Donkey Kong Jr

[mr_doles]

For those of you that will follow this thread I apologize in advance for 2 reasons.  First this is my first restore so I will be asking a TON-O-Question.  Second this will take a very long time to get done because of inexperience, time but most of all money.  It is going to take a lot of money to get this thing looking good.

Here is the back story, I bought a Nintendo cab and I will be the first to admit that I overpaid, by a lot, but I have been scanning craigslist forever and finally decided just to get something.  Now he wanted $350 for it but the monitor and speakers were shot so I said $250.  When I saw it we agreed to drop to $175 but $75 would have been way more appropriate.  The monitor is burnt in (BAD) with Pac-Man.  He said it was a "hideous" orange when he got so they painted it black and made into a Mortal Kombat II (don't ask).  The Mortal Kombat II PCB does works, though I am having issues with the sound.  He said the marquee light did not work but the bulb was not attached all the way.  At least something works on this thing.  From what he said it was working fine one day, he left it on for awhile and when he came back no video or sound.

I have determined it to be a DK Jr and have decided to restore it to its original state.  So with out further a-do here it is.

Here you see a coin mech missing, the top marquee bracket missing, the burn in of pac-man, the CP looks like ass.


Here is the "hideous" orange color:


Here is the side art that I have to deal with.  It is nice but has to go.


Here is the Nintendo plate DJR1-UP-US and serial # of 14779.  Still not sure why there is a second plate, # MGS-UP-US and serial #25382.


I have ordered a few things from Arcadeshop, the marquee and marquee bracket, bezel and some misc stickers.  Going to get the CP from MikesArcade.  Not sure where I am going to get the PCB yet, trying to find a decent price.

So here are my first 2 questions.  First is striping this down.  I can see the orange laminate under the black paint.  Should I try to get the black paint off and see what is under there or should I sand it down.  I am going to have to do some bondo work for sure.
Second I have a Dynamo Cab running Mortal Kombat that I am planning on mame-ing so I was going to take the monitor from that (WG model 19K7648) and put it in the DK Jr, but from doing some reading I am not sure that will work, inverting and audio amp being the issues.  Any thoughts, if not know where I can get a cheap working Sanyo monitor?  Current monitor is Electrohome Electronics Model# 19" Col Gam Mtr Product # 38-G07904-KM Chasis# G07CB0 with a RCA sticker.  Not working but have not messed with it yet.

[smalltownguy]

Not sure where you are, but I've got a 19" Sanyo monitor you can have. Zero burn in that I can see.

My buddy has tube ready to swap into an Electrohome G07, he just needs a better chassis and neckboard.

If you're close, we could work out a swap. If not, we could check into shipping. If it's a shipping situation, all I need is the chassis & neckboard for the E-home.

Looks like you've got some work ahead of you. Have fun! 

[mr_doles]

PM on its way

[Mauzy]

That MGS tag means that at one point, it had a unisystem (or Multi Game System) installed in it. Seems you cab has had multiple lives.

[Level42]

Damn they ruined that cab bad. Big  for your courage to go and restore it !

[mr_doles]

That MGS tag means that at one point, it had a unisystem (or Multi Game System) installed in it. Seems you cab has had multiple lives.

Well hopefully I can give it one more.

Damn they ruined that cab bad. Big  for your courage to go and restore it !

Thanks, the funny thing is I was not planning on restoring it but the more I looked at it I just knew it had to be done.

[saleem]

i hear a lot about citrus strip for removing paint,dont know if you heard or read about it but,they recon its good stuuff.perhaps it might become your best mate at stripping the paint to see what you got under it.if its laminated can you not buy and replace.remove the old laminate (would probably be a pain) but,it will give you the better finished product.i have grown to locve laminate over paint.

[Spyridon]

Lot's of discussions on this topic, but I believe the consensus was that it is a baked on enamel and not a laminate on the original cab.  As stated above, you can try Citristrip to remove the black paint.

[Epyx]

Wow brutal how they just crammed the Mortal Kombat marquee in their even though it was short by a letter.

This is a fantastic restoration candidate...good luck!

[mr_doles]

I keep looking at this and wondering what have I gotten myself into, and then the UPS man came.  My first box, it was like Christmas day.

Here is the new bezel

And the new marquee.  Attached is the bezel instruction sticker and coin instruction sticker.

I just couldn't resist


I also got the top marquee bracket which looks nice.  They were very kind enough to send me a sample of the 9/16” flat white T-molding.  I said it was 9/16” centered but they kept saying get the 5/8” off centered due to the overhang.  The 9/16” looks perfect on the cab so that will be another order.

[polaris]

hey fella, good luck with this, if you get or need paint code info, i have this thread here, your input will be welcome when you start looking to paint
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=84492.0
 

[mr_doles]

hey fella, good luck with this, if you get or need paint code info, i have this thread here, your input will be welcome when you start looking to paint.

