Thanks a lot for your post! Very helpful. Here's my take on it:

1. First, with top closed, open the trunk and remove all the clips that are easy to reach. A lot easier than the bend-over-reach-around you'd need with the top half-open.
2. To remove the clips, note that there are two pieces to each clip: an inner part and an outer ring. Even with my weak fingernails I had no trouble slipping the inner part out about a half-centimeter, but you can use a small screwdriver. Then just pull the outer ring all the way out. The two parts come out together. VERY LITTLE FORCE IS NEEDED. After I destroyed one by pulling hard with needlenose pliers, I got the rest out with fingers alone.
3. To remove the bumpers, just tug on the inner (bumper) part and you'll feel it slip partway out of the ring. Then much like the other clips, pull the outer ring.
4. Once you get all the easily reached clips, bumpers, and safety handle, partly open the top (until the paddles come half way forward/up), and pull the few remaining clips.

I just got my gears from Guy and am looking forward to the rest of the project. Waiting to hear from Guy whether the motor needs to come out (I think it does.) I'm also hoping I have the patience to wait for my son to help. He's smarter than I am.

PS: Based on his address, I bet his name is pronounced "Ghee MeNARR." In case anyone cares.

 

Answer from Guy: No need to take the motor out of the flipper arm assembly. The drive cable is flexible enough to remove. Good to know; I was hesitant to flex it that much.

The arm wasn't too hard to get out. The rivets came off pretty easily with a 7/32" bit. The trickiest part was freeing the electrical connectors.

There are two connectors, big one (white on passenger side, orange on driver side) and smaller black one.

For the big one
- First, pull the car-end connector out. There's a tab on top near where wires come out (if you pull it up it pivots out and has a little loop.) Push that in to pull the car-side connector out.
- Second, to unhook it from the clip attaching it to the trunk lid, pull the wire end UP and push forward (toward the connector). Takes some force, doesn't seem right, but works, and I see no damage. The video (link below) says just push forward, but I couldn't get it free until I tried prying UP on the wire end, and then it came off relatively easily.

For the little black one, I'm not sure that the trick is. I just used a flat-blade screwdriver and poked around and pried here and there and all of a sudden it came off. Again, no apparent damage.

Pretty sure you can get the connectors off before removing the arm, but after the arm is removed there's enough slack in the wire to set it in the trunk and then you have more room to get at the connectors.

Video:

 

Note that it's possible to get a flipper assembly out and close the trunk lid, so you can take your time working on it and the car is drivable. Find the blue and black wires on the connector on the arm. Those connect to the limit switch on the arm, which needs to be closed so the car thinks the paddle is in the closed position. On the mate connector attached to the car, jumper the corresponding pin sockets. (I stripped a wire tie wrap to make a jumper and bent the ends back to make them thicker, and then just slid them in the socket holes.)