This is a cabinet repaint for a resident member here on AP. This is a service I offer to customers that don't want to restore the cabinet themselves. As per all my cabinet repaints, I follow the same process based on the condition of the game. If it is a simple repaint, then it is a fixed price. If the cabinet needs major rework, then that is factored into the price. Also, if the customer strips the game of all parts, the price decreases. In this case, Dean gave me the cabinet with the original paint intact. It turns out the cabinet was repainted at some time - with the wrong colors - but luckily, the original colors were found under the siderails. So this game can have an original repaint to original specs.
With the paint matched, and Gavin's FANTASTIC stencils, this cabinet will look original, and be the base for the rest of Dean's restoration.
Here's how the cabinet was delivered to me ;
The black paint on the inside of the head is not original. This will be addressed during the repaint.
The front panel is slightly bowed. not much I can do about that. It is hardwood, and I would not be surprised if this was how the cabinet was produced in the 60's.
Structurally VERY sound. These cabinets were built to last. No chipboard on any of these Gottlieb cabinets. Just heavy and thick plywood
Here's the clue - The blue is not original, but there's the original lighter color. Gottlieb used this color in a lot of their games. Pro football was an exact match. The original red was also lighter, but didn't present well in the photo - again - a perfect match with the Pro football. But the BASE is different white than 70's Gottliebs. I thought it would be the same as Pro Football, but it is not. So off to the paint store to get an exact match / finish !
Splatter / webbing. Because I like the cabinet to be an EXACT restoration, I take photos of the splatter / speckles / webbing. This has a bit of everything.
Stripped and ready for repairs (minor) and sanding !
There's something about restoring cabinets that I find enjoyable over other aspects of restoration. It is messy and time consuming, but I really enjoy the challenge, and I never stop learning something new.
End of part 1 !