Restoring a Tron

Pinster

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Newbie vid collector with an offer to get an arcade fresh Tron. It's complete and working, but will need complete cosmetic overall. Side decals, inside decals (monitor bezel area) and CPO are in need. I'm wondering what parts are available and where to shop. Are there particular parts/decals NLA?

Thanks in advance.

Brian
 
Just make sure your monitor shroud isn't broken/melted/cigarette burns. That's really the only thing that hasn't been reproed. Also make sure the spinner is in good working order...everything else is replaceable.
 
I just picked up a gutted Tron, so I have the added fun and expense of buying all the parts for it first before tearing it down to restore. Good luck with your restore, and make sure you click on the link in Jedidentists signature to see the awsome job he did when he restored his Tron. The pictures give me hope that I can end up with a cabinet as nice as his when I'm done!
 
Just make sure your monitor shroud isn't broken/melted/cigarette burns. That's really the only thing that hasn't been reproed. Also make sure the spinner is in good working order...everything else is replaceable.

Thanks. I know there's something funky going on with the shroud, but I'm hoping it's just the decal being mangled a bit. I'll post pics shortly and ask for your thoughts.

Really excited to pick one up. This was such a great game when I played it as a kid. I can't wait to add one to my collection and make it perfect.

Brian
 
Well, if anyone is looking for cheap, used upper and lower blacklight plastic housings, and a worn/torn cardboard reflector (that you can use to make a template for a new one), mine are all packed up for shipping...you just pay for the shipping.
 
Cab pics...

Thanks for the input guys. Here's the pics of the cabinet and close-up of the monitor shroud. I can't tell if it's just the decal or the shroud is hosed. Please share what you know...

Picking up Saturday ... if not sooner.

Thanks,

Brian
 

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Yeah, I think someone just tried to peel back the decal there. Doesn't look like any cig burns, which is good. I might just ask if that area is just the decal being peeled back and not the shroud being warped. If you could get a pic of the top portion of the monitor and the other side of the shroud, that would be good too. That being said, shrouds do pop up for sale from time to time if this one is really toast. What's also nice is that you have the metal bracket that goes on top of the upper black light housing and the shroud. That's missing a lot of times.
 
Yeah, I think someone just tried to peel back the decal there. Doesn't look like any cig burns, which is good. I might just ask if that area is just the decal being peeled back and not the shroud being warped. If you could get a pic of the top portion of the monitor and the other side of the shroud, that would be good too. That being said, shrouds do pop up for sale from time to time if this one is really toast. What's also nice is that you have the metal bracket that goes on top of the upper black light housing and the shroud. That's missing a lot of times.

Cool, thanks for the assessment. I'm all in for it at this point. For the price ($500) I think I'm not in over my head, and perhaps I even lucked out. The art bundle at Phoenix Arcade looks like a match for this project.

Brian
 
Cool, thanks for the assessment. I'm all in for it at this point. For the price ($500) I think I'm not in over my head, and perhaps I even lucked out. The art bundle at Phoenix Arcade looks like a match for this project.

Brian

If you repaint it and apply the new art you could sell it for more than you will have into it. A member on her sold his fully restored Tron for like $2300 IIRC (ACTUAL RESULTS MAY VARY).
 
Welcome Home Tron

My Tron project is now home.

With the lights on this Tron is truly a victim of the 80's arcade scene: dirty, graffiti, cigarette burns. With the lights out all this doesn't matter. It looks awesome. I have immense appreciation for the creative talent that made this such an iconic game of it's era.

Please enjoy a few pre-restoration photos. I have a lot of work to do. There's some water damage at the cabinet base and it will need much of the artwork replaced. I'm ready to commit the time and money to get it done. I'll be reaching out to veterans for some guidance on this no doubt.

I played a dozen games or so tonight and had a blast.

Regards,

Brian
 

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Congratulations on your arrival!
I've got about all the small bits and pieces to mine now. Still no monitor, marquee or board set although I've got a line on them all. Looking forward to see your progress.
 
After a thorough looking over of the cabinet I think I'm into more than I hoped. The water damage at the base has swelled the 2-3 inches worth on the sides. The front kick area is also a bit mangled under the trim.

I think I'll order the Phoenix Arcade art kit, but I'll only install the pieces I can remove so I can either replace the cab, or do the necessary repairs during a full strip down.

Still excited. The game plays great. I suck at it (38k is my high so far) ... but am getting better with every attempt.

Brian
 
Well...if you want to chop off your bottom half, then see my restoration thread. If I could do it over again, and get a new cab, then I'd do that in a heartbeat. Wait until spring so that you can spray paint it and it will look awesome!
 
Cool machine! I'm sure the repairs are doable, even if you have to replace the lower part of the cab. I recently went through this on my Frogger cab; in my case, the lower 6.5 inches were pretty much a write off, so I sliced off the lower section & spliced in some new particle board:

IMGP0396.jpg


It was somewhat unsettling seeing that much of the cab cut off, particularly when one doesn't quite know what he's doing, lol. Whether you replace the cab or repair the damage, I'm looking forward to the restoration pix!

-Rob
 
Cool machine! I'm sure the repairs are doable, even if you have to replace the lower part of the cab. I recently went through this on my Frogger cab; in my case, the lower 6.5 inches were pretty much a write off, so I sliced off the lower section & spliced in some new particle board:

IMGP0396.jpg


It was somewhat unsettling seeing that much of the cab cut off, particularly when one doesn't quite know what he's doing, lol. Whether you replace the cab or repair the damage, I'm looking forward to the restoration pix!

-Rob

Thanks for the encouragement. I was thinking this is my best bet. If I can cut a nice, straight section out all the way around and create an exact replacement I should be able to minimize the bondo bs.

A few questions:

What's the correct replacement for the panels (e.g. MDF) and where might I find a good source?

Are the panels usually screwed together from the inside? Do the manufacturers ever glue and perhaps biscuit-joint these together?

I have a router, what's the proper bit to cut in the t-molding channel?

TIA,

Brian
 
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There was a long thread about cutting the t-molding channel a year or 2 ago. I don't remember the preferred options.

But now that you bring it up, how do you replace the foil reflective card behind the black light? Does someone make them? Do people make their own? I haven't opened mine up to inspect it yet, but I know it's warped.
 
Thanks for the encouragement. I was thinking this is my best bet. If I can cut a nice, straight section out all the way around and create an exact replacement I should be able to minimize the bondo bs.

A few questions:

What's the correct replacement for the panels (e.g. MDF) and where might I find a good source?

Are the panels usually screwed together from the inside? Do the manufacturers ever glue and perhaps biscuit-joint these together?

I have a router, what's the proper bit to cut in the t-molding channel?

TIA,

Brian

Yeah, a straight cut on each side should make the job fairly straight forward - I decided to make the cut exactly the same on both sides, though I could have gotten away with cutting off a bit less on one of the sides. I wanted to be able to make two identical patches, which worked out rather well. Minimal bondo was required to smooth out what showed in my pic.

For the specifics regarding the Tron, I would be referring to Jedidentist's restore thread . It would appear that it uses standard 3/4" MDF, which would be easy to get from Home Depot.

I can't offer any specific insights for the T-molding slot cutter (haven't ordered it yet), but This Thread may be useful to you.

-Rob
 
Coin Opp

Pretty sure I seen a guy building repo cabintes for tron on the Coin Opp website. Think he was out of Michigan.
 
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