I posted in the "Show Us Your EMs" thread about my $225 Jumping Jack pickup (https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/em-show-us-your-em-pinball-machines/page/257#post-6346688); I've decided to make a thread detailing my restoration.
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Here's what's left of the backglass after removal from the game, and vacuuming of giant chunks of art that were damaged beyond repair. Was just curious what's held up in comparison to what hasn't, there was no saving it. I'm going to either buy a repro, send it off to BGResto or try to find a used one.

I pulled the playfield out, cleaned/gapped switches, changed bulbs, cleaned underside of inserts, started to take apart the Bonus stepper unit but found that the coil stop is broken and mushroomed. Needs to be replaced before I move on with that.

Inside the cabinet there wasn't really much of note, but I did think this was funny. Someone wanted quieter chimes I guess
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As I outlined in the initial post the front has seen better days. It's splintering beyond repair, and my plan was to just have a new front made, paint it and call it a day. As I more closely inspect the game though, I noticed things like this splitting on the right inner side:
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The top of the head also has taken on water at some point, same issues as the front. It needs more than just the front rebuilt.

I'm not sure what I want to do, as I don't have the woodworking tools or spray booth setup to do a proper cabinet rebuild/restencil. I also noticed there is paint webbing inside the cabinet but not on the outside, which is very strange. Was it potentially repainted at some point?? I don't see how that's possible. Did some games leave the factory floor without getting webbed?

I need to replace the drop targets, as 2 are broken, and one is generic. Is it worth the money to replace the springs, or will the old ones suffice?

Would you be able to sell me just 4? I really don't need a whole set. If not I understand

Here's a photo of the side. That's wild that someone went to the trouble of repainting the cabinet. It has wear from age like scuffs, scrapes, etc etc. which made me think it was original. Must have been repainted some time ago.
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That's cool, and gives me hope. I really like keeping things original where possible. I had to tear off large chunks of the front paneling because the coin door hinges were obstructed. I would have to get it flat as I could then fill it in with bondo. I realized that getting a new front piece would be harder than I thought due to the slight notch where the coin door frame is mounted.

Pinball Pimp said he would sell me just the front cabinet stencil for $20 + ship if I wanted to go that route.

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Anyone know where I can get the correct coil stop for the Bonus Unit? I search the part number circled in red and get no results.

Looks like 8-32 threads, 5/16" tall.

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Something weird I noticed is these 2 pieces of plastic wedged in the transformer. What is the purpose of that?

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So I suppose we already knew this, but I looked closer at the artwork and I can tell where someone masked it off for repainting.
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Got through cleaning all the score reels, as well as all contacts. Not too much of note, but there was 1 screw missing from both switch stacks on the M (100 pt) relay.
Also I took apart the drop target reset coils to inspect the stops (they are rough, and so is one of the plungers for the reset arm), and as I was doing so, these coils just fell apart on me. Both of them in the exact same way; whatever glue was holding the paper bits together has completely dissipated. The winding appears to be completely intact. Are these salvageable? I would prefer not to spend $20 on coils if I don't need to.
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I posted this on Facebook and had similar responses. My picture wasn't very good I guess. The wrapping is fine, but both ends of the coil completely fell off. I decided to buy new coils because I don't think it's salvageable.

Put in my order to PBR, and while I wait for that I'm going to get started on the playfield. (some of this is extras I'd like to have on hand, and the Bally coil is for my Air Aces but you get the point)
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Disassembled playfield
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Initial wipedown with Naptha on a rag, then magic eraser with Naptha, then Novus 2. Before and after on a spot with a ton of ball swirling20210628_182947.jpg
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Playfield completely cleaned with Novus 2, not waxed yet. Im going to look into methods of fixing inserts using polycrylic/clear acrylic. They are quite sunken

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The playfield itself has taken on some water damage as well, but luckily only at the very front behind the coin door

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We'll be learning together, it'll be my first time attempting something like this. The two near the saucer holes aren't bad but the rest, especially the 10x Bonus Value When Lit inserts are pretty bad. I might have a spare used insert in a few bins of roached out EM parts I have, so I'll practice on that first. I bought this Polyurethane and am going to try applying it with an eye dropper, then shave any excess off with a razer. If the eye dropper doesn't work I have some cheap little paint brushes
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LNW7ZM
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XRYMR9L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

The cardboard piece that the coil is wrapped around remained intact, and there were nylon sleeves, but as you can see both flat ends (the rectangular one with the lugs on it, and the opposite circle end) came off completely.

