1980 Bally Space Invaders Cleanup

[Jango]

Some more pics after I have completed stripping out the headbox.  Again, I took lots of pics to aid in putting it all back together.

[Jango]

The painting of the headbox commences.....there were some poor touch-ups on either side of the headbox.  Someone had used what I think was a water based matt black colour which did not match at all.  I used some nifty and a green scotch brite pad and gave it a gentle cleaning.  The matt black came straight off and caused nil damage to the sides of the headbox.  What it did was expose the original scratching which is not too bad at all and again, adds to the character of the machine











The headbox door and the interior light bracket was cleaned and repainted using White Knight Satin Black (purchased from Bunnings) which turns out great and it a very good match to the original and existing black on the sides of the cabinet.  The metal hinge and metal securing brace were removed cleaned and polished using Ranex and some Autosol.  New screws (exact match to original) and cable fasteners (used on the game to secure the backglass on this game) were also installed
















The backglass was cleaned and is 100% perfect








Some pics of the completely stripped backbox before painting

















Here are some pics of the headbox after I have finished spraying the interior with 2 coats of White Knight Satin Black















A question for the experts here..........Should I try to touch-up the scratches in the black colouring at the top and bottom of each side of the headbox or leave it as is?  I'm confident the Satin Black I have would look very good?  Opinions would be greatly appreciated guys....

[Retropin]

And you thought this may not be a restoration???

LOL


I would certainly touch up the black on the headbox.. even if the new paint isnt quite a  perfect match due to a gl;ossier or better finish, a rub down with Scotchbrite will take it back and help match

[Jango]

Any advice on the whiteboard would be greatly appreciated also guys.  Should I strip out the lightsockets, piano wire and looms and paint this gloss white OR leave as it and clean it all up as best as I can with some Nifty etc?  

[faza]

I would definetly strip it down and repaint makes a huge difference .

[Jango]

A small update on the backbox and some pics attached.  

I stripped out the backbox and completely sprayed the interior.  I removed and cleaned the backing aluminium with some nifty and gave it a light polish.  All metal pieces were cleaned and new screws utilised.  I decided to print new cards for the backbox as the originals were heavily browned due to age.  I have retained these and will store them in plastic.  I used some velcro spots to secure the new cards to the backbox and tried to use the same holes in the aluminium sheet backing when securing those sheets to reduce any additional blemishes there.  I have polished the metal board straps and given the existing boards a good cleaning.  I am awaiting the Solenoid Board and the MPU board from repair but no rush or need for those yet



























I also removed the 6 digit score leds and brackets and gave each a good cleaning.  They were full or grime and cleaned up quite well.  I also printed new safety cards or these as there was only 1 in the machine when I received it and it was almost black from grime.

[Strangeways]

Some very good results there - well done !

light panel repaint ? - Only attempt this if you have access to a manual staple gun or pneumatic staple gun. It is easy to remove everything and repaint, the hard part is re assembly. But you have repainted the inside of the head, so I would consider the white board if you are confident in reassembly.

Black sections of the head - The white knight paint you are using is almost a perfect finish to the original. I'd attempt it for sure.

Keep up the good work !

[Homepin]

It looks FANTASTIC. I am saving all of the pics as I 'might' attempt something half as good with mine one day if I ever get a second spare 

[m-rots]

It looks FANTASTIC. I am saving all of the pics as I 'might' attempt something half as good with mine one day if I ever get a second spare 

+1

[Jango]

Homepin - mate let me know if you'd prefer for me to email you the pics directly as I have a tonne of these and also in high res

[Homepin]

Homepin - mate let me know if you'd prefer for me to email you the pics directly as I have a tonne of these and also in high res

That would be great - I also wouldn't mind the scans or recreations that you used to print the new labels in the backbox if you don't mind?

Best to send to my Hotmail address to avoid 'large file' issues with my usual email addresses - katanatrading@live.com.au

Thanks heaps!

[Steve2010]

Looking very good .... keep it going!

[howzat]

Nice job   I like the printed cards on the displays they will keep the grime off for the next ten yrs   i love the b/g  the game brings back memories    well done    Howzat

[Jango]

A small update on this job.  I have put most of the headbox back together and I mounted this to the main cabinet.  

I have not installed the infinity glass in yet.  Having a little problem with the stainless steel channel at the base of this glass.  I just cannot remove it from the glass (its stuck tight) and I am wary of cracking the glass if I push my luck too much there.  There's a little rust on the stainless steel so I would like to remove it if at all possible.  If anyone has any advice there it would be greatly appreciated please

The backbox has come up 150% better than it was when I first got it.











































I decided to paint the front of the light board at this stage and its come up quite well.

[Retropin]

Touch ups on the header look great.... good decision that one.

The backglass trim is held in place with double sided tape... youll need to slide a craft knife edge down it to cut the tape away before you could prise it off... be real careful here... the trim can be a bugger to get off and the risk of breakage increases the harder it is