TMNT - First Restore!

WingKing

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I just picked this up today for $200. Felt like I got a pretty good deal on it considering the board and monitor are both working great. The side art doesn't necessarily HAVE to be replaced. The CPO will need replaced since it has a pretty big portion missing. The bottom of the cabinet is kind of chewed up. Most noticeably the joystick for Raphael is missing.

Here's a question I have about this. There seem to be quite a few red ball top wico joysticks available on here and eBay.

Is there something specific I need to look for with these so they'll match the other 3? I haven't really looked into these before so I'm not sure if there are any certain specs or anything that would make these different? Or would just any red ball top wico joystick with leaf switches would work?
 

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Ok cool, I'll check those out specifically. I'm probably going to take the other 3 apart to clean them, so I can make sure the length is right.

It was pretty local I guess. I'm in Indianapolis and this was in Cincinnati. About 2 hours away.
 
Oh really? Thank you! I appreciate the insight on the joystick too. I'll be sure to post some pics of it once I get it cleaned up and looking pretty.
 
Sent a PM to andrewb for a Red Wico 3.5" Joystick with one of fleetwood472's repro grommets.

Also sent a PM to fleetwood472 for 3 more repro grommets.

I'm going to need to clean up the bottom edges of the cabinet after I looked at it a little closer. So this means I am going to replace the side art after all.

I know there are a dozen places to get new side art and cpo. Can anyone recommend a good place for TMNT side art/cpo?
 
I decided to start on the control panel. I was able to get the buttons and joysticks removed today. I've got the buttons and all the hardware soaking right now.

Next is to clean the contacts on all the leaf switches, then source a good quality repro CPO to install.
 

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These joysticks are a pain in the ass! I've tried the PB blaster and a heat gun, but can't get these things off. Only thing I haven't tried is a torch because I don't have one. I'll keep trying things. I don't have access to a lot of tools that would probably make this easier.
 

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Here's the empty control panel all wiped down and free of sticky residue. Ready to install a new CPO when I find one. Might sand and paint it black in the mean time.
 

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Yea. Good pick up. I saw that ad on Craigslist too. I think 4 games were on there. I believe it was a make offer post. Glad one of you guys got it and not a flipper.
 
Thanks for the encouraging words! My tentative plan with this has been to get it restored before my daughter's 7th birthday and give it to her as a gift (she's a TMNT fanatic, which is probably mostly my doing). I think we're going to have her party on 6/25, so I've only got about a month!
 
I found a CPO for $55 shipped from EscapePodOnline.com. It does not have the buttons marked on the CPO which is supposed to make it easier to install (Is this true? I've never installed one before).

Can anyone speak to the quality or the price? Is this a good place to get the CPO from?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
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These joysticks are a pain in the ass! I've tried the PB blaster and a heat gun, but can't get these things off. Only thing I haven't tried is a torch because I don't have one. I'll keep trying things. I don't have access to a lot of tools that would probably make this easier.


I had one joystick that was stuck like this before. I wrapped the plastic ball with a wet paper towel then wrapped it in tin foil. After that I put it in a vice with the ball side down and closed the vice so that it was smaller than the grommet center but wider than the joystick shaft. I then heated the grommet center up a little bit with a propane torch then took a punch which was just under size of the joystick shaft and tapped it out with a ball peen hammer. You may have to hit it with some force but they should slide out. If you don't have a torch you might be able to get away with spraying it with WD-40 and try the same thing with the vice. Another option that I haven't tried is to cut the grommet center on each side with a dremmel.

Here's a link to the punch set that I used:

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-punch-set-93424.html
 
That's a great idea. Not something I had seen elsewhere or even thought about doing. I will give this a shot. I've got a punch lying around here somewhere that will hopefully do the trick. I'm kind of nervous using heat on the grommet because I'm afraid it will inadvertently heat up the joystick causing it to bend. I'll try it with WD-40 first and see where that gets me. Might have to resort to cutting the grommet if this doesn't work. That should be fun :-/

I had one joystick that was stuck like this before. I wrapped the plastic ball with a wet paper towel then wrapped it in tin foil. After that I put it in a vice with the ball side down and closed the vice so that it was smaller than the grommet center but wider than the joystick shaft. I then heated the grommet center up a little bit with a propane torch then took a punch which was just under size of the joystick shaft and tapped it out with a ball peen hammer. You may have to hit it with some force but they should slide out. If you don't have a torch you might be able to get away with spraying it with WD-40 and try the same thing with the vice. Another option that I haven't tried is to cut the grommet center on each side with a dremmel.

Here's a link to the punch set that I used:

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-punch-set-93424.html
 
I just cut a slot with a Dremel, then use a hammer and thick screwdriver in the slot to tap it and crack the collar off.

Using force and/or hitting the shaft from the end runs the risk of deforming the stick, if you end up hitting it too hard. It can work sometimes, but you have to be careful.



That's a great idea. Not something I had seen elsewhere or even thought about doing. I will give this a shot. I've got a punch lying around here somewhere that will hopefully do the trick. I'm kind of nervous using heat on the grommet because I'm afraid it will inadvertently heat up the joystick causing it to bend. I'll try it with WD-40 first and see where that gets me. Might have to resort to cutting the grommet if this doesn't work. That should be fun :-/
 
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