Hey all! I'd like to start by saying just how helpful this website is - it's been the largest inspiration to this crazy dream I've got of putting together a MAME cab. When a friend sent me a link to a nice cabinet about a month ago, I had no idea how one would go about building something so cool, and now I'm just about ready to start attatching buttons and putting them into a machine.

But I've also learned a lot about ethics, and the preservation of old cabinets. Now, don't get me wrong - I'd never dream of cutting up a cabinet that actually ran, or even had potentially working parts - but I've been lucky enough to discover a store just down the street which sells classic cabs and parts. When I approached the owner about purchasing gutted or inoperative cabinets, he told me that he gives them away, free (

), sans the innards, moniter, buttons and the like.
So now I'm wondering just what I should do. Pick up one for free? I'm assuming the quality will be low, as the guy is a devoted restorer of the classics. But if I do, what kind of options are open to me? Is cutting the cab a sin? I haven't planned out a CP yet because I'm leery to change the one that I get, if I decide not to build my own. What are the rules on artwork? Does it depend on the quality?
I don't intend on destroying a piece of history, but I dont know if I want to conform to someone else's design, no matter how classic. Buidling an entirely original cabinet is a route I wouldn't mind taking, if I have good reason... but "free" is a pretty sweet word. And on the other hand, he leaves them out back until someone takes them; otherwise they go to the dump....
So.... any help with this moral dilemma would be much appreciated!
-Matt