Modern Firepower - Upgrades and a Tune-up

It's been about 4 years since Modern Firepower received any attention under the hood, and it has been such a solid build it really didn't need any attention.  I had a switch wire break a solder connection once - my own fault for keeping the wires taut between connections, always leave wire slack - but beyond that it has been pretty much trouble-free.

Well, except for that one sheared pop-bumper bolt I discovered in the cabinet a few months back, still clinging to the nut it liberated in its desperate attempt to escape a life of pinball attacks.  It crossed my mind that perhaps I should see where the destroyed bolt was located, but since Williams style pop bumpers are connected with three bolts, I didn't give it too much thought.  From the top side of the playfield, all four pop bumpers seemed solid.

Fast forward to the end of the 2017 Southern Fried Gaming Expo.  While packing up Modern Firepower for the short trip home, I noticed another sheared pop bumper bolt lying underneath it on the floor.  Though I couldn't rule out its origination coming from a nearby machine, in my gut I knew Modern Firepower was the source.

Modern Firepower at the 2017 Southern Fried Gaming Expo, next to an original classic Firepower - photo by Juan Josino

Read on to see the Modern Firepower repairs, tune-ups, and the very special upgrade I installed...