Countdown to Turkey Day '18

Yeah, I might have a "problem". What does someone with a laundry list of games that need restored for over a decade do? Buy another project game of course! I was able to snag a Time Pilot back on February 9th. The good....very little other than the game works. The bad, nearly everything else as this game clearly was in the hands of a crackhead. Only a crackhead would try and reinforce the cabinet with brad nails that are about a 1 inch long.....causing the nail heads to pop. Nails that you can't fully drive into the cabinet and they bend, no problem. You just cover those nails and other damage to the cabinet with new side art. Yes, only a crackhead would spend all that money on new side art but do nothing to prepare/repair the cabinet before applying the side art!

My goal with this cabinet is simple, complete a 9 to 5 restoration. Meaning, the cabinet looks like a 9 from 5 feet away. I don't have the time for a full restoration and honestly, I want to get the game playable by the end of April. I plan to salvage the side art by carefully removing the brad nails. Hopefully the rest of the cabinet damage blends in from 5 feet away.

Here is my plan of attack after a deep cleaning:
  • Remove the brad nails and use screws to secure the sides to the cabinet base (done)
  • Replace the internal cabinet blocking that is broken or missing along with bezel supports
  • Replace the back door that looks like it was used as a chew toy by a T-Rex
  • Bondo random holes in the cabinet and repair the busted/missing left front corner (done)
  • Bondo the t-molding channel (reinforce) on the bottom of the cabinet to prevent further damage as the cabinet is moved (done)
  • Strip - coin door, marquee brackets, monitor brackets, cabinet vent & handle along with all visible cabinet bolts (done)
  • Repaint - coin door, marquee brackets, monitor brackets, speaker grill, cabinet vent & handle along with all visible cabinet bolts
  • Repaint - Rear of cabinet and touch-up woodgrain damage on sides
  • Repaint - Cabinet interior
  • Add a proper marquee light fixture
  • Replace all the wiring - Jamma harness (ordered) and Jamma adapter (have in my parts pile)
    • Keep the existing power supply and ISO transformer
  • Add a proper Monroe joystick and leaf buttons (have both in my parts pile)
  • Create a proper solution to mount the PCB as it was previously dangling from 3 (4 inch long) crackhead screws
  • Add new t-molding
  • Monitor - TBD
In order to save time and money, my goal is to salvage the sideart, bezel, marquee and control panel overlay. I could have probably done a full and proper restoration but at the pace I move that would take years. Plus, the crackhead that owned the game before me did me no favors with how they "restored" this game. I know it is not going to be prefect like my Track & Field, Pac-land or Punchout. However, I hid the damage to the sides of my Rootbeer Tapper and only restored the front of the cabinet. It looks good in a row of games and more importantly, it is playable and that is my goal with this Time Pilot. Wish me luck!
 
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The cabinet is in worse shape than I thought. Most of the internal wooden blocking is missing or broken. Centuri cabinets also use metal brackets to hold the cabinet together with bolts. About a third of the bolts are missing and more than a handful of the bolts that are there, they are missing the nut. Why? Crackhead logic I guess. Forget securing the bolts with nuts when you can half-ass pound in 20+ random brad nails. That should shore up the cabinet and as the brad nails pop out, you just cover them up with new side art! Awesome!

I noticed something similar with the CPO as I was installing a proper and NOS Monroe joystick. Someone installed the new CPO over the remnants of at least one other existing CPO. I have good deal of work to complete in order to meet the goal of having this game playable by Easter. I was able to prime the new wooden blocking and the cabinet with the goal to tackle the following this weekend.
  • Repaint the cabinet interior/back with a rattle can (Rather use the spray gun but I'm pressed for time)
  • Paint & Replace the internal cabinet blocking that is broken or missing along with bezel supports
  • Repaint - coin door, marquee brackets, monitor brackets, cabinet vent & handle along with all visible cabinet bolts
The internal blocking is going to be a challenge. It looks like this cabinet was tossed off a building. I'm hoping once all the carriage bolts/nuts are in place that I can squeeze the cabinet back into the proper shape with a large set of clamps....and use the new interior wood blocking to permanently reinforce the cabinet. If I get that all done, the cabinet can move inside and I can start reassembling everything next week because as you can see it is just a shell today.
 
