I started to put all this stuff in the WCS94 club, but maybe it would be better here.

I bought my first pin as a present for my wife (no really) in January 2014. I bought it for $3700, it worked. The wife wanted to make it prettier, so we spent another $2000. We live in Sydney, Australia so prices are way more expensive than in US.

Anyway, things we have changed:

1. Soccer ball, Soccer plate and Soccer Motor
2. Existing lights with LEDs - not a kit bought cool white supers and frosted
3. Back Ramp and right side front ramp.
4. Flippers and cranks
5. All rubbers
6. All plastics
7. New Decals
8. New wire ramp
9. Saucers
10. Cliffy protectors
11. Assist kicker mechanic
12. Shooter rod and sleeve
13. Button rollover
14. Jet bumper tops and skirts
15. Teal star posts
16. Cabinet buttons
17. Semi Tubular rivets for replaced ramps and plastics (1/8" semi tubular 3/16 and 7/32 lengths. Nickel plated so that they are the same as what was there).

Cleaning products:
1. Mill wax
2. Nifti
3. Novus 1,2 and 3 - 2oz bottles
4. Mr Sheen
5. A good metal polisher
6. Microfibre cloths (different colour for each product)

Tools:
1. Soldering Iron - never owned one before
2. Stanley socket set - I love this thing. You can attach an 1/4" head to a screwdriver, with universal bendy joint. Makes things so much easier.
3. 1/8" Semi-tubular rivet anvil

I can flesh out anything anyone wants to ask me. I will start with the cheap, but tried and tested way I had od attaching the rivets to my new plastics and ramps

Rivets....

So there are two choices when replacing rivets, replace with what was there or use pop rivets. I guess there is nothing wrtong with pop rivets and there are some good quality ones now-a-days, but..... Anyway, I chose the original semi-tubular rivets.

There is a fantastic article that somebody else wrote which started me down this path:

http://home.earthlink.net/~billg4me/pinball/rivet/

This guy is awesome and did a fantastic job. But I am hopeless and would not have any idea on how to create a device to crimp on the rivets like he did.

So I used a hammer.

First up I needed to buy the anvil and get some advice. I contacted Davro products in Sydney and got me an anvil

http://www.davroproducts.com.au/product-information.html?CategoryID=55765

Great guy to talk to at Davro, he gave me some adivce. You can use a hammer, but you need something soft, but malleable, but wont bounce. Hmmm, so after much trial and error I used a felt backed metal coaster and a brick underneath.

The rivets - you will need nickel plated 1/8" semi - tubular rivets. Two different lengths - 3/16" and 7/32". You will also need 1/8" washers.

Here is the anvilphoto 5.JPGphoto 4.JPG
Here are the rivets and washersphoto 3.JPG
Here is my wife's old unversity coaster (dont ask their permission, just do it)photo 2.JPGphoto 1.JPG

Rivets continued.

1/ Remove the old ones with a 1/8" SHARP drillbit. Drill from the backside of the rivet, not the shiny side. Go carefully (no hammer drill!), and drill the back out of it. Be careful not to turn the rivet with a blunt drill or the front will spin round fast and burn the plastic.

2/ To join plastic to plastic or metal to plastic. Work out rivet size, I usually used the 3/16" for metal to plastic and 7/32" for plastic to plastic. Plastic to plastic may need a washer on the backside where you are about to start hitting to protect the plastic.

So find a nice brick, coaster on top (metal side down), put the rivet you are going to use ontop of the felt, then place your two pieces that you want to rivet together, add washer if you are about to hammer onto plastic, get anvil, place dimple bit to center nicely on rivet (have everything nice and square, not on angle) and hit with hammer. Keep going, firm but not too hard until tyhe cup is turned all the way down and there is no or little movement in the rivet connection. You can always pratice on the old plastic you are replacing first. I had no mishaps.

Ramps.

My back ramp needed replacing, because the top of the diverter had eaten through and was flopping around like a freedogger causing all sorts of mischief. (see next post for picture - can never get images in to the post I want it too)

Anyway got new ramps (back and side, not lower) from Pinball Spare Parts Australia (PSPA)

Decals were from PSPA and Marco.

These are thicker than the original but do need some alteration. Before you do anything, place on the playfield and see if they fit. I found the back one at the left entrance needed some trimming of the top sides to fit (sorry cant include photo). Also the entrance to the ramp needs to fit into the depression in the playfield. If it fits past that depression you need to trim. I just used an angle grinder to take a bit off the sides of the entrance and a bit of the bottom. Be careful!.

Also the holes are dirlled at an angle on the ramp, which may need some adjusting. Lastly you may need to countersink some of your holes with a drill bit the same size as the screw heads. Just touch but do not let the drill bite too much or you will go all the way though. This only needs doing where there are screws connecting to the playfield wood and the screws connecting to the metal plate between the two ramps on the right.

Then add your new decals, then rivet on all the lamp covedrs etc, then add to playfield.

back ramp.JPG

They look great. I just ordered one and received something very similar from Mr Pinball in Melbourne. If that one is no good, I'll let you know. Thanks for the offer!

John, you put my efforts to shame!