Cleaning up my Street Fighter Cab

[necron99]

So I decided to clean up my dedicated Street Fighter Cab (original SF from 1987), because the joysticks and buttons were pretty rough. I was surprised that the control panel is metal, made me wonder if i could use Sanwa buttons in it. I bought HAPP anyway to be more original. While I was working on it I ran into a problem.

One of the bolts on the 2p joystick is rusted. It will not turn. If you try to turn it the whole bolt spins. I have tried WD40 on it, but it hasn't broken free. Of course the top of the bolt is under the overlay on the top side of the CP, so I don't have a good way to hold it steady to keep it from spinning.

The CP overlay is a bit faded of course, but otherwise in good shape. There is a scuff on the front edge but otherwise it is intact. I wasn't planning on completely replacing the overlay, so I don't want to cut through it to get to the bolt. Of course I will because playability comes before looks in the end.

Any thoughts on how to get the nut off without cutting the overlay? If not can someone point me to someplace that sells replacement overlays?

Thanks
necron99

 

[Electric Grave]

So I decided to clean up my dedicated Street Fighter Cab (original SF from 1987), because the joysticks and buttons were pretty rough. I was surprised that the control panel is metal, made me wonder if i could use Sanwa buttons in it. I bought HAPP anyway to be more original. While I was working on it I ran into a problem.

One of the bolts on the 2p joystick is rusted. It will not turn. If you try to turn it the whole bolt spins. I have tried WD40 on it, but it hasn't broken free. Of course the top of the bolt is under the overlay on the top side of the CP, so I don't have a good way to hold it steady to keep it from spinning.

The CP overlay is a bit faded of course, but otherwise in good shape. There is a scuff on the front edge but otherwise it is intact. I wasn't planning on completely replacing the overlay, so I don't want to cut through it to get to the bolt. Of course I will because playability comes before looks in the end.

Any thoughts on how to get the nut off without cutting the overlay? If not can someone point me to someplace that sells replacement overlays?

Thanks
necron99

Take all the parts apart so you can take the overlay off, you will still have the bas of the joystick underneath and then you can work on your bolt with easy access. If you cannot understand this, then perhaps you need to become more familiar with arcades before you damage anything.

 

[necron99]

I have removed the other buttons etc. There is plenty of space to work. I didn't know you could remove that overlay without destroying it. It seems to be a textured plastic not a standard smooth vinyl. I am definitely no expert on arcade machines. Any pointers to how I would safely remove the overlay? Would I need some kind of new adhesive to get it back on?

thanks
necron99