Gorf restoration

[Spyridon]

Gorf was always one of my favourite games growing up.  For one quarter, you got to play space invaders, galaxian, and two other games.  A good value for my limited money.

Gorf was the first dedicated arcade machine I picked up for the house (after building my mame cab).  Here is what it looked like:







It's fully working but needs cosmetic work and a cap kit.

The first thing I did was order some parts:

Side art from arcadeoverlays
New control panel, coin door inserts, and joystick insert from thisoldgame
t-molding, cap kit, and joystick grommet from arcadeshop
New white buttons from Bob Roberts

[Spyridon]

The one thing that wasn't working were the lights in the joystick.  After tracking down the correct security bit to get the joystick open, I was able to replace the bulbs inside.  Once that was done, they worked perfectly.




Here is a shot of the non-working bulbs that were removed:


According to the manual, they are .08 Amp 14V wedge lamps.  It took me a while to locate replacement lamps.  I finally found them at AutoZone

I couldn't find ones that had the exact specs listed on the package, so I matched by size.  The ones at AutoZone said either .08 Amp or 14V on the package.  I don't remember which it said, but it didn't list both the Amps and the Volts on it.  I'm not sure they are an exact match, but they work.

[Spyridon]

Next up was to start removing the old torn side art.  I used a heat gun to heat it up and then a putty knife to scrape it off.  I knew I would be sanding the entire side down and repainting, so I wasn't too concerned with scratches.

side 1



side 2

[Spyridon]

Next up was to start cleaning it up a bit.  They grey bottom part was prety nasty looking

I used some Murphy's Oil Soap and steel wool to clean it up

[Spyridon]

The marquee had a vending sticker on it that needed to be removed. 


I used Goo Gone to soften up the sticker and then lifted it off.

[Spyridon]

so that's what 25 years of dust looks like...


Time to start striping everything out of the cab.


The power supply had one wire that was soldered directly to the pin on one end and just connected to the harness with electrical tape.  I'll fix this when putting everything back together

[Spyridon]

Now to start cleaning these guys up.  The transformer really needed a clean up.


After taking lots of pictures to make sure I can get everything back together, I started removing the parts from the board



The board the transformer and fuses were connected to was hand washed.

There were too many wires soldered onto the transformer to remove and put into the dish washer, so I hand cleaned everything with water and a little bit of dish detergent.

Looks much much better (you can actually see the colors of the wires now)



The wire harness and cage go into the dishwasher. No detergent, just the water.  I considered putting the PCB's in as well, but I didn't want to go through the trouble of removing the socketed chips.

when it comes out, you can actually see the circuit board in the bottom of the cage.  It was still a little wet in this picture, but I took a hair dryer to it to make sure it was completely dry

[Spyridon]

Next I needed to remove the monitor.  This was not an easy one to get out by yourself.  I ended up having to lay the cab on it's side, remove the bolts, and then pull it out.  I discharged the monitor before I removed it.



Every screw that was removed was put into a sandwich bag and labeled so that I can get this back together.  Here is what it looked like with everything stripped out.

[Spyridon]

I used Citristrip to remove the paint on the sides.  (Ummm...orange smell)





The screens covering the vent holes on the back were pretty dirty.  I removed the staples and pulled these out to be cleaned


I also removed the bubble from the back for cleaning

[Spyridon]

The cab design on Gorf is really nice in that the top seperates (12 screws) from the bottom




I applied bondo to some areas that needed it. 

[Spyridon]

When the bondo dried, I sanded it smooth





I also spray painted the bubble and the vent screens.  I used a flat black on the bubble

and a rustolem silver on the screens


It looked really good when dry

[Spyridon]

I still need to pick up a compressor and spray gun, so in the mean time, I started working on the control panel.  The first thing I did was to use a dremel to put a nice shine to the carrige bolts.

Can you tell which one of the five bolts is done?

And here are the rest of them completed.  I was going to purchase new bolts, but these turned out great.


I did the same for the 10 carrige bolts holding the bubble onto the back of the cab.

I used the same technique on the security bolts holding the joystick together.

Here is one completed one next to one that I haven't cleaned up yet.

[Spyridon]

I disassembled the control panel next and removed the joystick.

