Is my Craigslist find worth restoration?

mikehawk

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I just picked up this game. The guy i bought it from said it was a Donkey kong/ Mario game. It had a VS super mario marquee wtih a DK bezel. The bezel flew out off the game on drive home. This game is rooooooooooooough. The guy had it stored outside and said his dog chewed up the power cord. Once i got it home i checked it out. The power cord is in need of replacement and it looked like there were a few wires disconnected. It pretty much looked like it was all there though. The wood was all dry rotted and started flaking off when we put it in the truck. I got the game for $40. Is it worth fixing??
 

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Nintendo cab worth saving,around here cabs like that go for around $50 as is like yours but with some paint and trim its worth $95 replace missing parts and your up to $150 or so.Put games in it and your up to $200 plus.If you ask me great buy!
and yes as for org color of cab looks like a DK JR. to me.just look up the serial # and ifs its a DK JR. I got the control panel for one sell cheap.
 
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How bad is the dry rot at the bottom of the cab? Is the plywood soft? If the cab is solid, it's definitely worth a restore - if it's badly water damaged or funky I'd keep what I could and find a better cab, or cut some new panels.

From the pictures it looks like a great resto - but I can't touch or smell the cab from the pictures. LOL

Restore that cab and you will fall in love with it. There's something special about these cabinets.
 
Restore that cab and you will fall in love with it.

That's not always the case... At one point, I bought an irem madonna stripped cabinet for $30. I put all new wiring into it ($115 vie bob roberts), new controls (~$30), new doors and locks, Used monitor ($100), etc... So, I had about $275 into this cab, only to find out the monitor has issues that I can't seem to figure out, and can't find anyone who can. A couple years pass by, and this cab just sits in my game room, looking pathetic in the corner, and never getting any action because the monitor is glitchy and an unusual size, so I can't just swap it out (it was a 23" monitor). I said to hell with it, put in street fighter 2 and took it to auction to just get rid of the damn thing, and it sold for $125. After auction fees, it was a little over $100. That just about covers the game I put into it, and I'm out almost $300. Not all project cabs are cute little things that make you happy. Sometimes, they are just a pain in the ass.


Your cab doesn't look all that bad from the pics though. I'd try to fix the power cord/power wiring, then try to fire it up. If it fires up and is ok, I'd go ahead with the restoration. If you need to gut it, and start from scratch, I'd say take measurements, and build a whole new cab if you really want one like that.
 
You really have to check the wood conditions before starting the resto. It would be a worth of money if it crumb like a biscuit ;)

Wood can be replaced at bottom of cab so your good.Been there done that...
Thats the cool thing about Nintendo cabs.
Sounds to me like some peps are talking you out of it to get a good cab for low price...
JUST RESTORE IT AND BE DONE WITH IT ULL GET YOUR MONEY BACK FOR IT
 
I bought this hoping it was a DK game. It looks like DK and it had a DK bezel. But the marquee and control overlay are Mario Bros. All the edges are brittle and break off everything else seems solid. The game didnt have a back on it something got in it and chewed up some wires. If i knew anything about wiring Id attempt the fix myself. Im gonna try and find someone to fix it. If it has DK im gonna give the resoration a shot. Mario Bros ill probably get rid of it.
 
... It would be a worth of money if it crumb like a biscuit ;)

Engrish quote of the day! :D

Man, that's a tough call on the restore. How badly do you want to have an expensive, P.I.T.A. ninty cab? :confused: Kudos to you if you go for it, for sure!
 
They're all a pain in the ass, but you gave up on that poor Irem then blamed the game. Poor game.

The game was fine. I blame the monitor chassis. Since I couldn't fit a 25" monitor in there, my choices of replacement were a bit limited. Someone will probably strip it for all the new parts I put into it. Oh well... Not my problem anymore.
 
Judging by the color and the broken Jr bezel piece I would say this was once a DKJR cabinet. What is the model number on the metal tag on the back? Is there more than one tag, if so, what is the model number on all the tags.
 
Restore! Half the games I got needed new power cords. Plus if I found a nintendo cab like that I'd be sure to make use of it. I'd make it a "dedicated" dark blue DKII. ..I could just imagine it. :D
 
Well, look at it this way, you'll get extra experience at good cabinet making and woodworking. Good skills to have for sure.
The 25" monitor kind of throws me. But it shouldn't be that difficult to tone that down a bit and get it back to original.
I only read towards the tail end of the thread, so forgive me if I missed anything, but the main expenses would be the monitor and boardset. However, being your going the Donkey Kong route, which is wise on your part, alot of prices are inflated based on demand. So even just a bezel or marquee could also cost alot.
It'd be best to get a complete, non-working cab, but 50$, who can argue with that? you really can't go wrong with a $50 cab. So go through the motions of restoration cabinet-wise. But keep your eyes open for a complete cabinet in the meantime.
Afterall, it is going to take you a while getting that bondo on there, sanding it down getting the smooth surface, applying the t-molding, taking care of the bottom side of the cabinet with probably new wood, priming it, painting it, getting the sideart and about that time, who knows? Maybe you'll come across all the parts you'll need to complete it in one weekend.
 
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