Is my Centipede worth restoring?

[sirhcman]

I have a Centipede cabinet that I bought a few years ago that was converted to a Street Fighter II / Jamma cabinet (still working). From what I can tell there is no artwork left on either side and it is currently painted black. The guts from the original centipede have all been removed. I don't have any pictures to post at the moment but will soon. How much would I expect to pay if I end up restoring this cabinet? Basically all I have is the cabinet..no marquee, no glass, no bezel, no centipede boards, and the control panel is swiss cheese....

The cabinet itself is in good shape, the corners are for the most part pretty good...Might be a little bondo work but not too much..

Am I wasting my time even thinking about this?

Any help is appreciated

[original_maxlamer]

If you dont convert it back to centerpede you will......
keep it as a SF2 machine?
dump/sell it?
mame?

If your worried about the moral part of turning it into a mame machine or haveing another game in it.  Dont be worried, as long as you dont make any ireversable changes and keep it in good condition you can still restore it at a later date anyway.

[Q*Bert_OP]

don't bother...a Centipede dosen't top more than $800 in good shape...it would cost more to restore than it would be worth, IMHO

[ArtMAME]

Unless you get really lucky and come across some great deals for replacement parts, be prepared to spend a ton of money.  Browse Ebay and arcade specialty shops online to get an idea of prices.  It adds up quickly.  Just a rough estimate:

New Sideart $125 - $150
New 19" arcade monitor $200 (optional)
Control Panel $50 - $100
New CP overlay $40
New Trackball $50
Marquee $25
Bezel and glass $50 - $100
board set $50 - $150
Atari Power supply $50
Centipede wiring harnes $25
Misc (paint, labor, hardware, buttons, tools, etc.) $???

You could save on some items, for example you could use the existing monitor if it is in good shape, you could try to remove the black paint to see if the sideart is still under it and intact, etc.  But still it looks like you will have to get lots of parts to turn it back into a Centipede.

Also, you must consider why you want to restore it.  If you just want have a Centipede machine to play yourself, you can get an old beat up working Centipede at an auction for  several hundred.  You can restore that later if you so wish as time and money allow. 

If you want to go cheep, you could just invest in a new CP and trackball, then MAME the thing into a dedicated Centipede and/or Millipede.  I was gonna do this with my empty Centipede cab, but then I decided to go all the way and do a full restoration.

If you want the challenge of restoring an old classic, then you will need to invest lots... I mean lots of time and money to the effort.  Also take into account your skill level and facilities.  Have you worked on any arcade stuff before? Do you have a workshop or suitable garage area that can be used for the restoration?

It would be much better to start with a tattered or non-working Centipede than to convert your Street Fighter II that barely has any original parts left. 

If you want to restore the machine and then sell it, it will cost more to restore than what you can sell it for anyway.

I am restoring a Centipede machine right now
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=57135.0

I got this one at an auction recently, they did have several Centipede/Atari cabs there that were painted black and had a different game in them.  But I decided it would be a lot better to start with the Centipede cab for the restoration effort.

I wanted the challenge of restoring a classic, plus I am restoring it for my own personal collection, so I don't mind spending the money and time to do a full restoration.  It will be very rewarding I am sure.

I hope this helps you out.  Peace, Love, and Joysticks... 

[westell]

If your intent is to restore then flip to sell > then no

If you like restoring old classics for your own personal arcade> go for it

Depending on the term RESTORE You could buy a centipede/jamma adaptor and use the jamma harness and ps which is already in the cab. It will save you from having to find a power block, reg board and wiring harness

[TOK]

I wouldn't hack a working Centipede to JAMMA, but since it's already done and JAMMA boards are readily available and inexpensive, I'd clean it up and keep it as is. I'd much prefer to have a JAMMA setup that could be changed at will than a resotred Centipede.