I had a problem at one point playing the game where the ship would not move up.  It went away, so I thought the grommet may need replacing.

I took the joystick apart to get to the grommet


Here is the original on the left and the arcadeshop replacement on the right

I ran into a problem trying to get the new one on.  It would not fil all the way up on the shaft.  It was too small.  In fact, not even close to being able to fit.  Oh well, back to the old one.  Hopefully it wasn't a problem anyway.  Since I had the joystick apart, I used the trusty dremel again and cleaned up some of the rust on the shaft.  Here is the before shot:


While I had everything apart, I hit the bottom of the control panel with a new coat of flat black paint.

[Spyridon]

I reassembled the joystick, put in the new buttons, new inesrt, and put on the new control panel.



Wow, that control panel looks good.  Rich over at thsoldgame did a great job on the panel.  The only complaint I have with it is that the fonts are different on the new one compared to the old one.  That being said, it still looks great and I highly recommend it.

Here are some comparisons between the two panels

[Spyridon]

Okay, that brings you up to speed.  Next step is to paint the cab.  I'm going to purchase a compressor so that I can spray the cab.  More updates to come...

[Paladin]

Fantastic job so far!

I've always loved Gorf, you get to play several different games all for one quarter!  Add to that the unique cabinet and the speech, and you have a definate winner.

[SirPeale]

Why did you have to lie the cab down to remove the monitor?

[Spyridon]

Fantastic job so far!

Thanks.  It's been slow progress as I don't get much time to work on it.  I'm looking forward to getting it back together as I haven't been able to play in a while.

[Spyridon]

Why did you have to lie the cab down to remove the monitor?

I couldn't figure out any way to get it out by myself.  It had your typical 4 main bolts holding it in, however, two were in the front and two were in the back.  Also, it wasn't one of those were if you took the bolts out, it would stay in place resting on some braces or wood.  The bolts were the only thing holding it.  It would take two people to remove it.  One would have to hold it (supporting all the weight) from the back, while the final two bolts were removed from the front. 

I looked at every possible way to get it out, and unless I missed something simple, laying it down on its side was the only way I could figure it out. 

[SirPeale]

I see.  I've never worked on a Gorf before, so I don't have the benefit of that experience.  I'd have to see a picture of the setup to get a grasp.

[Level42]

Great work ! Really hardcore restoration, just the way I like'em 
 

[Spyridon]

Making slow progress on this.  I started working on the coin door.  I removed all the parts so that I can sandblast the door.  I picked up a sandblasting cabinet that I'm going to try out tomorrow.  I still need to figure out how to remove the rivets holing the Midway plate on.




I'm probably going to pick up the replacement Midway logo plate the arcadeshop has for sale.  Not the best option, but the ones at thisoldgame aren't ready yet.

Level42 did a good write up on the differences that you can read here

I also picked up an air compressor today.  One step closer to being able to repaint the cabinet.

[JeepMonkey]

Great work so far.  I really like the step by step progress and pics.  Keep it coming.

 

[SirPeale]

I still need to figure out how to remove the rivets holing the Midway plate on.

Drill them out from the back with a small bit.  That's how I've gotten all mine off.

[arcadefever]

 

Very nice restoration  i really enjoyed the step by step pictures 

[Level42]

I still need to figure out how to remove the rivets holing the Midway plate on.

Drill them out from the back with a small bit.  That's how I've gotten all mine off.

Can you still re-use them this way ?

I hammered them out. At least that left the top OK, and I glues them back in. See my Galaxian restore..

[Spyridon]

Got to use the sandblasting cabinet today.  It works really well, it's just slow going. 



The sandblasting cabinet came from Harbor Freight.  It was $99 and worked well for the price.  I think a more expensive one would have had a better filter system and an internal light.

Like I said, it worked well, but was slow going.  I decided to use a wire brush attached to a drill to speed up the process.  I hit the metal with the wire brush to get the big spots and then used the sandblasting for the tight spots.



Here is the final product after removing all the paint.



After removing the paint, I lightly sanded it and washed it down to clean it off.  I then applied a coat of rustoleum primer to it. 



Waiting for the first side to dry as I type this.

[Spyridon]

While I was waiting on the coin door paint to dry, I worked on the marquee retainers.  They were discolored and scratched up.

