I recently picked up a TZ that's in need of some love. It's mostly the usual stuff: rotten rubbers, broken plastics, burnt bulbs, lots of dirt. I've got no problem putting in the time to give it the love it needs.

The big wild card is the cabinet. At some point in the past, it was dropped on it's back right corner and wracked out of square. The front right corner is probably a good inch or two too far forward, and the playfield is jammed in place because of it.

My plan was to wrap a heavy duty, ratcheting tie down strap around the cabinet and pull it back into square, like you'd do with a strap clamp on anything that has mitered corners. Unfortunately, that didn't work - I just couldn't tighten down with anywhere near enough pressure.

I've got a couple other ideas, but they're not as good as the strap clamp. I'm curious if anyone else has successfully dealt with this issue and might have some helpful suggestions.

I really don't want to buy a new cabinet, though it was a good enough deal I'd still come out ahead.

Thanks

Thanks Law, that's basically my next idea (the pushing, not the dropping )

Out-West, that's an interesting thought. It's currently off the legs, and I'd probably have to remove the head to do it with the legs upside down, but it might just do the trick. Could ruin the legs, but they're not in the best shape anyway.

Either way, I've got wood glue and 8 corner brackets to install inside once I get it square enough to pull up the playfield. So I'm not too worried about long term stability. And worst case, I swap cabinets, but I'd really like to get her playing first to make sure it's worth that big expense.

Turns out it's not just out of square, but twisted as well. Still have an idea or two, but I'm close to the "find a new cabinet stage".

Found a local guy to help. So far he's gotten the playfield up and moving smoothly, which is a huge step. The cabinet is largely square now, but not real sturdy yet. Next step is to spend some time reinforcing it to make certain it stay square as I move it around and nudge during play.

Everything seems pretty square and stable now. Starting the disassembly tonight to clean and identify parts that need replacing.