SPY HUNTER
this page was last updated 04/02/00
This Spy Hunter restoration has been
a 5 month long project:
Condition of the game when purchased:
Dead - No power anywhere.
Marquee was bubbled off the back of the glass.
Whole cabinet was pained blue (inside monitor area, Over some of the monitor glass, over speaker covers, over side art and stickers). What a mess.
Steering Yoke was painted black (all of it) and there were several layers of duct tape over the handles.
Restoration Project:
Step 1: Mike fixed the power supply. The game powered up and the controls were messed up. The monitor was not very good; it obviously needed to be re-capped.
Step 2: We ordered a schematic and parts book and waited for its arrival. We aslo ordered a replacement Marquee.
Step 3: Mike checked out the controls and found that it had been wired wrong. Fixing this mixup made the game playable. He also took the steering yoke apart, replaced the bulb, and rewired the "Weapons Van" switch and light.
Step 4: Dawn removed the blue paint using 3M Safest Stripper to inspect the condition of the side art. To her disappointment the side art was in sad shape. Dawn then proceeded to removed the side art using the 3M Safest Stripper which loosened the glue behind the sticker. During the removal of the side art she accidentally scraped down to the bare wood of the machine. Realizing that this was easier than trying to remove just the blue paint, she then stripped the entire machine down to the bare wood. She figured I could redo the racing stripes later instead of trying to preserve them. She filled in all the gouges with a car scratch putty she bought from the local auto parts store. These guys though she was really strange when I told them I was going to use it on a video game machine, what ever works.
Step 5: Mike started to mask up the monitor area and control panel. Dawn sanded the sides and inside the monitor area. Mike took the steering assembly apart and set them aside. He also removed the coin door and speaker covers and set them aside.
Step 6: Dawn primed the cabinet in preparation for painting. She then sanded it to smooth it out. Dawn then removed the T-molding and removed the paint from it. Mike primed the metal (steering yoke and pedal) with spray primer.
Step 7: Mike then painted the front and inside the monitor area with flat black spray paint. He finished up over with flat black on the cabinet with a clear semi-gloss paint. He painted the speaker covers black enamel and the steering yoke enamel red and black. The gas pedal was painted with black enamel to match the steering wheel.
Step 8: Mike then masked the entire front of the game in preparation for painting the sides. He painted the sides with a flat white then followed up with a semi-gloss white.
Step 9: Mike reassembled and recalibrated the steering mechanism. He then reassembled the whole game including adding new grommets to the springs in the steering mechanism. No more old screen door noise!
Step 10: Mike replaced the broken power switch and power cord - with a properly grounded plug.
Step 11: Mike improved the game display by re-capping the monitor.
Step 12: Dawn replaced the T-molding and we rolled it into the game room.
Left to do:
Get rid of hum bar in the montior (hopefully a fuse or fuse holder).
Add the racing stripes to the cabinet.
Find and install replacement side art.
Maybe replace the monitor (this one has Spy Hunter text burned into it).
Screentshots:
The full restored game:
Visit our projects page to see the transformation of our other games.
Send email to: appolo@mediaone.net
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