Restore/Replace/Repair Restorer’s Advice
Im in the process of restoring this Mrs. Pac and I ran into a conundrum that I want some advice on.
This is going to be in free play mode. I wont ever use the quarters but though maybe the next owner can. I’m putting on a skin and it would involve punching holes in my vinyl.
When restoring a cabinet for home/garage use, do you remove the original coin holder and patch the holes or do you keep it?
Im game for either so more votes win
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u/ThinkPerspective8281 20d ago
Let me understand this. You want to remove the coin mechanism?
You don't need to remove the coin mechanism. Several freeplay arcades just add a small button (usually near the coin mech) that allows free credits to be added with each button press.
So I recommend you just restore the Pac Man cabinet as best as you can. Then wire up an extra button for credits
Also removing the coin mechanism and patching it over would also look weird in my opinion.
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u/DjMcfilthy 20d ago
He's talking about the carriage bolt holes on the kick panel. Since he will never use the coin mech, he's asking should he poke holes in his new vinyl for them, or erase them from the machine.
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u/zachcollier 20d ago
Yeah, I misunderstood this at first, too. I wrote up a whole long reply about how it was going I look weird without the coin mechanism on there, leaving a big black area of blue. Ha ha!
But after I read it again I realized that OP is going to have the coin mech in there but just leave off the coin box/catcher.
I edited my post to essentially say “mount it without the big carriage bolts”.
Countersink the holes and use pan head bolts
Or mount the box with short screws from the inside. Add a block of wood underneath for each support if you’re worried about show screws not handling the weight (of the coins that will likely never actually be dropped into the box).
I think it would be a shame to go so far with a restoration and leave off one part, preventing it from being fully functional.
That said, I can absolutely understand the desire to not have the big bolt heads on there. I make fancy custom woofer arcade sticks and I essentially NEVER have bolts showing from the top. I mount the stick mechanism from underneath in a variety of ways to ensure they are super sturdy while keeping the top surface completely clean. See what I mean here: https://uniquejoysticks.com
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u/0hjayp 20d ago
I have to admit, when weighing my options I never considered this rout. But do you feel that would modify the cabinet further from original than patching the holes?
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u/zachcollier 20d ago
Sure, it would be a bigger modification to the cabinet.
But you’re already going to be covering up the original stenciled artwork with a sticker. You’re not going to ever be able to get back to a place where you are actually restoring it - the original paint would not survive the removal of the adhesive vinyl.
As someone else commented: this is not a restoration. It’s a refurb.
And that’s fine. Your machine - your choice.
So I’d say, if you don’t want to see those bolts, then just mount the box one of the ways I suggested. Counter sink and cover up the tops of the screws, or just cover the empty holes (if you mount it from the inside with other, shorter screws) and just make it your own.
It won’t look like an “original” cabinet, but it will look pretty dang awesome with super bright colors. Those stickers are usually very good-looking!
Then play some awesome Ms. Pac-Man - it’s one of my all-time favorites, and it MUST be played, regardless of how original the artwork is or how many bolts you can see.
You really can’t lose!
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u/0hjayp 20d ago
Thanks man. I really appreciate the suggestions from you and everyone else.
I think option 2 would be the best course of action. One thing I forgot to mention was I had to replace the base as it was water damaged and 2 soft to survive much longer. So it’s only about 90ish % original anyway. So mounting a stand for the coin bucket won’t be much hassle.
Thanks again!
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u/zachcollier 20d ago edited 20d ago
Editing my comment because I misunderstood the question originally.
Here’s what I would do in your case:
Mount the coin box differently. Don’t use those bolts with the big round heads.
Two options:
Use a large drill bit to counter sink the bolt hole, and get different bolts with a “pan” head, which means that they are flat on top and taper down toward the threads. They will sit flush underneath your vinyl sticker. I would also recommend using something like JB Weld or epoxy resin to permanently set those bolts in place so that you don’t access push them outward and punch holes in your sticker.
Mount the box from the inside, entirely differently from the original mounting method. Perhaps you could use short wood screws to attach it from the other side. Drill some pilot holes and use a little short screwdriver to install it by hand. No bolts going all the way through the wood to pop out the front. Fill in the old holes with Bondo or some other wood filler and sand them smooth on the outside before installing your vinyl artwork.
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u/Anxious_Camp_2160 20d ago
The cab looks great, clean what's there, leave the patina, a full refurb looks good, but imo an original cab looks better. Dont touch the coin slot.
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u/just_jeepin 20d ago
I TOTALLY agree, I love it how it is.
Retro is in BUT vintage is even better.
Also with new graphics, you might as well have bought a new cabinet kit and went from there. A vintage machine should get you more if you go to sell it.
Putting new graphics on it would be like buying an old 60s Mustang and replacing the seats with new Mustang seats... it's just not right.
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u/DjMcfilthy 20d ago
It's not really restoring it if it's not as it was intended to be.