Thanks I found one site with Lowes paint and one with Sherman Williams [Attached is the one from Sherman Williams].  Not sure if I will trust one of these or just take the board that the latch is attached to for a color match. 

Lot's of discussions on this topic, but I believe the consensus was that it is a baked on enamel and not a laminate on the original cab.  As stated above, you can try Citristrip to remove the black paint.

Interesting.  After reading your pacman restore and seeing the Citristrip in action I think that will be the route I go.

[mr_doles]

Lot's of discussions on this topic, but I believe the consensus was that it is a baked on enamel and not a laminate on the original cab.  As stated above, you can try Citristrip to remove the black paint.

This got me curious so I started to peel the side art off just to see what was there, I see why people use a heat gun now.  The orange is in good shape under there, it is very smooth.  So if I use the Citristrip to remove the black paint will it also remove the orange enamel?  If I get the black off, should I sand and paint or just paint?

[opt2not]

Great cabinet to restore! Yay, another DK Jr. resurrection!
Are you going to get the DK Jr. PCB only? Or have you considered the Double DK board?

If you have the time, sanding and repainting wouldn't hurt. Perhaps all you'll need is a light sanding after the Citristrip clean-up, then probably a single coat of paint. But my initial question is, do you need to restore the wood at all?  Are the edges of the cabinet in good shape?
If you needed to fill in cracks and chipped areas, you might as well fill the defects with bondo or wood filler, sand it down, and repaint. I did the same with my renovation projects, and it didn't take too much time...but then again, I enjoyed it, so it might of seemed like it went fast.

[RayB]

The orange is not enamel. It's laminate or formica type surface. Just take the paint off in a manner that won't scratch.

[mr_doles]

Are you going to get the DK Jr. PCB only? Or have you considered the Double DK board?

I thought about it but since I have the original plate for DK Jr I decided to go that route.  Kind of a silly reason I know.

But my initial question is, do you need to restore the wood at all?  Are the edges of the cabinet in good shape?

It is not that bad on the outside there a a few spots that could stand some bondo.  The 3 bolts that run along the side from the horizontal may be the deciding factor.  If I decide to fill them in and just keep the 2 bolts in the back then I will have to do something.  I have read a lot of debates on keeping or filling in the 3 holes.

My plan for the weekend is to pull it apart and look at the structural damage inside and out.  Then get some Citristrip and see what I can do to the paint.  I will make a decision after that.

[mr_doles]

Started taking it apart last night will have pictures to post once it is fully apart.  I am surprised at how much of this is held together by glue and staples.  Also there will be bondo work needed on the outside.

Looks like someone tried unsuccessfully to do some bondo work in the first place.  Hope I can do better than this.

[javeryh]

This got me curious so I started to peel the side art off just to see what was there, I see why people use a heat gun now.  The orange is in good shape under there, it is very smooth.  So if I use the Citristrip to remove the black paint will it also remove the orange enamel?  If I get the black off, should I sand and paint or just paint?

You should sand, prime and then paint for the best results.  I had a powder blue enamel DK that I restored.  I had to remove decals with a heat gun (hair dryer!) and then use goo gone to remove all of the tacky glue left behind.  After that was finished I sanded with some 220, primed (several coats, sanding in between) and painted (several coats, sanding in between).  It came out GREAT.   This is going to be fun to watch. 

[mr_doles]

This is going to be fun to watch.

javeryh you are making me nervous, seriously I have never done a restore before, I suck at wood working, and THIS is what I start with.    Yep this is going to be fun to watch alright. 

You did answer a question that I was afraid to ask...hair dryer will work good to know.

Well tonight I got her stripped down except for the coin door, how the hell do you get that thing off.  There is no hand room back there and those nuts are tiny.  Probably should have taken more pictures of the wires, lets just hope I can put humpty dumpty back together again.





Removed the corner plate and what do I find.

[mr_doles]

Today I got the speaker grill done and one side started.  That Citistrip is great, and the hair dyer worked like a charm.

Ready to go


Now we wait


Needs one more pass in some spots with the citistrip but I am happy with the results so far.

[ckong]

Nice work, and the cab still looks really solid. Will be nice to watch your progress.

By the way, I would keep the 3 bolts on the sidepanels, they are original there you know. I left them also on my DK cab when I was restoring it, also because I didn't want to waste the side art, and I don't regret it at all: http://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?topic=1059.30

[javeryh]

Wow - looking good so far!  You can easily repair those edges with bondo.  Just attach a curved piece of hardboard or something (1/8" should bend enough) along the edge and fill in the gaps with bondo.  When it dries you can sand it smooth and after painting it will look brand new.  Make sure to wrap the hardboard in saran wrap or plastic so the bondo won't make it stick permanently to your cab!  You did a great job cleaning up the side - can you believe someone had the nerve to paint over that beautiful orange???

