gorfchampion
New member
Very cool Greg! It's nice to see another SW back into the mix. Looks really great man. And oh, is that a Boot Hill in the background? Does it work? Cool....
Sea Wolf semi-restore
- Thread starter DP Louie
- Start date
jimmyB
New member
I have been following your restoration thread with much interest Greg. Your doing an amazing job!! Love to see these old games saved and restored. I am starting my own restoration soon on a SW and I might be asking you for some help down the road if needed. I picked up 5 games and will try and make 2 nice ones from the bunch. Regards JIM
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Thanks John. Why yes, that is a Boot Hill... non-working at this point in time
. I need to get the Sea Wolf done so I can get started on it.I gotta tell you, every time I read a post from you, Alan, Phet, or 30FathomDave about SW I was inspired to keep plugging away at finishing mine.
Thanks Jimmy. Wow, that is a bunch (a pack?) of Sea Wolves! Did you pick all those up at one time? Feel free to shoot any questions my way, I'll try to help any way I can.
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I pretty much finished up today. There's still a few little things that I need to do, but overall I'd say it's finished! I will need to replace the original AMP edge connectors with some modern ones, though. When I first fired up the game, I had garbage on the screen and my heart sank (pun intended). I've narrowed it down to those crappy edge connectors. I don't know why I didn't replace them to begin with. The game is working now, but I want it to be solid, so I'll get a Bob order in soon. One other problem I'm having is the "reload" light is always on, until you run out of torpedos, then the "ready" light comes on momentarily - this is obviously backwards, right? Strange. Anyhoo, here's some pics, and here's a link to a bunch more. If it's sunny tomorrow I may take it outside for some natural light shots, ala Phet.
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Before:
After:
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A couple more:
It took a bit over a year - I picked this cabinet up (non-working) for $120 on February 12, 2011.
Now I can try to get a decent score - so far I've only managed to hit 4700! Damn this game is awesome, though. I love the EM elements that this game has.
It took a bit over a year - I picked this cabinet up (non-working) for $120 on February 12, 2011.
Now I can try to get a decent score - so far I've only managed to hit 4700! Damn this game is awesome, though. I love the EM elements that this game has.
flynn54321
Well-known member
that looks amazing!!!!
Fantastic job! It looks so amazing!!!
Looks awesome! I like the corner protector on the step. Good idea. I assume that's just some angle iron painted black. I haven't done much to restore it yet other than getting it working and replacing the mat on the step. Did you make a note of paint codes for the matched paint, or did you hand match the paint colors?
Yeah, replace those connectors. That was half the problem with getting mine working. Mine's been rock solid ever since I replaced them.
Yeah, replace those connectors. That was half the problem with getting mine working. Mine's been rock solid ever since I replaced them.
gorfchampion
New member
I see your game has the yellowish target on the marquee. That's what mine had when I found it (it was flaking badly), and I replaced it with a nicer one that Dave (ArcRevival) sent to me from his barn find. It has a more greenish color. I wonder if they started production with the yellow and then switched to green? Or visa-versa? What was the reason behind the 2 different colors? Anyone know?
Is the marquee easy to get off? Eventually I have to tear my periscope apart, repaint and regrease the bearings and all.
As far as mirrors...there's a red plug hanging at the top of the game that if you plug in, will light all the explosion lights to better line them up with the picture.
As far as mirrors...there's a red plug hanging at the top of the game that if you plug in, will light all the explosion lights to better line them up with the picture.
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Thanks Jeff! Yep, the corner protector is just a piece of aluminum angle that I cut and painted. The step had a thin sheet metal strip on it when I got it, so I just used the holes that were already there. As for the paint, I hand matched the colors on the side art, and for the back and top I had Home Depot match a sample that I took in. I found out when I was sanding the back and top of the cab that someone had painted it at some point, so the color I used is not really correct, but it still looks good.
My cab is a low serial number (#523) so if the marquee is the original that leads me to believe that Midway started production with the yellowish marquee and then switched at some point to the more greenish color. Why? I don't have a clue
.Yes the marquee is really simple to remove - 8 screws and it pops right off. There is a second metal "shield" behind it that attaches with 6 screws. Then you can get to the periscope. The periscope is a bit tricky to take completely apart, but you shouldn't have to do that if you're only regreasing the bearings. I need to align my explosion lights still - I've just been having such a blast playing that I don't want to work on it anymore.
My new high score is 7400! I wish it would save the high score. Hey, you're an 8080 repair guru - what would it take, and would it even be possible, to save the high scores on a Sea Wolf?
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Finally moved this beast into my arcade today (it's been in the garage all this time). Here's a few pics - first up, a shot in the California sun:
And here she is docked in the arcade:
And here she is docked in the arcade
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TimothyC
Well-known member
If mine turns out half as nice I'll be quite pleased . Your's looks fantastic!
. Your's looks fantastic!
gorfchampion
New member
Awesome Greg, congrats! Feels good to finally have it in place I bet....
Cliff Clavin
Well-known member
Awesome job on the restoration. You guys doing the restorations have some serious talent and patience....
These restorations remind me of a tv show called American Restoration. I have always thought a pinball restoration would be perfect for that show....They have done some arcade type items but never a video game or pinball machine...to my knowledge anyway...
Edit: I just looked at the elbow room arcade and must say nice job...fantastic solution to space issues in the house...also prevents family members (ok, wife) from complaining too much about the games in the kitchen.....
These restorations remind me of a tv show called American Restoration. I have always thought a pinball restoration would be perfect for that show....They have done some arcade type items but never a video game or pinball machine...to my knowledge anyway...
Edit: I just looked at the elbow room arcade and must say nice job...fantastic solution to space issues in the house...also prevents family members (ok, wife) from complaining too much about the games in the kitchen.....
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Robotron Jon
Well-known member
Still working on mine....so I am reading through old resto stories for inspiration and motivation...
What was the paint code for the bluish paint you used on the top of the machine? Mine needs to be repainted.
Thanks...
What was the paint code for the bluish paint you used on the top of the machine? Mine needs to be repainted.
Thanks...
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Hmmm, I'm not sure if I still have the can... I'll check. I had it matched to a paint chip from the original cab, but when I was sanding it it was obvious that the cab had been repainted at some point, so I'm not sure if the color is exactly right. Still looks good though.
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Sorry, I cannot find the can of paint, and I didn't record the paint code anywhere. I apologize for my poor note taking...
synonym9
New member
Here's a (small) update. Finally had some time the last few days to work on this a bit. I finished restoring the transformer/fuse assembly and wiring harness. I took it all apart and completely cleaned and/or painted everything, replaced the power cord and the on/off switch, and made some new labels. Looks much better now.
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Now I need to tackle the bondo work on the step...
You really really must make a tutorial on this....
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There's really not much to it - mostly just tedious cleaning. The most technical thing for this piece was soldering the new power cord on
. The rest is just good old fashioned elbow grease. The labels I simply scanned and cleaned up in photoshop, then reprinted them on card stock paper.
