to restore, or not to restore...that is the question.

[Flinkly]

i might be able to get a hold of a vintage donkey kong for cheap, and was wondering wha the ups and downs of restoring it to it's previous glory might be.

[dirt]

it all depends on how much you can get it for and if you want to keep it or sell it. i am redoing one right now that i intend to keep so i am making it perfect. if i was building this to sell i dont think i would make enough profit to make it worth my time.

dirt

[MonitorGuru]

Side art (currently) is dirt cheap, but soon to increase significantly as the multi-hundred (thousand) quantity that was run is almost gone from Arcade Renovations.

[Flinkly]

um...if i got you a pic of the guts, could you tell me what was what?  i think it is all still inside, since it's just been converted.  all i would ahve to do is replace some of the big stuff, i think, unless wires have been cut inside.  i'll see if i could round up some pics.  thanks for the help guys, it sounds very do-able.

[Flinkly]

ok guys, i really need some advice on this.

i can get a donkey kong arcade game cabinet with working original coin mechs and original bezel.  the sides sound like they have scratches and scuffs all over them, so some work will have to be put into fixing that.  i'd have to get sideart from arcade renovations, and buy a control panel cover new too.  as for buttons and a joystick, i've been looking for some but to no avail.  the marquee i could get nos from ebay, as well as a manual and pcb.  i'm unsure as of yet on the electrical, but the monitor is really nice with no burn in, so it should only need a cap kit at most.  i'd have to drive a ways to get it but i can get it for around 100 bucks from this guy

should i do it?  i'd love to restore a classic game, but what would it be worth with non-original peices like control panel and side art?  oh, i almost forgot, it also had one of those security bars installed on the front, so i'd have to work hard on the holes that it would leave, and i don't think it comes with a coin door key thing.  thanks guys for the help.

i think it would be worth at least 500 bucks in restored condition, so it sounds reasonable. but i'd love to hear what you guys think.

[ChadTower]

If you want to make a profit, forget it.

If you want to do it because it should be done, do it.

[nostrebor]

So here is my take and some back story...

I decided that I wanted to restore a real game on impulse. I am partial to Williams games, and I like the un-ordinary. So I pick up a Bubbles off of EBAY for $80. It is supposed to be complete but non-working. When I get there it is a complete game, non-working, with nice art but a bad CPO. I get it home and find out that it is actually converted to and the supposed original boards/monitor are long gone. I then set out to find the correct components and it hits me, I'm in over my head for a first game for both costs and complexity.

Now I am not hurt on this purchase (yet) but I did start looking for a different game with less issues for a first. My goal was to get educated on a particular game type (Williams) and go shopping with the knowledge of what was correct for parts, and what to expect for costs to restore.

I picked up a Moon Patrol at auction. I knew before I bought it what the components on the inside were to look like, and I took cheats along with me to verify. I wanted to start with an un-hacked game to learn on, and that is what I bought. The MP was a bit hacked, but it made it cheaper, and I knew it was hacked before I bought it.

What I suggest to you is to do EXTENSIVE net research first before pulling the trigger. Expect the worst... likely the wrong monitor, hacked harness, bad power supply, etc. learn what the components for a DK look like and what the costs to fix each are. Take cheats with you to help insure that you identify the parts correctly. know what the sum of expense you can stand is, before you go to look.  Be prepared to WALK AWAY from the deal if it falls outside of your comfort zone for price or complexity.

I used to use these rules when choosing a car to restore, and I assumed that games were simple, and failed to apply these rules to the first game I bought. I have learned over the past couple of years that there will always be another DK or whatever for sale if I'm patient, and I waited on the SECOND game until the right game came along.

My quite lengthy $.02

[Stingray]

Judging from your poll, you're only in this to make money. If that's the case forget it. There are much easier ways to make a buck, and if you do it right there isn't much to be had here.

Now if you just want something to play around with, work on it when you have a chance and end up with a nice working Donkey Kong then it sounds like fun to me.