By the way, I would keep the 3 bolts on the sidepanels, they are original there you know. I left them also on my DK cab when I was restoring it, also because I didn't want to waste the side art, and I don't regret it at all: http://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?topic=1059.30

I did exactly the opposite (although ckong is right - the bolt holes are original (I thought there were only 2??)).  I made some slight modifications in my restoration where I thought I could improve the look.  After all, I was trying to convince the wife to put the cab in our dining room!  I thought it looked nicer with no bolts showing so I filled the holes completely.   

[mr_doles]

Thanks for all the encouragement on this.  And javeryh thanks for the advice on the bondo.
Just put a second coat of Citistrip on the second side to get the stragglers that did not come off.  This side will need some bondo as well.  The person who had it before me did a bad job.  The 3 diagonal bolts will go on if they are original, I read a thread here (can't find it now though) about this.  They said vertical only had 2 and the 3 are when it is converted to a horizontal.  I don't want to start another big debate though.

Had a MAJOR accomplishment (for me anyway).  I got the coin door off, very awkward lying position but I got it off.  Now my question is what are the coin mechs supposed to be I have 3 different kinds that I believe are all Nintendo.

Here is the back of the coin door, it is not too bad but not great.  I will need to replace the lock as it is missing the piece that prevents is from spinning all the way around.



Here are 2 mechs that were on there, are you supposed to remove them before painting?


And here is the other one I have.

[mr_doles]

One more post for today.  We have orange!







Had to bring her back into the house so I could bring the truck back in the garage.  So yet again I just couldn't resist a sneak peek.


Well that is all the work I can do for a while.  Don't have time after work with the kids and next weekend I am traveling.  But when I get back it's bondo time.

[Level42]

Great progress !

[opt2not]

Had a MAJOR accomplishment (for me anyway).  I got the coin door off, very awkward lying position but I got it off.  Now my question is what are the coin mechs supposed to be I have 3 different kinds that I believe are all Nintendo.

I believe these ones are supposed to be on that cabinet:

My DK Jr. is equipped with this type, you can check out my resto-thread for reference (in my sig) if you'd like. Though, I haven't worked on it yet since it's still sitting at my bro-in-law's place.

Here are 2 mechs that were on there, are you supposed to remove them before painting?

As for the coin-door, I had a lot of fun restoring mine for my cocktail cabinet. Remove all the pieces from the door, get yourself a wire wheel for your drill, and use it to scrap off the existing rust and paint. Then you can grab some Rustoleum Hammered Black paint and re-paint it.
It'll come out looking like new!

Keep going, you're doing great so far.  

[ckong]

Check this site out for coin mechs: http://www.asahiseikousa.com/product_info.php/cPath/2/products_id/28

They also sell parts like face plates etc.

Nice work by the way.

[nintendoid]

I keep looking at this and wondering what have I gotten myself into, and then the UPS man came.  My first box, it was like Christmas day.
Here is the new bezel

And the new marquee.  Attached is the bezel instruction sticker and coin instruction sticker

Is the bezel image stuck onto the plastic/glass screen or is it printed onto the bezel?

[mr_doles]

Wow that is really hard to tell, I am sitting here looking at it and it is hard to tell.  I looks like it is printed on but there is a protective layer over it so I can't really tell unless I pull that off and I don't want to do that yet.  My wife an I both looked at it and tried to see if we could get a fingernail under the picture and neither one of us could.  So I am going to say with 95% certainty that it is printed on.  I got it from Arcadeshop.com if that tells you anything.

[eclipso]

Wish you the best of luck with this, great first project IMO.

[mr_doles]

Well I am back and like so many others I have recruited my father-in-law to help out with the body work this weekend.  But I have some “step-by-step” questions about what I need to do.
Bondo.  Do I want Bondo All Purpose Putty or do I want Bondo Automotive Body Filler ?  What grit sandpaper do I use at this step?  Is there a too cold or too hot to be working with Bondo?

Prime and Pant.  Do I need to sand the laminate down or rough it up to get the primer to stick to it?  Any specific type of primer (water based/oil based) and same for the paint.  Do I use 220 grit from start to finish or do I gradually go smoother.  What am I looking for to know it has had enough primer, sand, primer, sand, and then pant, sand, paint, sand?

Tools.  What type of roller works best for this.

Guess that is enough questions for now.  I'll get some pictures Sunday while we are working.  Oh on a side note I got my DK Jr board thanks to a KLOV’er!!!!

[javeryh]

I used the automotive stuff - worked great.  220 sandpaper should be plenty (it sands easily).  You could go up to 100 if you want to make it go faster and then switch over to 220 when you get the shape close to final.  I don't know about too cold or too hot - I worked in probably 65-70 degree weather without issue.

I sanded the laminate before painting - you need to give the paint something rough to stick to.  Don't sand the laminate off - just rough it up with 100 grit or so.  If you are like me, you will have bondo all over the thing to fill in all the little dents (see below).  I used BINZ primer and I highly highly highly recommend you do the same.  It covers everything in about 3 or 4 coats.  I can't imagine using anything else.  I also used 220 from start until finish and made sure to sand in between each coat.  I used a 1/4" nap roller to apply Sherwin-Williams latex paint - it is really good stuff.  I tried a foam roller and super thin coats and got nowhere - I could not get rid of the roller overlap lines and it was making me crazy.  Switching to the 1/4" nap roller did the trick.  The paint went on beautifully.  As for knowing when to stop with the primer and paint - you will just know.  With the primer you won't be able to see through to the original color at all and with the paint you will not see through to the primer.  

Have fun and take LOTS of pictures!

[Mauzy]

Just as a testament to how automotive Bondo is the arcade machine restorationist's duct tape: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=92466.msg973823#msg973823

 

[mr_doles]

Thanks guys for that, it will definitely help.  I think I spent over an hour last night reading all the debates of oilbased vs latex, Lowes vs Home Depot vs Sherman Willimas, semi-gloss vs high-gloss, roller vs spray.  I think there is such a thing as too much info.  One thing I forget to ask is the black paint for the top back and inside.  What kind did you use for that.

[javeryh]

Thanks guys for that, it will definitely help.  I think I spent over an hour last night reading all the debates of oilbased vs latex, Lowes vs Home Depot vs Sherman Willimas, semi-gloss vs high-gloss, roller vs spray.  I think there is such a thing as too much info.  One thing I forget to ask is the black paint for the top back and inside.  What kind did you use for that.

Rustoleum Protective Enamel paint - Semi-Gloss black.  It's pretty good stuff.

[mr_doles]

One more question before I start covering holes.  There was a metal plate that ran across the bottom on the cab.  i have not seen this on any of the pictures of other cabs but it is small.  Is this suppose to be there:

[javeryh]

My DK did not come with that.  I have also never seen it before and I've read tons of Nintendo restoration projects and I spent countless hours researching - this is the first time I've seen something like that so I'd say it does not belong there.

Your picture really shows the dings in the laminate - just about every square inch of my cabinet had these dents which I had to fill with bondo and sand smooth.  It was a pain because the bondo sets really fast so I could only do about 5 spots at a time.

I'd also completely replace that base if I were you.  A 1x4 piece of maple is the exact same size and since it is a hard wood it should hold up over time.  Just mitre the corners and paint it black and you should be good to go.  You can see how I did it HERE.  Note that I keep talking about a 1x3 - I made a mistake measuring (I didn't take into consideration the overlap of the side panels) and I ended up having to do the entire thing over.  It was easy enough though.   

[mr_doles]

My DK did not come with that.  I have also never seen it before and I've read tons of Nintendo restoration projects and I spent countless hours researching - this is the first time I've seen something like that so I'd say it does not belong there.

Cool thanks, I guess the metal plates on each corner do not belong either?

Went to Sherman Williams to get the paint.  They were out of quarts so he sold me a gallon for the price of a quart.  But the color match machine was not working so we had to match by hand.  It came out OK but not great.  I got the code from this page and will go back to have them add the missing colors.  The first set of numbers was the same but he added too much red.  Hoping adding the White, Yellow, and Umber will help to brighten it up.

Well with out further ado, bondo pictures.
Getting the sander ready.


First thing we learned is don't put it on too thick it is a pain to sand off.  Ended up using 60 grit to sand the bondo smooth.


Needed to rebuild the corners so we got some Tupperware, cut it down and wedged it in the T-molding slot.  Then just poured in some bondo and let it semi-dry.  Once it is was putty hard I pulled the Tupperware out and trimmed it down, and put a piece of cardboard in to keep the t-molding slot.  Did all 4 corners this way.









All finished.  Next weekend Primer and maybe paint.

[mr_doles]

Went back to Sherman Williams after work today and got them to add the yellow to the mix.  It made it a lot brighter, I think it was too brown before.  It is not going to be a perfect match but I am going with it.  Also forgot to mention that I tested the DK Jr PCB that I bought and it did not work, just full white screen.  I bought it from a KLOV'r and he was kind enough to swap it out with another one.  Shipped my back yesterday so once he gets it he will send a new one.

[mr_doles]

2 beers and 3 coats of primer down, tomorrow orange.  Forgot my camera but will get some pics tomorrow.