Late last summer I started to mull over another arcade machine, this one for my nephews as they really enjoy our cabs. Being in a smaller house with 5 people, space is at a premium so a traditional upright was out of the question. I thought about a cocktail cab, but it would have meant displacing their family room coffee table and I figured the sister-in-law wouldn't be too keen on that idea
That led me to consider
furniture style, hidden arcade options. Laying in bed one insomniac evening, it occurred to me that what I was coming up with in my head looked a lot like an old console TV from the 50s and 60s. As luck would have it, I came across someone giving away an old console TV on CL. Unluckily, it turned out that the cabinet was not wood but laminate, and wasn't in very good shape.
Fast forward a few months. It's now past the holidays and the nephews have all received DSs and a Wii, and the inlaws feel they have enough video games so I back burnered the project. I still kept an eye out for another console TV cabinet though, as the idea intrigued me.
Luck struck again on Craigslist, and I happened across what looked like a beautiful mahogany RCA Victor. Here's the CL picture:
Based on the pic, I decided to go for it so long as it passed inspection. When I got there it of course had some flaws that photos always seem to hide (particularly on the doors, but also some crazing of the finish), but considering it's age I was very excited about the overall condition. I dropped a whopping $35 on it, popped it into my truck, then stuck it in my workshop for another 3 months while life swirled around.
About two months ago I caught the fever again, and began taking a more careful look at what I had brought home.
The CRT was gone, but the bezel and glass were in place:
All the vacuum tubes were MIA, as was the power supply, but the main tuner/electronics rats nest of resistors, caps, etc was still there (albeit in rough shape):
as were the brown bakelite knobs and RCA Victor gilded emblem:
Also the original 12" speaker and grill cloth:
It was that monster of a speaker that actually gave me a flash of inspiration: this thing could make a kick ass jukebox!
So over many more insomniac evenings, I decided I would go for something that was reminiscent of a car from the 50s, but one being restored and cobbled together in today's day and age.
And so was born the Rat Rod (working title...not sure if I totally dig it yet).