My worst case yet

Earlier in the year I decided I was going to acquire a Zaxxon as a project.  I posted a few requests for one on the local forum and had a few recommendations.  There were a few around that had been either converted to something else, or just needed a little attention.  Most were more than a half days drive away, and I really didn't want to travel that far.  Well that wasn't going to do, I wanted something that had one foot in the grave.  I wanted a real tragedy to deal with I guess.

I found this project on Craigslist and knew right away from the pictures that this was the one.  A short trip northeast of Orlando to a little town called Geneva, and I'd have more than enough work for the summer.  The owner, his name was David, had posted three cabinets, a Centipede, Pinball Action and the Zaxxon.  I guess he felt a little sorry for me, and sent photos just so I'd see how bad it really was.  The cabinet had extensive water damage.  Zaxxon's were made of MDF or Medium Density Fiberboard, it soaks up water like a sponge, and then crumbles away.  On a positive note, the circuit boards, and control panel were original and hadn't really been messed with since 1982.  The original monitor had been damaged, sadly the neck tube had been snapped off.  David was kind enough to provide me the monitor from the Pinball Action that he had on site, it was a basket case as well, originally converted from a Dig Dug.  It too had major water damage, so I scavenged what parts I could from it and left it with David for the landfill.

This cabinet was really nasty, words can't really describe how bad it is.  In fact, I was a little creeped out riding with it inside the car, for the 2 hour drive home.  Here are a few pics I snapped that night.

It would stand on it's own, but if I wasn't careful, the cabinet would collapse under it's own weight.  My first task when I got the time, would be to remove the monitor and circuit boards.

As you can see in this next pic, the front and side panels were swollen to almost double thickness.

The positive note, and what really matters most, is that the original control panel is there and in decent shape.  The flight stick looks to be in good condition, and after being sanded and powder coated, it should look better than new.