-S

[Flinkly]

you guys make me sound like a scoundrel.  i'm not rollin in money and my mame cab has already cost me too much, but i'd love to dable in restoring dedicated arcade cabinets due to the fun and feeling of completing something while giving back to the community.  i guess i'm looking for cabinets that are worth fixing up, and if and when i feel like it, can sell it and at least make my money back.  i'm not looking to make quick cash, but i also don't want to get a cabinet and spend 800 dollars restoring it and only sell it for 400.  that just wouldn't make sense to me at this time in my life. 

i hope that all makes sense.

i tried to get a q*bert a while back, but that didn't work outl.  and recently i tried to complete a track and field cabinet, but again, it ended in me being short 80 bucks and having track and field internals.

[RayB]

You'd probably make more money buying old game carts and consoles at garage sales and then Ebaying them.

[Flinkly]

well...i'm not looking to make money off of it.  i'd like to restore an arcade game, but can't afford to spend alot and end up being short in the end.  thats why i'd like to get a well known game for cheap, fix it up real nice, and then turn around and sell it in order to start the process all over again.

just to make this clear, no offense to you rayb, but i'm not looking to make money off of it, i just don't want to be in the hole hundreds of dollars in the end.  i'd just like to enjoy restoration and not have to give up heating in my house (or something like that...).

so i hope everyone understand this time around...even though i don't really have to defend myself.

[fredster]

Depends where you get the DK.  At auctions, they can run about $400 for a decent one, maybe more.  On Ebay, $650 or more plus shipping.

Depends on what you like.  If you like it and want to keep it, go for the gusto, it's yours.  It's a nice project and you have a collector's piece when you are done.  If you do it for the money, you are looking at about $400 to fix one up really good with your labor.

[clanggedin]

I restored a DK Jr. recently and luckily it didn't cost me that much. I am in the cab a total of $190.

$100 for a working DK Jr.
$32 for side art
$27 for paint
$5 for new molex
$10 for cap kit
$16 for new bulb under marquee.

If you can get the cab with working board, and monitor, then you have the most expensive parts right there. You can find the rest of the cosmetic stuff on ebay for pretty cheap, but if you have to deal with getting a Sanyo 20EZV monitor and the other internals, then forget it.

Price out what you are going to actually need to restore it before you actually buy it. That way you will

[Flinkly]

yeah, i'm trying to contact the seller for information right now, but he seems a little iffy and tends to use general terms instead of being specific.  it seems like he's trying to pull a quick one on me, so i'm trying to figure out what all i'm getting before i get it.  also, i don't think he knows what he's really looking at, so that might be my problem too. we'll see.

[nostrebor]

He should be able to read numbers and names off of a monitor. He could take some photos and email. If he is not willing to do that, let this one go and chase a different one. If he is being evasive, it's probably not what you are hoping for.

Worst case scenario - you make the drive and choose not to buy it. If you go prepared with info about what is and isn't correct for the game, you might get him to back down on the price as well. $100 might be ok for a game with the right components, but $25 could be just right for a cab with the wrong parts.

FYI I watched a nintendo vs. excitabike sell at the KC auction for not a lot more than you are considering for a questionable cabinet. It might not hurt to shop a bit.

[paigeoliver]

The guys who make actual MONEY off the big name titles are not doing reverse conversions, they are picking up the complete games for cheap via ads in the newspaper and bulk buys.

If you want to make small scale money then go to the auction and buy yourself a half dozen dead games at $75 or less, fix whatever is wrong with them, clean them up, and then sell them in the paper at $200 each.

Prices have dropped too far on the classics to make reverse conversions profitable anymore.

[ChadTower]

You'd probably make more money buying old game carts and consoles at garage sales and then Ebaying them.

Ther'es no money in that.  There used to be, and I used to do it, but the bottom has fallen out now that every garage sale seller says "well, I could get $5 each for those on ebay" and prices them accordingly.  The ironic part is that they couldn't, the market fell out for anything other than top stuff.

[Flinkly]

yeah, i'd love to go to auction too, but the closest ones are down deep in california.

[ChadTower]

Most of the time, if you get the cab cheaply enough and can do all the work yourself, you can pretty much break even or have a small loss when you sell.  Sometimes you can make a small gain.  It's never that far from what you paid, though...

...that is, IF you do the work yourself.  That includes the electronics repair work.

[RayB]

Ther'es no money in that.