Pitas_arcade
Well-known member
I Just finished a Simpsons restoration. Here's the process. (Picture heavy)
Here is a picture of what I was working with. I took a bunch of detailed pictures of the inside electronics and carefully removed them and put them Storage containers. Once everything was removed I laid the cabinet on a dolly and applied Citrus strip. There must've been at least five coats of paint on each side. I let that sit for 45 minutes and got to work with a paint scraper. That removed most of the paint. I applied a second coat and got the rest of the paint removed. I then started sanding both sides with 120 grit sand paper.
The front of the cabinet needed major help. There was a small crack in the top right corner. I was able to repair it with a piece of 3/4 plywood. I glued and screwed into place.
I put a bunch of wood Hardener in the crack. It was super solid so I started filling holes and gouges with bondo.
Once the front bodywork was done I moved to the sides. With More bondo,wood Hardener and a bunch of sanding it was ready for laminate! Before I installed the laminate I primed and wet sanded the front of the cabinet. Then applied 4 coats of black semi gloss spray paint.
Now it was time for laminate. I used 3M fast bond contact adhesive and white gloss vertical grade laminate. I cut the basic shape of the cabinet out with my jigsaw so the sheet was easier to maneuver.
The laminate went on very smoothly. I used a j-roller to get everything Adhered properly. I let both sides sit for a few hours before routing the edge's. Routing the edges was super satisfying.
I then painted all of the edges, top and the back of the cabinet black. It was now ready for side art! I brought the cabinet into the living room to install the art. The side art was from This Old Game.
Installing the side art was very stressful. I used the wet method and it went on nicely.
The next step was to install the electronics. I rebuilt the monitor, replaced the switching power supply, replaced the marquee light fixture and installed new speakers. I then installed coin doors they were in nice shape to start with so they only required a disassembly and deep cleaning
Here is a picture of what I was working with. I took a bunch of detailed pictures of the inside electronics and carefully removed them and put them Storage containers. Once everything was removed I laid the cabinet on a dolly and applied Citrus strip. There must've been at least five coats of paint on each side. I let that sit for 45 minutes and got to work with a paint scraper. That removed most of the paint. I applied a second coat and got the rest of the paint removed. I then started sanding both sides with 120 grit sand paper.
The front of the cabinet needed major help. There was a small crack in the top right corner. I was able to repair it with a piece of 3/4 plywood. I glued and screwed into place.
I put a bunch of wood Hardener in the crack. It was super solid so I started filling holes and gouges with bondo.
Once the front bodywork was done I moved to the sides. With More bondo,wood Hardener and a bunch of sanding it was ready for laminate! Before I installed the laminate I primed and wet sanded the front of the cabinet. Then applied 4 coats of black semi gloss spray paint.
Now it was time for laminate. I used 3M fast bond contact adhesive and white gloss vertical grade laminate. I cut the basic shape of the cabinet out with my jigsaw so the sheet was easier to maneuver.
The laminate went on very smoothly. I used a j-roller to get everything Adhered properly. I let both sides sit for a few hours before routing the edge's. Routing the edges was super satisfying.
I then painted all of the edges, top and the back of the cabinet black. It was now ready for side art! I brought the cabinet into the living room to install the art. The side art was from This Old Game.

Installing the side art was very stressful. I used the wet method and it went on nicely.

The next step was to install the electronics. I rebuilt the monitor, replaced the switching power supply, replaced the marquee light fixture and installed new speakers. I then installed coin doors they were in nice shape to start with so they only required a disassembly and deep cleaning

Last edited:








