Big Red Ugly Z-Backs. Gut 'em and dump 'em?

scottkeen

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I have 2 big red ugly Z-Back cabinets (3KOAM?) that are kinda weathered, chipped and some of the MDF is swelled from humidity. I don't like how big they are or how they look, and I had a newbie misunderstanding that they have a collectible/desirable value to them so I was hanging on to them. I'm in about $400 for both cabinets.

They both have 25" WG K7000 monitors, 1 vertical, 1 horizontal. The horizontal monitor doesn't work. One has an iCade 60-in-1 board, the other has a Capcom CPS2 Super Gem Fighter.

Both cabinets are worn and weathered and some of the MDF is swelled, and I was thinking about stripping the vinyl, bondo'ing the corners and holes, sanding the whole thing and prime and paint. But for all that work, I could probably build a cabinet and have one that's smaller and looks better.

So I'm considering gutting both of these. Take out the monitors, game boards, coin mechs, wiring, power supply, transformer, all the electrical and electronic components, and take these gutted cabinets to the dump. I just sold the metal wedge "cut corner" control panel of one Z-Back to a guy who really wanted it for $180, so I could probably sell him the other one too.

Then what?

Build a cabinet that I like, smaller, more compact. Or use the parts on an original arcade game cabinet restoration. I suspect I'd have to build one, since there's not much inventory here in Hawaii. I also have a Dynamo HS-5 cabinet which I like, and I'd like to see if I can get the 25" vertical monitor mounted in there for vertical games.

Just kinda talking this out loud, maybe if someone who has "been there done that" could chime in, that would help.
 
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As a fellow Hawaii collector I would vote for keeping them. As you've probably already found out, complete cabinets and good arcade monitors are pretty hard to come by here in Hawaii.

I'm on Oahu, but if you're really going to throw them away let me know, maybe we can work out something.

Edit: NVM, I see you're going to strip everything out of them. I was interested in it complete but I see you're keeping the parts.
 
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Yep, I'm finding that arcades are really hard to come by in Hawaii.

If I go the route of gutting them, there would be nothing left except the MDF and wood shell -- no monitor, no electrical parts, no control panel. I'd take all the other stuff out so I could build a cabinet from scratch or use the parts to restore an original arcade. Then the idea would be to see if I can get any $ for the empty MDF shell on craigslist, and if it doesn't sell, then try and give it away or take to the dump. If I gut it, I'll let you know. Aloha
 
The bottom line is that I want to have an arcade that I like, I don't like the Z-Backs, and I can't sell them whole to buy an arcade that I like because there's just no inventory in Hawaii. So that's the motivation to gut them and use the parts to build an arcade I like.
 
I'm sorry, I simply must quote SeanMcL's signature here:

Code:
Arcade - Noun - A place you go for amusement.
Video Game - Noun - Something you might find in an arcade.
 
If all else fails, I'm sure someone would take them rather than see them in the dump.

Yes, I should have put that in the original post.

1. Try to sell empty shell for any $ on craigslist,
2. If doesn't sell, try to give it away for free,
3. If no one picks it up for free, take it to the dump.
 
The bottom line is that I want to have an arcade that I like, I don't like the Z-Backs, and I can't sell them whole to buy an arcade that I like because there's just no inventory in Hawaii. So that's the motivation to gut them and use the parts to build an arcade I like.

Just curious, what style cab would you build? I'm not sure the cut corner CP is going to look right in some other style cabinet.
 
keep them until you find something better. As you said, they are hard to find there, which means desperate buyers. Why kill something that probably has more value complete? Yes, it has useful parts. But whats better than a pile a parts? a working game...

The monitor in them is probably a wells k7000. If so, its fixable. Monitor rotates easy in those cabs. So its a useful cab. Yes, the wood is probably bad in your humid world. Unless you have skills to make your own cabs, keep what you got..
 
Just curious, what style cab would you build? I'm not sure the cut corner CP is going to look right in some other style cabinet.

I would sell the cut corner CP to the same guy who bought the other one, if he wants it. I wouldn't ship the cabinet to Oahu, way too much hassle to truck it 1 hour and palettize it, but he really wanted the cut corner CP so he just bought that and I'm mailing it to him by USPS mail.

If someone off-island wanted the whole cabinet with CP, they'd have to pay a freight mover to come to my house and pick it up. That would cost too much money, and there's no way I'm taking off half the day to load up the beast and drive it 1 hour each way to Kawaihae and put it on a palette. Here's another example of how dumb it was for Hawaii to lose the SuperFerry to the agenda of the wacknut environmentalists and impact study groups. It would have been $50 for someone with a pickup truck to ride the ferry from Oahu to Big Island to come pick up this video game cabinet from my house. Instead, we're stuck with freight and plane still as our only interisland options.

