue. As you can see in some of the pics, the ramp off the start had the left "ring" attached on top of the rail instead of on the outside of the rail like it is on the right side, and it must have broken off during play, and I did not notice it for the longest time (it is so small, hard to notice, especially when inexperienced). So I would plunge the ball, it would hit this divot in the rail, bounce around slightly, lose all its speed and momentum, and would not make it all the way up the ramp. I thought it was an issue with the shooter, and replaced it, but that did nothing.... So this would happen at least 75% of the time, meaning the game would become very frustrating when you were trying to lock a bunch of balls in a row, but couldn't plunge the ball into play. It almost looks like it was soldered or super glued onto the top of the rail, and it works perfectly fine when it is held in place (with the glass off and manually held in place) but it just doesn't work good if the divot is exposed. Has anyone else had this happen before? I am not sure what exactly I should do. I though about super gluing it back into place, but it just seems like a very odd place to have it. Maybe I could fill the divot? But with what? Any ideas what to do?

Secondly, I am thinking about removing the mylar and doing a thorough cleaning/waxing/paint touch ups/clear coating. I am fairly confident in my ability to remove the mylar based on some videos I have seen, clean the playfield, paint any necessary areas (me and my gf love to little crafty stuff like that, she is fairly artistic, so I am not worried about that) and finally, a solid clear coat on top of it all. The only thing i am worried about is taking everything apart and not being able to put it back together, or screwing it up entirely and not having it work anymore. Just looking underneath the machine gives me chills, and I am just not confident that if I remove everything, I will be able to put it all back together and have it working properly.

Now my playfield looks like crap right now, especially the areas not covered by mylar... its got horrible discoloration, worn out in many parts, raised inserts.. the whole nine yards! But like I said, if I got the mylar off, I would be pretty confident in being able to make it look at least half decent.

So, if I am going to go through with this, I am going to need a solid strategy going in, and going to need tons of help and suggestions. I am thinking something like this:

-Start with the biggest/easiest plastics to take off. than anything remaining that isn't connected to the game (flippers, targets, ect)
-This would be the scariest and would need most help with... removing flippers, targets, etc.. anything connected to the game through wires... how do I disconnect these and connect them back? do I just let the wires fall back through the hole and under the table? Whats the best way of tackling this?
-Freeze spray and goo gone the mylar. If this goes smoothly, I will be a happy camper!
-Magic eraser and alcohol to clean the table, hopefully get it looking semi-nice.
-Novus 2 to fix up some scratches, get the table looking good.
-Rubber mallet/piece of wood to get the raised inserts back into place
-Sand the inserts. I saw a few people sand them while still in the play field. I was thinking of doing this, because removing them might be difficult.
-buy and replace all decals on inserts.
-paint whatever is necessary, but I'm not going to go overboard. I want it to look nice, but doesn't have to be perfect.
-Clear coat - another scary part. Is there any way to do this simply? I don't want to half a$$ anything, but I don't need it to be pristine and perfect. This is played at home, won't be over used at all, and it is really just me and my gf playing, so it doesn't have to be bomb proof or anything. I just want a nice coating on top to give it a glossy look, give it a little more speed, and just seal everything up.
-Than put everything back together - easier said than done!

So, am I in way over my head? I think I can do this. I am handy enough to do some basic stuff, and can learn quickly, and I am crafty enough to clean/paint this baby up. It really is just a bit over whelming to start, but I think I can do it

Any and all help is greatly appreciated! Sorry for the ridiculously long post!

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more pics

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Thanks for the advice so far. I have looked through tons of forums and stories about doing this kind of thing, and I feel confident I can do it I may mess up once or twice, but if I can improve my game, I will give it a shot!

Luckydogg420 thanks for that link! I will check it out.

Thank you all for the words of advice so far! I have looked over many forums/stories and I think I can do this! And since I HAVE to fix the ramp issue, I might as well go one step further and clean up the entire playfield.

Tonight I am going to start the process, but just starting slow tonight, starting to take apart some of the big parts, and starting to see if I can handle some more of the little intricate parts. I will be coming on here plenty to ask for some advice/help whenever I need it, and I will be taking TONS of pictures (as per everyones advice), so I will for sure be posting back here to show you guys how it is coming along.

Alright so I took the plunge this evening, set aside my nerves, and went to work taking apart my beauty It is sad to look at it now, but I just know it will look gorgeous when it is all said and done! Here are a few pics so far. If you guys have any advice on what I should be doing next, please don't hesitate to give me some ideas!

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@practicalsteve, the back domes are clear, they are no removed. I will post another picture to show you... and yes I am planning on removing the mylar, possibly tonight! Very exciting and nerve racking moment haha

So for the mylar, I read a lot of different stories and peoples advice, this is the steps I came up with. Do you guys think this is the proper way of tackling it?

-use some gentle lemon based cleaner to get the initial dirt off the table. It is so dirty as of right now, that I just wanted to get it a little cleaner.
-Freeze spray the mylar, and than goo gone the adhesive.
-Magic eraser and alcohol to clean the table of any gunk/dirt.
-Novus 2 to fix up some scratches.

what should I use to clean the ramps, plastics, flippers and targets?

Awesome, thanks!

Yea I saw a similar video like this. Hmmm maybe this is the better and cheaper option. I will probably give this a shot. Thanks for posting this.

And no to the magic eraser? What should I use instead?

Patofnaud, thanks for that link. I read through it all.. Some great tips in there, but also plenty of "pro" tips that are clearly out of my league. But even though he warns at the beginning don't just do it for the sake of doing it, and don't half ass it, I am still going to go through with my plan. Although not as thorough as his, I think I can make my play field better than it is now, and that is the ultimate goal here. It isn't to make it perfect, but just make it better. Thanks for the link, I will use some of his advice.

practicalsteve, I am going to do just that. First use the magic eraser and some alcohol on a small hidden area, and see how it reacts. My play field isn't in horrible condition, so I don't think it will ruin anything. Also, I am thinking of using the alcohol + flour method first, because it is cheap and easy to try.

Just a quick update, the mylar came off perfectly! I have only done half so far (because I only bought 1 can of air, D'OH! Needed 2 cans) But honestly, it has come off so perfectly, it is unreal how good this method works.

Than I started cleaning the adhesive, and man this is tough. I tried the alcohol + flour method at first. It works, but takes a lot of finger rubbing, and only works in really small portions at a time. I bought some goo gone, and am trying that right now.

Luckydogg, do you put a lot of goo gone on? Just pour it on and let it sit? Or do you lightly apply it with a rag or something? And afterwards, do you have to scrub it off with a rag, or should it just come off with an easy wipe?

thanks for the advice. Did you use a magic eraser at all after the goo gone, or just straight to Novus?

Crash, ya I am doing that tonight. Yesterday was a bit of a test on a smaller area, but I will try with a plastic razor.

Patofnaud, so no to the magic eraser eh? Thanks for the heads up!

alright well the entire mylar is off. There was a bit of paint that came off, very tiny parts, an some of the inserts too. If anyone is going to try this, I suggest buying like 4 cans of the freeze spray and using a ton of it. I I used almost 3 cans, and it came off much smoother when I would spray it multiple times on the same spot.

I continued to use goo gone, and flour/alcohol on small part. I tried using a credit card for a bit, but I was too scared i would scratch the surface, so I stopped. I continued using rags and my finger, and I must say, this is much harder than I expected. It is going to take a lot of patience to get this all off.

Yea I used 2.5 cans of it. They were only 6oz cans, and I used A LOT... just to be safe haha