This project is way more work than I had hoped at the time I purchased the game back in Feb '25 and my Easter deadline for this project has passed. However, I have made some significant progress over the last 5 weeks with the updates in red.
  • Remove the brad nails and use screws to secure the sides to the cabinet base (done)
  • Replace the internal cabinet blocking that is broken or missing along with bezel supports (done)
  • Replace the back door that looks like it was used as a chew toy by a T-Rex (done)
  • Bondo random holes in the cabinet and repair the busted/missing left front corner (done)
  • Bondo the t-molding channel (reinforce) on the bottom of the cabinet to prevent further damage as the cabinet is moved (done)
    • Bondo and cut the entire t-molding channel (done)
  • Strip - coin door, marquee brackets, monitor brackets, cabinet vent & handle along with all visible cabinet bolts (done)
  • Coin door - hammer out dents and repaint
  • Repaint - marquee brackets, monitor brackets, speaker grill, cabinet vent & handle along with all visible cabinet bolts (done)
  • Repaint - Rear of cabinet and touch-up woodgrain damage on sides (done)
  • Repaint - Cabinet interior (done)
  • Add a proper marquee light fixture
  • Replace all the wiring - Jamma harness (done) and Jamma adapter
    • Keep the existing power supply and ISO transformer
  • Add a proper Monroe joystick and leaf buttons (done)
  • Create a proper solution to mount the PCB as it was previously dangling from 3 (4 inch long) crackhead screws
  • Add new t-molding (done)
  • Monitor - TBD
The time it takes to bondo and re-cut the t-molding channel is well worth it IMO. I hate saggy t-molding. This step is essential on a T&F cabinet with the offset t-molding. I was trying to avoid the mess and frustration that comes with hot glue or other alternative solutions for this Time Pilot. I was also able to source some new smooth black carriage bolt replacements. Having all the bolts in place and the new internal blocking has made the cabinet structurally sound.

Overall, I think the front of the cabinet is looking very nice but the sides are a different story. The top corner pictured was only held in place by the t-molding when I purchased the cabinet. While I was able to get everything reinforced (it is very solid), my skills to blend and match the wood grain are lacking as you can see.....and it gets worse near the bottom of the cabinet. The sideart is a mess. I have no idea why someone didn't spend just a little effort to clean up the sides before applying new side art. I just have to keep telling myself that this is a 9 to 5 restoration - meaning, the cabinet looks like a 9 from 5 feet away.

My next major goal is the cabinet wiring for power for the monitor, marquee and power supply.
 

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I finally got around to addressing the cabinet wiring. Previously, someone wired a small kitchen/bath fluorescent light bar for the marquee by tapping into the power from the ISO transformer as it reached the monitor - shown in the white circle in the first image. The second image (sorry a little blurry) shows the power cord being hacked to bypass the line filter, fuse and interlock switch. It was a mess and at times power lines were hacked and sliced haphazardly.

I just didn't feel comfortable having a game wired this way in my home. Am I the only one that feels this way? I decided to start from scratch and re-wire the cabinet from the ground up as shown in the third image. At the same time, I was able to repair the original marquee light fixture by correcting an issue with the wiring and adding a starter. I took that opportunity to also replace the on/off switch. With all that done, I moved on to wiring/installing the power supply, adding stand-offs to the PCB (which were previously a chunk of styrofoam) and properly mounted the PCB with plastic rails left over from an old Bally Midway cabinet.

With all of that done, it is time to move on to the monitor.
 

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I am finally on the home stretch. Cutting the cardboard bezel without a template was a little tricky but it turned out great. With new plexiglass and bezel artwork install, I was finally able to play some Time Pilot!

It is dangerous to start playing a game before it is finished but here are my open items.
  • Install the coin door
  • Install the back door (cut and painted, just waiting for it to dry)
  • Investigate the cause of the audio hum
  • Install a reproduction marquee which has been ordered
  • Install a new CPO (down the road)
Once finished with those handful of items, I will be on to the next project. This cabinet has come a long way in a short period of time.
 

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I'm going to call the Time Pilot good for now. This was more work than I wanted when snagging the game but I'm calling this mini restoration complete for now. The game plays and looks cosmetically respectable. For each restoration, I try and add one custom touch. My Time Pilot got a new back door and a back door sheet I found online.

Down the road, I need to upgrade the marquee (on order), fix an audio hum and add "pork chops" behind the coin reject bezels.