If I was to build a cabinet and use the CP, I like the Dynamo HS-5 that I also have and it also has a cut corner CP, so I could build an HS-5 and use the CP from from the Z-Back.
 
keep them until you find something better. As you said, they are hard to find there, which means desperate buyers. Why kill something that probably has more value complete? Yes, it has useful parts. But whats better than a pile a parts? a working game...

Agreed. Sell them whole, buy the parts you need to build a cab. Don't deny other people perfectly decent cabinets because you don't like them.
 
I really don't like that particular cabinet style. However, given the limited supply in your area, I might try to fix them up. Otherwise, I would probably gut them and try to make back the money invested.
 
keep them until you find something better. As you said, they are hard to find there, which means desperate buyers. Why kill something that probably has more value complete? Yes, it has useful parts. But whats better than a pile a parts? a working game...

The monitor in them is probably a wells k7000. If so, its fixable. Monitor rotates easy in those cabs. So its a useful cab. Yes, the wood is probably bad in your humid world. Unless you have skills to make your own cabs, keep what you got..

I've done enough woodworking that I'm sure I could build a cabinet, even a copy of the HS-5 that I have.

Just talking off the top of my head...

I have the following:
* Z-Back with working 25" WG K7000 vertical monitor, complete
* Z-Back with non-working 25" WG K7000 horizontal monitor, no control panel
* Dynamo HS-5 with working 25" WG K7000 horizontal monitor, complete

I think I'd like to end up with these video game cabinets:
* 1 horizontal HS-5 (I have this)
* 1 vertical HS-5 (I don't have this)
* 1 cocktail table (I don't have this)
* No Z-Backs
 
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I have 2 of these...

IMAG0486.jpg
 
I would say sell what you have as complete machines and look for something you like better. If they are as scarce as it sounds over there, don't make it worse by destroying 2 more just because you bought something you don't like.

If you are going to build new ones, use the money you get from selling the other two complete and build them with new parts. You can buy just about everything you need new. Then the parts you can't by new like glass retainers and some brackets (depending on what cabinet you go with) most likely you could by them from a part out on the mainland for cheap. That way Hawaii's game inventory gets a +2 instead of losing 2 originals, and you'll end up with much nicer machines.

It sounds like you are going to destroy these no matter what anyone says anyway. So if that is the case, please don't do it before you get the new cabinets built. So many projects start with good intentions to just wind up with a pile of parts and no new machine and destroyed old machines.
 
That looks like it would clean up easily.

I'm sure it would clean up, but even if it was in pristine condition, I don't want it. I realized after I bought them that they're huge and I don't really like the look.

ReWrite said:
Agreed. Sell them whole, buy the parts you need to build a cab. Don't deny other people perfectly decent cabinets because you don't like them.

I hear what ya'all are saying about not gutting it and selling it to someone whole. I tried that and had no takers. The guy I bought it from had his ad running for 5 months on craigslist, I bought these from him because I got sick of seeing his ad every day and nothing else was coming available.

No way I can store these for 5 months in my garage waiting for a buyer.

As for selling it whole and buying parts to make my own -- the monitors are going to be impossible to come by in Hawaii so I want the monitors. When I pull the monitors to build my own HS-5 and cocktail cabinets, then I'll have to pull the power supply and transformer too. There's only one glass shop on this island, and he's my friend and charges about 3X what it should be, so i'd keep the screen glass off these arcades too.

It would just cost too much to buy any of these heavy or fragile parts and have them shipped to Hawaii. Easily $5 per pound for shipping.
 
If you are going to build new ones, use the money you get from selling the other two complete and build them with new parts. You can buy just about everything you need new.

Monitors would cost $300 just for shipping alone from the mainland. The monitor itself would cost $300-$500. So, to get a 25" arcade monitor shipped to Hawaii would cost me $600-$800 total. I can't see spending that when I have 2 sitting in my garage already. At the very least, I would pull the 25" arcade monitor, power supply, and transformer from these cabinets.

It sounds like you are going to destroy these no matter what anyone says anyway. So if that is the case, please don't do it before you get the new cabinets built. So many projects start with good intentions to just wind up with a pile of parts and no new machine and destroyed old machines.

Taking these to the dump is the last option, really it is.
If I can sell the cabinet shell (no monitor) to someone, great.
If I can't sell it then I'll try and give it away.
If I can't give it away, then destroy.

What you said about don't get rid of these until I build the cabinet that want is great advice and is advice that I am going to take. I'll build the cabinet with these salvage parts in mind and transfer them after the cabinet is built. Good advice, and that's one of those been-there-done-that things.
 
something to consider,ou flight builds/sell's cabinet's/kits he could cut your cab and you assemble it.sure there would be cost but i think it would be worth it.
 
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