I used a 180 grit sandpaper to smooth them out.  I made sure to go with the grain to keep all of the lines smooth.  I started with 220 grit, but it didn't work well enough so I switched to 180 and then used the 220 at the end.

Here you can see the right side where I started working compared to the left which is untouched.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but it really shined it up nicely.


Once the top and bottom bracket were done, I hit them with a coat of clear enamel

[danny_galaga]

damn, good work so far! i can't wait to have my own place so i can restore something cool.

oh, and bead blasters are the bomb for restoring things. anyone else, if you are doing a restore, try and get friendly with a mechanic or auto electrician. not only do you get a really clean finish and remove every bit of corrosion, but you have a nicely etched surface for new paint to stick to...

[SirPeale]

Can you still re-use them this way ?

You're drilling a hole right thru them.  What do you think? 

[Spyridon]

Can you still re-use them this way ?

You're drilling a hole right thru them.  What do you think? 

I used a grinder to take them off.  No chance of reusing them on mine.  I'm going to put on the arcadeshop "sticker" and then when (if) thisoldgame gets theirs done, I'll replace it.  My wife's uncle owns a nuts and bolts company, so I should be able to get a replica rivit that is pretty close.

[Spyridon]

Painted the front sides of the coin box with the rust primer



Once that was dry, I lightly sanded with some 220 grit sandpaper to take out any parts that weren't smooth.  I then hit it with Hammered black paint.

still wet in this picture


I also placed an order with arcadeshop today for the replacement Midway plate for the coin door.

[JeepMonkey]

Did you buy or rent the sandblaster box?  Either way, may I ask you what it cost?

If you do own it, you may make some extra cash sandblasting fellow member restoration coin doors. (hint, hint, wink)

[SirPeale]

Can you still re-use them this way ?

You're drilling a hole right thru them.  What do you think? 

I used a grinder to take them off.  No chance of reusing them on mine.  I'm going to put on the arcadeshop "sticker" and then when (if) thisoldgame gets theirs done, I'll replace it.  My wife's uncle owns a nuts and bolts company, so I should be able to get a replica rivit that is pretty close.

My wife scrapbooks, and I found something of hers that looks like it'll work perfectly.  It's called a snap (I think).  Looks pretty much like the original.  Only thing I don't like about them is the length - they're pretty short.  So I can get them thru the hole just fine, but I haven't tried securing one down yet.

[Spyridon]

Did you buy or rent the sandblaster box?  Either way, may I ask you what it cost?

If you do own it, you may make some extra cash sandblasting fellow member restoration coin doors. (hint, hint, wink)

Harbour freight is your friend for cheap stuff if you have one near your.  I picked this one up on sale for $99.

[Spyridon]

What paint has everyone used on their coin doors?  I used the Rustoleum hammered black, but after looking at the back side that I painted it seems to be too glossy.  Also, the hammered look adds some texture, but it isn't the same kind as the original.  Maybe a dull coat on top will help?

[Spyridon]

My wife scrapbooks, and I found something of hers that looks like it'll work perfectly.  It's called a snap (I think).  Looks pretty much like the original.  Only thing I don't like about them is the length - they're pretty short.  So I can get them thru the hole just fine, but I haven't tried securing one down yet.

I'll check that out but I'll probably not use anything with the arcadeshop sticker.  I'll wait for the metal plate from thisoldgame.

[SirPeale]

What paint has everyone used on their coin doors?  I used the Rustoleum hammered black, but after looking at the back side that I painted it seems to be too glossy.  Also, the hammered look adds some texture, but it isn't the same kind as the original.  Maybe a dull coat on top will help?

For any Midway coin door - Rustoleum textured black.

[Level42]

What paint has everyone used on their coin doors?  I used the Rustoleum hammered black, but after looking at the back side that I painted it seems to be too glossy.  Also, the hammered look adds some texture, but it isn't the same kind as the original.  Maybe a dull coat on top will help?

For any Midway coin door - Rustoleum textured black.

Unless it should be grey or brown. 

[Spyridon]

You don't need to prime parts that you're putting Rustoleum on.

Great job so far.

I know.  However, at the time I primed it, I hadn't decided on a top coat yet.  Didn't think I'd end up with a rustoleum.

Thanks for the compliments.