First pinball flipper semi-rebuild

I've noticed in recent weeks that the flippers on our pinball machine felt pretty weak. These are the most common wear-and-tear parts other than the rubber bits, of which I've replaced all of them. The rebuild kits vary in scope. There's a $10 per side version, which I bought, that includes the sleeve, the plunger and plastic linkage, the backstop, the return spring and a few screws. There's a $48 for both sides version that also has the contact switches and the lever/clamps that actually turn the shaft on the flipper bat.

Once I actually took them apart, I was surprised at just how worn the plastic linkages were. I could feel a little play, but looking at it off, it was much clearer that they were worn. The backstops were also pretty hammered into "mushroom" shapes. The repair isn't hard, it's just awkward to get your hands and tools under and around all of the wiring. I also needed my glasses to see how to thread the return springs on. But each one took maybe 15 minutes, and that was because I wasn't sure about what I was doing.

The left flipper was at 247,980, the right at 216,717 swings. I guess I know when to think about replacement now. That translated to around 3,900 games for us, but I imagine it would be more games for people who play shorter games. Before the next time, I do need to get a few specific tools. At the very least I need some long nut drivers. Frankly I don't feel like my Allen wrenches are long enough either.