I can't wait to play it.. Let me know when you get it! I will make the trip..

When I say minor planking on the cab, I mean so minor that a normal player (as opposed to an abnormal one) would never notice.

The playfield is a nightmare, like 99.99% of all F14s, but otherwise the game is clean.

It used to be owned by Clay, so I'll run through it and see if he did the normal sys11 mods or not.

He did not do the extra flasher light restore, that I know so far.

Nice! Congrats Dan, I know your excited, cuz I'm excited for you. Let me know if you need some help with those stairs.

I don't think so. I've only owned one, and i still have it.

Guess the guy was a liar.

Now everyone will be doubting when someone says "Restored by HEP or owned by Clay", LOL.

Now for the fun part.

Here are some typical sys11 problems that will be corrected in a total restore (and of course some atypical ones too).

Cab is pretty clean, but there is a little bit of mildew growing in there. Mildew is killed with a solution of bleach and water.

You can also see some general corrosion on the prop bar and such.

mildew.jpg

Here we have some planking that has chipped down to bare wood.

Note also some Alligatoring - that is where the clear coat has shrank over an insert - because the insert is smooth and does not have the "tooth" that wood does. It is not necessarily a defect, rather just a sign of aging.

ALIGATOR.jpg

Here the bulb socket is missing AND the wire ball guide is missing. That guide would protect the bulb and socket should the rubber ever break or the ball get under it.

Any guess what chain of events led up to this situation? LOL.

BALL-GUIDE.jpg

There is some fading of the apron. My guess is someone "polished" it but went too far. The sun took care of the rest.

Not a lot of corrosion here - no drink ever found its way under the lock down bar...

CORROSION.jpg

Of course plastics on a 25 year old game have been damaged.

CRACKED.jpg

Someone tried to repair the game with some adhesive decals at some point.

DECAL.jpg

Here is something you never see.

All the domes.

The motor.

The belts and pulley.

It all works!

DOMES.jpg

Here you see that the inserts have faded into clear. UV light and heat from the bulbs have taken their toll on the blue plastic.

This could be repaired with blue LEDs.

But since the printing over the inserts will certainly come off with the Mylar removal AND every insert has popped and needs to be reseated, I think the better repair is to replace the blue inserts with new ones - it will not be any more work and will look stunning even with the power off.

FADE.jpg

I've seen this on another F14, in the same exact position, so it's possible that this is factory, but one of the flippers does not have the Williams logo on it, but instead a clear cap.

FLIPPER.jpg

Normal wear and tear like the foam backer missing from behind a target and paint scratched off the plastic.

Also, the "L" metal is missing from between the screws that keeps the plastic from being smashed by the ball.

FOAM.jpg

Williams did not extend the Mylar under the spinner, so this area is destroyed on every F14 I've seen.

Sometimes the spinner comes loose and the ball keeps hitting it, digging a nice size hole.

Note that the spinner has had decals applied. Some clear heat shrink tubing could have saved it.

INSERT.jpg

Uh oh, looks like this power resistor for the flashers got so hot, it unsoldered itself

Where could it be found except in the bottom of the cabinet?

(The larger resistors are mounted up side down - the legs should be next to the circuit board to allow for air flow - these things get HOT).

JUMPPED-SHIP.jpg MELTED.jpg

General mayhem.

KICKBACK.jpg

Nice work Vid, love to see guys helping each other out!

When I say that removing the Mylar will also remove all the printing, you can see why here.

The Mylar is already removing the printing all by itself.

F-14 came with factory Mylar, rather than giving it a good coat of clear.

Note that the blue star post are at best baby blue. At 25 cents each, they are of course going in the trash.

LIFTED.jpg

Here more Planking and yellowing plastic.

Because Williams made 15,000 of these games, both the clear and screened plastics are readily available to us restorers.

PLANKING.jpg

EVERY single Arrowhead insert has popped.

They are one of the worst inserts for popping, even on my MM and I'm sure on the upcoming WOZ.

POPPED.jpg

Usually the white beacon is totally amber or even slightly brown from UV and age.

This one looks really good.

They have not made them in years, so you got to work with what you got.

Blue bulb is burned out, but it is an auto bulb, nothing fancy.

Back box is clean, no smoke stains and not one replaced driver transistor.

