Next up for a facelift is a tired, well used TOM....I got this in on trade a year ago, the trunk didnt work but it was playable (sort of), I hacked in a quick repair (the cabinet/playfield was not grounded to the head/boards) and got the trunk working. It now plays ok but looks pretty beat up, the cab has a chunk the size of a pizza missing, the playfield is badly worn in the "book" area, the brass plating is bad on the wireforms, there are several holes in the speaker panel along with a plethora of other cosmetic issues...

My plan is:
Build a new cabinet
Swap in a new Mirco playfield
Re-brass wireforms, apron rail, newton ball and spirit ring
New translite, glass and channels
New siderails
Restore coin door
New speaker panel
All new rubbers and sleeves
New shooter rod and housing
New pop bodies/skirts
New plastics
All new ramps
Flipper rebuild
New trunk
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mostly just art but a bit of the ply...someone did an ok job painting in the lock!

It looks like it was done with a hot soldering tip but who knows

I bought this about a year ago,every few months I would see a post on pinside where someone got a Mirco playfield with bad clear or sunken inserts and every few months I would run to my closet and look mine over again...

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A whole lot more than the Fish Tales I did last year

First thing on the to do list is to remove the parts that need brass plating...I was unsuccessful in locating a local shop that I could drive to and not risk losing parts in shipping so I am crossing my fingers and sending these out in the mail as soon as I remove the switches and magnet...

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I grabbed some pre-cut cabinet parts off the rack, routed the plunger hole and drilled the game-specific holes, then got it glued together...

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Thanks for the tip, looks like its only 90 miles from me
I will call them this week, I may have a few other small parts done if I dont have to ship them...

Once the glue is dry its time to test fit the components into the new cab. The playfield, translite, speaker panel, shooter rod, lockdown bar, glass and siderails are positioned in the cab to check for fit and proper clearance...all looks well so the cab is ready for fill and sand before being moved into the spray booth for primer...

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I had been using an old rotisserie that was given to me by tracelifter a few years ago that I used on a few swaps but its time for a better one....I am currently looking at plans from both Skypilot and vid1900 and will probably come up with version thats similar. I want it to be able to disassemble it quickly for storage...
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(Not sure why the pics are out of order but it wont allow me to fix it)

Looks like I will be mailing them after all, I guess im not to worried about it since these parts are not rare... I had a buddy who sent an unobtanium part (FT reel handle) and it got lost for damn near a year so I am a little leary of mailing hard to find parts.
Im going to add the entry ramp to those parts that I will be brass plating... looks like all those parts can be had on exchange so turn around time should be quick...

I ordered all new ramps from starship fantasy, I have heard great things about them and wanted to give them a try...they come with all flaps rivited on and the decals...
https://starship-fantasy.com/ramps/Theatre-of-Magic-Ramp-Set

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The old ramps are in good condition with just some minor cracking around the mount holes, I will clean them up and put them on ebay...same story with the playfield plastics... they are really in good shape, I only see one small chip but at this point I might as well get the whole set

Todays lesson: how to remove the spirit ring magnet from its housing...

Step 1: Remove spirit ring housing from ramp
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Step 2: Attempt to apply heat...then try freezing...then try heat again....pull a little, pry a little, wiggle it.....freeze again....then pry...
And then it will pop out in one piece...

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Then head to the computer and order a replacement....

That would probably look great, I have already mailed my parts off for brass but if I deceide to get anything else done I will throw in the ramp flaps.

Pizza is universal, no reason to confuse my friends overseas with imperial measurements...

Got an Email from Starship saying my ramps will be delivered today, I just ordered them on Tuesday. I was expecting it to take a few weeks, great service.

Once test fitting is complete and all bondo and sanding are finished its time to move the cab into the make shift spray booth for paint and primer...

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A shout out to Chris at High_End_Pins for taking the time to photograph and document his amazing work, it has been very helpful for an amateur like me to hone my painting skills, and pay attention to every detail. But the most important skill I have learned from him is efficiency. Thanks Chris!

I ordered these on Tuesday morning and they arrived at lunchtime on Thursday...pretty impressive, I was prepared to wait a few weeks...

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They seem a bit thicker and stronger than the originals, I will comment more on the fit and finish when they are installed but so far I am impressed...
Thanks larry @starship fantasy

Thanks
I think this is the way to go, and I need a miter saw stand for my miter saw anyway so it makes perfect sense.
Picking up miter saw stand today so I can get started on the playfield swap. The cabinet is complete and decaled and most of my parts are here so I am itching to get started. I will post pics of completed rotisserie in a day or 2

Really didnt want to break the bank on a miter saw stand but wanted to stay a step above harbor freight so I thought I would try the Ryobi version. The stand itself is nice, and assembly was easy. I will have to wait until I use the saw to have an opinion on how well it works as intended. It is sturdy,when all the knobs are tight and seems solid but again, I will wait to pass judgement on its operation until I do the playfield swap.
I blended both the version seen above, and the classic black pipe locking capability for this hybrid...

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I wanted something I could securely lock in place, not just the friction of a swivel plate.
I still need to get proper clamps, put some foam on the lip of the punched angle and paint everything...

I got word today that the brass parts are on their way, I have 95% of the parts I need to complete this project so after almost a year its time to get started. I know I will find a few broken parts along the way that will need to be orderd so I will wait on ordering the remaining few parts until I get deeper into it...
Tonights performance is about to begin....

Ouch, I just made the rookie mistake of adding up how much I spent on parts so far..........

I usually break even on these restorations as long as I consider my labor free....if I paid myself $8 an hour then Im in the red...although this may be the first game I restore that will probably be worth less than I have in it just on parts alone...

Anybody who is waiting for CGC to announce TOM as their next remake, it will probably happen just as this project wraps up and goes up for sale...driving down the value even more....

#laboroflove

Got my parts back from Hot Rod Arcade, they look ten times better than the parts I shipped off....

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Going to order Color DMD, what is the best choice for this game, LCD or LED?

Going to get the coin door squared away first. This one is not really that bad compared to some I have done...it appears to be complete and in decent shape...

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Aside from one missing coin flap, this bezel around the coin slots has the most damage. Looks like someone hit it pretty good a few times...

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The plan is to sand it or bead blast it clean, fill any dents or scratches,prime it, apply factory looking texture, then paint...the small parts on the inside are heading to the sonic cleaner...

Thanks, I just posted the same question in the TOM club thread....

Coin door torn down, small parts labeled and heading to the ultrasonic. Main pieces are going to be prepped for repainting...

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Cleaned the gunk off and made a quick pass with some wet sandpaper just to get a feel for how much work this will be...

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