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I wanted to experiment with the polyurethane before using it on the game. I put some of it on this junk pop bumper cap, and while not entirely analagous to a sunken insert, is going to help me see how it sets, and how to use the razer. Im surprised at how fast it set, it was about 50% set in a minute of application

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Hold on a minute, I used my noggin and found something a lot more applicable. An arcade machine concave button. Lot better of a test piece to experiment with

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I know next to nothing about this method, just going off a Facebook comment, and I couldn't find a Youtube guide. I will see how this dries and if it dries poorly I will do what you suggested. I appreciate the help

Yeah globbing the polyurethane on there yeilded less than impressive results. I will probably do it in 2 or 3 stages to ensure it can dry clear.
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Waxed, and started reassembling the playfield but am waiting on a rubber kit. I need to try to flatten the plastics first as well.20210630_212722.jpg
Ouch, the top took a beating from the elements. Starting to glue it back together so at least it will lay flat20210630_212729.jpg

Continued putting the playfield back together with the rubber kit but PBR goofed and sent me 2 incorrectly sized rubbers. I also found that one of the pop bumper yoke arms that stick through the playfield are broken on one of them, so I need to order one of those.20210705_193044.jpg

I pulled the metal out of the Evaporust after about 4 days of soaking and it looks fantastic. 20210705_191726.jpg
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I didnt realize how damaged this piece is (called the strike plate), so I think Im gonna buy a new one off PBR for $20.20210705_192959.jpg
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I also goofed and ordered the wrong coils for the drop target bank so Im gonna see about returning those

Its hard to get on camera, but 2 coats into the polyurethane on the inserts, and I would say Im happy overall. I got worried about how much I had put on some of them the first coat, so when it had dried a bit I globbed it off. Dont do that- theres definitely a noticable ring where it had started to dry then was wiped away. Also, there are slight dimples/air bubbles, the glaze isnt perfect. A lot of this is moot though because you can really only see it when theres a glare directly on top of the insert.

Im gonna go a couple more coats at least, then either carefully sand it or shave it with a razer if it goes over the playfield's height. Pic 1 is of it drying, pic 2 is a dried insert after 2 coats, pic 3 is the inserts as they are now from a player's perspective

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Working on trying to make this as smooth as possible, then I need to staple the panel in a few spots to keep it from moving with my pneumatic staple gun. After that I will get it smooth with Bondo, then paint it. I am also planning on painting the front of the head because it is quite worn.

I know this might make some people cringe but I dont have the money or tools to do a perfect cabinet rebuild/repaint. Just looking to make it presentable, and if I sell it in the future, someone else can do a full rebuild if they wish

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Ive realized that the initial layer of wood is too far gone, it needs to go. Im tearing away the really damaged layer to reveal the flatter wood not exposed to the elements. This will have the drawback of causing the coin door strike not to sit flush with the wood but that's okay

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I cant make up my mind on what to do here!! Im going to text a woodworker I know and see if he can quote me for a whole new front panel. Im very indecisive right now lol

Edit: Nevermind, he wanted $300. Out of the budget

Oh no! Fuck, well live and learn

The top layer might be gone but I think I can still make it look decent. Really the only difference is that the coin door strike isn't going to sit level with the wood. I can live with that

Ive not worked with veneer, would they trim it, or would I have to trim it? Is that what you mean by adjustments?

I *really* cant make my mind up on this project. I just had the urge to redo the entire cabinet. I think it'd be fun. I feel a lot less bad about stripping paint that's been repainted at some point. I have no spray booth setup, but I think my dad has a sprayer I can borrow, Ive got a palm sander (which I did the head with today), Im decent at bondo.

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Some questions on spraying a cabinet.
-Is this Kilz primer good? https://www.amazon.com/Restoration-Maximum-Blocking-Interior-1-gallon/dp/B007XH9PKO/ref=sr_1_1_sspa
-I had the white and blue colormatched at the hardware store from the head of the cabinet. It's latex satin paint, is it usable in a sprayer? I did some research but couldn't find a specific type of paint people used
-Do I need to thin either the paint or primer? Is that based on the gun/tip I'm using?
-I see people remove the old paint with a paint remover chemical. Is there a reason not to just use a random orbital sander like I did for the head? Worked really well using 80 grit, I was going to lightly go over it in 220 before I sprayed primer.

Heres what my inserts look like after 4 coats of polyurethane. From a normal perspective they look clear with the exception of a couple which dried very light milky white. To try to demonstrate how flat they are now I put a razor directly over the insert. Not perfect but absolutely miles better than before

I shined a light to highlight the imperfections I was talking about. Really only visible under direct light/glare. I experimented with dry sanding and using a razer to shave it down on the arcade button I experimented on and neither worked well. For that reason Im not looking to build it up higher than the playfield. I might do one more coat but Id rather have it slightly lower and still looking nice than even but mangled looking

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How do you sand it? A bit too late for me to sand in between coats but i dry sanded with 220 on the test button and it looked like crap. Finer grit sand paper? Wet sanding?

Worked on stripping and bondo-ing the head today. On the second layer of bondo I didn't wait long enough for it to dry and it started gumming up the pad of the sander. Will need to do a little bit more bondo work but it's coming along nicely.

For getting the wood smooth before primer, should I go higher than 220 grit?

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Looking over the rest of the body, there isn't too much structural work that needs to be done besides what I've already outline with the front and the inner cabinet above the right flipper. A couple edges are slightly chipped, and the neck is starting to split, but the rest of it looks nice.

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