TOPPER.jpg

There is always something awful or hilarious in every game.

I say it stays, what say you?

POP.jpg

I hate those arrowheads. Even after pulling them sanding them and polishing them . Reseating them was a huge pain. F-14 is a chore to restore. Glad you are doing another. Love watching each other bring these games back to life. Looking forward to getting up to your level. I think I need to get into a proper shop next.

They only needed the decal for one side of the spinner I'm guessing and decided not to waste the other!

I thought the same thing, but when I took the glass off, both sides of the spinner had been decaled.

Then I thought that someone had put a distractingly bright LED in the pop, but nope, it was just a #44.

Since this game did not come from Clay, maybe the real past owner will step forward and clue us in.

It's funny, but I'm sure there will be plenty more surprises in the near future...

Maybe you will know vid, what is that rubber ring hanging on the prop bar for?

My F-14 had that as well, and I always thought someone just kept an extra rubber there, but seeing it in your pic made me double take.

You are so much faster than I am, lol. I have been working on mine for 2 weeks now and am just now getting everything out of the cabinet.

I've seen it in other games too, but I don't know why. Probably something clever I'm missing.

Clay, want to chime in here?

I'm not really that fast, it's that I just got done doing a whole pile of F14. I was seeing them in my sleep.

Good catch on that one VID....I went over to my machine and it's surely missing as well. The bulb is there and fine but the wire guide is gone....and I see the holes where it should go. I don't know why this would be missing?? And is it worth it to replace considering I have LEDs in the GI and not bulbs??

I've also found a rubber ring on prop bars before thought someone just stuck it there. Now I need to know.

Holds the prop rod for transport, it gets pulled around the prop rod rest.

Great list of pictures VID. Very thorough list of some very common issues with the F-14. Glad to see someone taking the time to restore such a classic game!

I think mine is missing that also, even though I didn't know.

What does that look like, got a source for those?

Nah, I think you did just fine. With Vid on the job, it will turn out beautiful, and even if you just bought it as a player, I've seen much worse for much more money.

Yep - transport a game standing up without it and all you hear is "bang bang bang" (been there done that.) It has the potential to do damage to any components under the playfield by the bar or just the banging alone could jar something loose, especially on an older game.

viperrwk

What does that look like, got a source for those?

Sorry, this was the only pic I had that showed it on my phone.

It is just a piece of thin "angle iron" but made of stainless steel. It keeps the ball from breaking the plastic and lodging under the ramp.

I'm sure Grainger would have it. I'll have to measure it, but it's probably 1/2" x 1/2" x 3" and maybe 1/16" thick.

IMG_6078.jpg

Hey Vid,
I'd love to see one of your tutorials on replacing the missing flashers. Those flashers are funky on this game with all those resistor boards. Been meaning to replace mine for a while, just not sure on where to wire them. Seem to recall a service bulletin on removing them and suppose I could just reverse the procedure, but would love tips from the master.

Wouldn't you know it, just checked and I am missing the same "L" bracket and wire ball guide too. Got a link for these? (I have an old rubber around my prop bar too)

I started it, but I'm working on the road and don't have the pics with me.

It won't be too long (hopefully).

I can see leaving the L bracket off out of laziness, but I wonder why anyone would pull the wire ball guide off in the first place?

The ball guide part is Wireform 3" 12-6466-12

The L bracket is Ball Deflector 01-8811

Thanks Vid!
Looking forward to the TUT - you da man!

I am pretty sure this is factory as every F14 I have seen has this. That being said, I have always wondered why is like that?

.

My F14 has the williams logo on all 4 flippers, but mine is also an early production unit (#113 - clear flasher covers on flashers 1-6 and prototype ROMS) so maybe they changed this out for some reason later in the run? ...or perhaps mine was replaced with a logo flipper at some point...

Mine is also missing the L-bracket as well, and I didn't even realize it until now. I'm planning a full resto on my F14 this fall (will be my first restoration) and I will make sure to add these back in.

Thanks for the info Vid! I will follow your progress and would definitely appreciate any additional tips/info on this machine that may help with my resto.

Does your blue insert above the pop say "Blue plate special" or "Hot streak"?

Hot streak. I've never heard of the other one... is that indicitive of a really early one or a prototype unit?