Independent Research Project:What is involved in restoring a classic arcade game to itsoriginal condition?

By Mr. Evans

…to this!From this…

Getting a game

When I bought this game, it was a Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts. I noticed, though, that this cabinet was once a game called BurgerTime. BurgerTime is a great classic game, so I decided to restore it to its roots!

Remove and restore the control panel

This is the old control panel after I removed the joystick, buttons, and some of the sticker, or CPO (Control Panel Overlay).

This is the same control panel, after I patched it and painted it with metal primer.

This is the same control panel, with a new CPO, a new joystick, and four new buttons. I had to do a ton of research to find someone who had made a new sticker for this one! It cost $71!

Remove and restore the coin door

The coin door was grimy and gross after almost 30 years of use. It had no lock, and someone drilled holes in it for a weird latch to keep it closed.

This is the same door, primed and ready to be painted black.

Get rid of the terrible black paintI removed the black paint after asking some experts online and at Home Depot how to do it best. I sanded some off, and used a product called CitiStrip to get the rest off.

This is the cabinet laying on my front yard after the paint was mostly removed.

Fix the holes and prime the cabinet

The cabinet is primed and ready for the REAL paint job!

The girls are really excited to have this game fixed up and back in the garage.

Start painting!

I researched paint codes and found a perfect match for the old BurgerTime cabinet. This is what it looked like after a few coats.

Rework the wiring as neededI did all my research on this computer

I added this connector

I added some new wires and connectors to the credit switches

before

after

Put things back together just to try it real quick!

Had to see if it would work!

This picture shows a new marquee: $70. I looked for this for MONTHS online before I finally found it.

Print, cut, and tape a new bezel

I had this printed at FedEx Kinko’s for $30.I taped it to the glass, and it looked almost as good as new.

Finish the paint!

The colors go on one at a time.

First you do all the white.

After the white…

… then comes the red!

Be careful! Go back and fix your mistakes!

Aargh!

The red paint dripped!

Better fix that…

That’s better!

Aaah…

That’s more like it!

You might need a buddy to help you

And after the red……comes the black. Looks scary, but…

… it sure does come out nice in the end!

Put it all back togetherOnce you’ve got it back together, play that bad boy!