Last week I went ahead and took the PCB assembly out of the case.
Before I started work getting things apart, I went ahead and filled up a tote with hot water and laundry detergent, based on sixty's restore. All in they sat for 6 hrs and I just took the case out. There wasn't a whole lot of stubborn dirt, and I just used a rag to wipe it down. I don't have a post picture of it, since its air drying right now. I'm happy with how it turned out though.
Luckily, one of the spacers for the plate/case was in great condition. The other one not so much. IIRC someone had made a 3d file for these, and I will probably end up going that route. I don't recall if anyone else had come up with a better solution over the years, and if so due let me know. I have a few weeks before things will be ready to reassemble, so I'm not in a huge rush to get it sorted.
I didn't expect there to be such a mess when dealing with the foam, and am glad I put down a rag first. Next I went ahead and removed the two screws that were holding the controller on. I wasn't sure how things were going to come apart, and figured it wouldn't hurt to get this out of the way. Turns out it was for nothing, but will save me all of 2 minutes when I desolder it.
This is the tab that you need to flip up. You can see it in the above pic while its down. I just used a pair of needle nose pliers to gently bend it up to unlock the plate from back plate.
I probably took 20 minutes separating the two halves. I wasn't sure how much pressure was the right amount to use, and didnt want to run the risk of damaging any of the barrels. Ultimately I was able to figure out the right amount of pressure to use and get the two plates split.
Next was to remove the flippers. I checked over them all to make sure I wasn't missing any secret alignment then removed most with tweezers. Once i realized I was being dumb, I turned the plate over and let the rest drop out. There were a few that didnt fall out, and were just pinched a bit but nothing was damaged.
Following that, I decided to try and separate the foam along with the barrels. I unhooked the foam from the plate clips and broke the foam loose from the plate at the edges. Then i just gently worked the barrels loose from the top side and pulled the foam back at the same time. I figured it would be easier this way instead of trying the separated them while the foam was still attached to the plate. All in all, it worked very well.
Next up I popped out the stabilizer clips, following
fohat.dig's advice. Again, wasn't sure how much pressure to use, but you'll eventually find the sweet spot and they come right out.
All in all everything went pretty smoothly so far. I think I'm going to start work on the xwhatsit tomorrow, but wont be able to finish until the last component arrives. I did find to cracked barrels following disassembly. Not sure how big of a deal it will be, as they are not serious and all pieces are still attached. I may use them for the spacer keys if I am unable to find cheap replacements. Don't really want to purchase a whole Model F just for two barrels.
I think that's about it for now. Keyset and stabilizer inserts arrived the other day. I am going to take the plate to a cerakote location nearby tomorrow. They quoted me 25 over the phones, so hopefully they stick to that price. Still on the fence for a color, I don't want anything garish, but would still like something unique. I don't think ill do pink, but have considered purple. Not sure how it will all go together though. I may get
Jesse James Civil Defense Blue as I've always like the color. If anyone has thoughts feel free to share. Im not attached to anything, and will probably make the final decision at the shop on a whim lol.
Huge thanks to sixtylife and fohat.digs. You both have been my go to for all information on this teardown. Ive read countless other threads, but these are the two I typically come back to for reference info.
