Track and Field Cab Restoration

matt24601

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I have a Track and Field cab that currently sits as a Rastan. I was collecting opinions on what to do with the cab elsewhere on the forum, but if I were to go back to Track and Field, I have some questions. I have only worked on one cab prior and it was a MAME setup, so I am new to restorations.

1) Where would I go to find a definitive list of paint codes, T-molding colors, side art specs, etc. for my particular model? (SN 008772)

2) When people are looking to buy a refreshed game, what should be replaced? If it were me, I would want everything replaced (harness, joysticks and buttons, power supply and speaker) so that I knew it would last and remain in the best possible working condition. I can also see a desire to keep everything as original as possible (although I would think that would apply to a more pristine "collector's" example of a particular game).

I don't think I would want to take on the challenge unless I knew of a way where I could get all of the specs I need and also be able to price out all of the different parts I would need to buy in order to make the project a success, and worth buying to another owner some day down the road.



 
Also, you'll never get the money you put into it back after restoring it but the journey is the fun part.
 
I had a T&F that was a crappy MK2 conversion when I got it. I restored it cosmetically, and used a MAME setup to play just the RUN&JUMP games like T&F, Hypersports, etc.

Ended up really nice, and with minimal investment:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,67357.msg682873.html#msg682873

Now if you are going to restore the thing, you will be investing a lot of money if you get the parts you need individually, then if you try to sell it, you will most likely not break even, not even close. Generally, working T&F uprights bring in around $300 to $400 if the planets align right. Maybe $500 to $600 for a mint condition example.

If you do some quick math, here is the breakdown:
T&F working/tested PCB from Ebay $200
Working/tested harness $100 (if you can find one)
New CGA monitor $250 - $350
Sideart $150
Marquee $25
CP overlay $50
buttons $20
Coin door $50
Paint $25
T-molding $10
etc.
Not sure how much you paid for the game like it is, let's say $100?
Shipping on all the parts that you order $50-$100, maybe more???
Got tools already? If not, then be ready to spend $$$.
Time? How much is your time worth? Not a one weekend project if you want to do it right.

As you can see, restoring is not cheap. Now if you can get a dead monitor and repair it, you can save some money. If you get a dead PCB and can fix it, you can save there also, but everything else will cost. It would be cheaper to get a complete, working, unconverted machine, and then restore it to mint condition, than to go full out with what you have now. Or you could cannibalize another T&F machine (that may have a severely water-damaged cabinet) to get the parts you need.

Either way, I fully agree with Koolmoecraig. If you do the restoration, do it for yourself and for the experience.

Hope this helps.
 
I've seen some T&F's with solid white sides, I've seen some T&F's with the javelin thrower sideart, and I've seen some T&F's with the sprinter sideart. Which one is correct? My cab was manufactured in 1983. Serial number 008727. I'm trying to figure out what I need to get this thing fixed up.


GO2003aLR.jpg

DSC01209_small.JPG
 
I did a restore and believe I still have the paint codes for the blue and white I used.

Let me know if you decide to tackle the project and I will dig them out.


thanks
 
Honestly, this is like any other hobby...it is not 100% rationale from a cost standpoint. You might never get the money back out of a restoration but in my mind, that is not the point. The cost of supplies for a restoration is part of the "entertainment" expense....if you are worried about the return on your investment then just walk away.

I had a T&F that was a crappy MK2 conversion when I got it. I restored it cosmetically, and used a MAME setup to play just the RUN&JUMP games like T&F, Hypersports, etc.

Ended up really nice, and with minimal investment:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,67357.msg682873.html#msg682873

Now if you are going to restore the thing, you will be investing a lot of money if you get the parts you need individually, then if you try to sell it, you will most likely not break even, not even close. Generally, working T&F uprights bring in around $300 to $400 if the planets align right. Maybe $500 to $600 for a mint condition example.

If you do some quick math, here is the breakdown:
T&F working/tested PCB from Ebay $200
Working/tested harness $100 (if you can find one)
New CGA monitor $250 - $350
Sideart $150
Marquee $25
CP overlay $50
buttons $20
Coin door $50
Paint $25
T-molding $10
etc.
Not sure how much you paid for the game like it is, let's say $100?
Shipping on all the parts that you order $50-$100, maybe more???
Got tools already? If not, then be ready to spend $$$.
Time? How much is your time worth? Not a one weekend project if you want to do it right.

