Here are some of the pictures documenting my restore of one the games I have lusted for after getting into this hobby. Finding one proved to be difficult, not to mention the price bracket for this game recently.
This game started as an empty cabinet converted to Tetris that I got from another local collector. It had pretty much been stripped of anything of significant value. The cabinet appeared to be solid but had some damage hiding behind the corner protectors. At one point I even thought I was missing monitor brackets, but they were hiding behind the remaining bits of the original monitor bezel at the bottom of the cabinet. Thank god because who knows how long I would have to search for monitor brackets. I think I even posted a WTB at one point for them!
One thing I'd like to document in this post is the cost of parting in a cabinet. Partially for the beginners who may think of undertaking a project like this.
Short of doing the cabinet repair work, I had some minor PCB repair to do. The high score save battery was dead and that was replaced with a battery holder and a new battery. The other PCB repair wasn't 100% necessary to play but there was no way I was going to install the game with an extra ground wire soldered in some place. It had a burnt ground on the edge connector of the PCB. That was repaired with some copper tape. I thought I had a picture of it, but I don't. Hrm....You've all seen a burnt ground on an edge connector! Just go look at a Pole Position or Pac-Man board!
The monitor was sourced from one of the other cheap cabinets I picked up this past winter. It's using a Kortek KTA-915 with a burn free tube. These aren't bad monitors and super easy to do a cap kit on. And yes, I did a cap kit on it before I put it in. Might as well, right? For the monitor bezel, I used joeycuda's reproduction monitor bezel. He definitely does nice quality work!
I decided not to use the original control panel because a trade came up for one without the extra joystick holes that mine had. Unfortunately, this control panel lived with Ariel and Sebastion and was rustier than a tin can in a monsoon. It made for easy scraping to get the original CPO off. Afterwards, I gave it a bath in distilled white vinegar and that cleaned it up great. Seriously! I was amazed at how well it removed all of the surface rust. Normally, I'd just go to town sanding/grinding away the rust, but with an expecting wife and a toddler running around, ain't no body got time for that!
Once the control panel was taken care of, the cabinet repair started and then the paint came. I chose to spray this cabinet over rolling it. This was my first time spraying something other than automotive paint. I will say right now, I prefer automotive paint being sprayed on metal. The mixing ratios are exact, the flash and dry times are precise. I like that. This time I sprayed latex acrylic paint. I thinned the paint with water and Floetrol. Where I live, I can't get custom mixed oil based paint. So while I could have done oil for the white sides, I chose to be consistent.
My approximate mixing ratios for the latex paint were:
- 10 oz paint
- 1-2 oz of Floetrol
- About 4-5 oz of water
I was going for the consistency of heavy cream/half & half/whole milk. Somewhere in that range.
Dry times varied greatly depending on sunshine, humidity, and temperature. I kept a test panel near by to check.
For the blue paint, I brought in the blue control panel bracket. Typically these have factory over spray on them and are not exposed to UV light so they shouldn't be too faded. The local Ace Hardware store did a nice job of matching the paint.
Hind sight is 20/20 they say. I should have test fit that T-molding I got from Arcade Shop or done a little more research on here. Their offset t-molding does not fit the Track & Field cabinet. The offset is wrong but the width is correct. You figure that was about a $20 mistake if you include shipping. I ended up purchasing 7/8" t-molding and trimming one side. The inside edge is so close to the edge that I left it so I would keep a factory edge on the T-molding. You could go with 1" if you want to trim both sides. Special thanks to blkdog7 for letting me borrow his trimmer!
All of the artwork came from Phoenix arcade and looks great on the cabinet. The marquee took a while to arrive but it was worth the wait.
Finding that Centuri raised letter coin door was a little bit of a chore. They aren't cheap either and I wasn't expecting that. I've officially paid more for a coin door than I have some of my games. But I suppose that comes with having a higher quality game, right?! To refurbish the coin door it was sprayed black, including the letters. Before spraying though, I put some polish & wax on the metal letters so the paint would remove a little easier. I then started sanding the letters with a sanding block with 220 attached to it. That gave a nice polished look. But if you get careless, you can scrap away your other fresh paint...which I did and then had to redo it. Doh! Lesson learned, don't rush even if sanding is boring.
Overall, I'm thrilled with the results and I'm enjoying drooling over my game and having my fingers roll over the run buttons. It's a very gratifying feeling! Below are some pictures because this thread would be worthless without them!
Approximate prices (may be off +/- $10 or so, especially if it includes shipping)cabinet - $75
pcb - $140 shipped
coin door - $120 shipped
CPO - $60
Marquee - $65
Side art - $130
t-molding mistake - $20 shipped
t-molding - $20 shipped
blue paint - $15
white paint - previously purchased
black paint - $12
harness & hole free, but rusty control panel - traded an empty cabinet
cap kit - $9
button kit - $14
4 new leaf switch buttons & holder - $22
electrical cord - $10
molex connector - $5
vinegar - $3
Floetrol - $7
Approximate total: $727
I could have bought one for that price, but mine looks better and has my blood & sweat into it.
Video Playlist for the bored:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbHiYDImGdzBB8eh52FKQHWcez0DCB3lzPhoto Album:http://imgur.com/a/LNqmf
Second control panel without the extra holes for the joystick...but rusty!
After the vinegar bath (I used distilled white vinegar in a plastic bin. A gallon was less than $3 I think.
This is the offset T-Molding from Arcade Shop for Centuri cabinets. It does NOT fit the Track & Field cab. I ended up purchasing 7/8" T-Molding and borrowing a trimmer. (Thanks!)
Joeycuda's repro monitor bezel
Just waiting for the marquee.
Hope you guys enjoyed this, if you have any questions, let me know!