Here is everything that was done to the game...
  • Replace the internal cabinet blocking that is broken or missing along with bezel supports
  • Replace the back door that looks like it was used as a chew toy by a T-Rex
  • Bondo random holes in the cabinet and repair the busted/missing left front corner
  • Bondo the t-molding channel, cut a new channel and install new t-molding
  • Coin door - hammer out dents and repaint
  • Repaint - marquee brackets, monitor brackets, speaker grill, cabinet vent & handle along with all visible cabinet bolts
  • Touch-up woodgrain damage on sides
  • Repaint - Cabinet interior
  • Add a proper marquee light fixture
  • Replace all the game harness with a new Jamma harness and adapter
  • Replace all the electrical wiring and install a new ISO transformer
  • Add a proper Monroe joystick and leaf buttons
  • Mount the PCB as it was previously dangling from 3 (4 inch long) crackhead screws
  • Install a new Monitor
  • Cut a new cardboard monitor bezel
  • Install new tinted plexiglass
What is next? Well, I going to put the HSS kit to the test and play some Time Pilot....and then I should address the last of the cosmetic items left on my Track & Field.
 

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With Time Pilot completed and in the rear view mirror, it is on to the next game. The mini got the bondo and prime treatment with the hopes of being painted within the next 7 days. All the metal parts have been sanded, rust removed and primed as well. Can anyone guess the game...it should be easy.
 

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The cabinet is painted black! I'm hoping the finish looks good and does not need another coat. If that is the case, I might be able to bring it inside and start the process to reassemble the game this weekend. However, I need to sand and repaint all the bolts first. One step closer....I might be playing Turbo in August!
 

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I'm sure nobody is actually reading these updates...since I started back in 2018! However, I'm trying to hold myself accountable to making some progress when there is free time. I was able to strip and repaint all the bolts and clean the various internal components. Nasty! I do appreciate the gum stuck to the scoreboard surround but unlike a pack of 1984 Topps Baseball cards there is no way I'm eating this gum. The last major part of the game to strip, clean and polish is the steering wheel assembly and surround.

I also ordered a led gauge upgrade kit that I am excited to get installed down the road.
 

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Game is painted and moved into the basement...let's see if we can get this put back together TODAY! BTW, Turbo has to be the most over engineered wiring harness and PCB set in the history of arcade games.
 

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Look at that! I finally put the wraps on my Turbo restoration. I would give this one a B+ as I did cut a few corners but honestly I doubt 99.999999% of the people would notice. However, any time you get a game working is victory in my book. I was luck enough to salvage the t-molding which was a big win and one of my biggest concerns when I started. I did the led gauge upgrade from @callanbrown which was very easy to install and well worth it IMO. Last thing I would like to find one day is the SEGA logo sticker for the shifter.

BTW, I'm not very good at Turbo. On to the next game, I ordered a cap kit for my Centipede cocktail.

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I was able to get a Galaga cabinet patched, primed and painted. Hopefully, I can move the cabinet inside next weekend and start building out the guts of the game.

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Centipede Update - Some time in 2023, I got this game up and running but the monitor failed. Recently, my daughter starting playing Centipede at the local arcade and asked if we could add the game to our home arcade....not knowing I had a Centipede cocktail buried in my mess aka my "arcade". I went to fire up the game a week or so ago and nothing. Nada, no sign of life from the monitor. Ugh!! So, I open the cabinet to find....nothing! It turns out these games play a lot better if a monitor is installed. At some point, I must have pulled the dead monitor so I ordered a cap kit from Arcade Parts & Repair....and finished up some odds and ends on the cabinet. I also ordered some cheap chairs off of Amazon which turn out to be a good height relative to the cabinet. I got the cap kit installed this weekend, fired up the game.....no magic smoke! The game plays great and the burn free monitor looks amazing!!

This cabinet has come a long way from a beat up pile of non-working junk I purchased from a legit crackhead in a parking garage after he mangled the cabinet trying to open the coin box. On to the next game.....and just in time for Thanksgiving 2025. I think I missed my 2018 deadline by a hair.

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Nice work.
And fear not, I am further behind on game work than you- and I know I'm not alone in that!
 
Nice work.
And fear not, I am further behind on game work than you- and I know I'm not alone in that!
Thanks and sorry! I can't imagine taking longer than me to finish up a restoration. If I had to do it again, I would only restore one game at a time so the rest of my collection would have been playable over the last decade.
 
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