Rocky & Bullwinkle: fixing the outhole ball return assembly

I'm happy to get my outhole kicker fixed!  It wasn't really impeding gameplay but it sounded like the machine chugged a bit as it strained to knock the ball from the outhole in to the line-up for the ball eject.

As you might remember from previous posts, the metal kicker bit was totally mangled.  Here it is removed, compared against a shiny new one from Marco Spec

guess which one's the new one.  I dares ya.

getting it off only required removing the spring and taking off an E-clip.  The coil's metal part had a joint allowing easy detachment.

oh wait, that doesn't quite fit right...

Oh hey so as as we can see instead of ordering a replacement part, a previous owner had just inserted a screw in to the playfield to prevent a full recoil and to allow for a workable smack of the ball.
Inserting screws in to the playfield seems to be there main troubleshooting technique!  FUN!  (remember, we had one up in the pop bumpers where on non-modded machines just a single skinny adjust post was.  That was probably an area where the ball often got stuck after they committed to a design, and so inserted it just to help game play.  I have none there, but a ball stuck there just instigates ball search, and the ball is guaranteed to enter the mystery hole, so no big deal)

Here it is with the screw removed, the coil attached, the spring affixed, and the E-ring secured.

PROBLEM SOLVED!

Back to the todo list:
1) replacing the SAVED decals.
2) wire Lion to 32 V instead of 50 V
3) replace the back box hat trick padding
4) replace plastic Lion in hat trick
5) try troubleshooting audio connections to eliminate hum, perhaps a ground missing?
6) replace ball drain kicker
7) find a replacement WABAC ramp.
8) Update ROMs to 1.3
9) remove pop bumper screw.
10) repair first left orbit switch so that the diverter can work and the back glass animation can be awesome once more.
11) level the legs
12) CLEAN ALL THE THINGS.
13) have that power/ground connector rebuilt!
14) replace beer seal