As you can see, restoring is not cheap. Now if you can get a dead monitor and repair it, you can save some money. If you get a dead PCB and can fix it, you can save there also, but everything else will cost. It would be cheaper to get a complete, working, unconverted machine, and then restore it to mint condition, than to go full out with what you have now. Or you could cannibalize another T&F machine (that may have a severely water-damaged cabinet) to get the parts you need.

Either way, I fully agree with Koolmoecraig. If you do the restoration, do it for yourself and for the experience.

Hope this helps.
 
kfuller19 : I would like those paint codes if you have them. I saw some online, but there were two different listings for the blue.

Everyone else : Why the difference in the sideart? Were there really two different designs?
 
Everyone else : Why the difference in the sideart? Were there really two different designs?

I've never seen that other side art before. It looks like they took the marquee and control panel artwork and put it on the side. Maybe a custom job for someone that didn't have the side art but had access to the art for the front?
 
The Restoration Has Begun...

After sitting on the fence for a long time, gathering info and weighing my options, I threw my resto hat into the ring. My fix-up started here http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=261805 trying to figure out what I should do with a Rastan impregnated T&F machine. I decided to remove the barbarian and bring the old game back to life. I've actually never played Track and Field. Not in the arcade (I was 4 when it came out), not on the NES port, and not in MAME. I'm doing this mostly because I've never done it and I want to see what it's all about.
 
Goodbye Rastan

I actually did play Rastan BITD. There was a pizza place named Graziano's in Rancho Bernardo, CA that I would ride my bike to in order to play. I'd drop a few quarters, ride home and start the search again for more loose change. 20 years and 1,000 miles later I see a Craigslist ad for an arcade machine in Keller, TX. I live in Arlington and have family in Keller so I say what the hell and head over to look at the machine. It's being sold at Tornado Terry's arcade http://www.tornadoterrys.com The price is right at $50 so I take her home and play some Rastan. All is well for awhile. Maybe I'm just old, or maybe I remember my skill level being higher, but damn that game is tough! After its newness wears off it sits in my basement for awhile until I get the bug and start building a 4-player MAME showcase cabinet. Not knowing any better, I scavenge the coin door off my Rastan in order to make my MAME look cooler. (oops) A few years after that brings us current. Having decided to officially undertake the project I strip and package up the Rastan components and send them off to a better place. http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=269074&highlight=matt24601 (Enjoy kmk68sin)

20130317_220949_zps81ee1c7c.jpg
 
Collecting Parts

This is what I am starting with (minus the Rastan):
20130107_132040.jpg


It has no side art and the control panel has some extra holes to be filled.

I have started my parts collecting:

Sideart : Phoenix Arcade by way of dj dns
CPO : Thanks Slo
Manual : thanks again dj dns
PCB : Slo again
Coin Door : My MAME cab. Due to my ignorance and inability to foresee the future, I stripped all of the guts off of the back of my coin door. Working on righting that wrong as I type.
Marquee : ??? still on the search
Buttons and wiring harness : leaning towards Bob Roberts
t-molding : no freakin' clue. Someone point me in the direction of some correct offset molding, or a workaround that looks right.
 
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Control Panel

Stage 1 control panel
20130319_203832_zps7e316f20.jpg
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Stage 2 control panel
StrippedControlPanel_zps0c7fbabe.jpg


Stage 3 control panel TBA

Stage 4 control panel TBA

Stage 5 control panel TBA
 
Prepping the Cab

The cabinet is in pretty decent shape. Corners are busted, there's some chip out in a few places, a bit of swelling around some of the edges, etc. After stripping out all of the guts, I layed in with the Citri-strip. That got me here :

20130331_202301_zpscd011d2e.jpg


I then went to work on the corners and edges. This corner was the worst offender. I thought about chopping it out and putting new wood in, but it was really only chipped out from the t-molding slot up. It still had half the board as backing. Too big for Bondo, I used Bondo Hair which I've used for structural patches in fiberglass in the past. I think it'll hold up well.

20130420_161210_zps2c1dab97.jpg


To get the corners I tacked and clamped some wood strips as guides.

20130420_161923_zps5d46e191.jpg


After filling and sanding you end up with this :

20130420_182250_zpsc833beef.jpg
 
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