Once I got METEOR into my own garage, I noticed very significant damage to the front of the cab. There were at least 8 nails in the front left edge/corner, along with a crack above the top-right corner of the coin door that went right through the panel. This damage made the entire machine lean right and made it very difficult to get the playfield glass slid out.

I decided it had to be removed and a new front panel cut. So far, I have cut/hammered out the old front panel, cut the notches off of the side panels, and sanded the side panels and bottom completely smooth so that I can securely attach the new front panel to the cabinet. I've only completed the prep for the new panel. This afternoon I will be heading to my friend's house to cut a new front panel, as I do not have the tools for that part of the job.

I have attached the photos indicating the damage and the progress.

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Front panel has been cut, along with corner joiners. Had quite a bit of fun with Brian while we got it done. Enjoying this restore. Though, paying a mint for sanded, hardwood plywood isn't fun, it'll be worth it in the long run.

Next, I'll be mounting the corner joins that were cut from a 2x4 onto the front panel, and finally attaching the front panel to the cabinet and squaring it up.

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Mounted the corner joins by gluing and using countersunk screws. I'll cover them up when I finish everything with bondo. Next up: attach the front panel.

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Received my Bally -35 board from MJW today. Now I need the case conversion kit and ROM set to get it ready for a Stern Meteor. Does anybody have a recommendation as to where I can get the kit and set at the same place?

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Great news! barakandl is going to hook me up with the conversion kit and burn me some Meteor EPROMs! Now I just need to raise the funds to get it (it's very inexpensive, to be honest).

Front panel mounted! It was a bit stressful due to the cabinet being warped slightly to one side due to the original front panel's cracks. It's great to have on the cabinet. Need to Bondo, sand, and paint.

Should I go ahead with repainting the entire cabinet since I've gone this far?

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The conversion kit and EPROMs came in from barakandl arrived in the mail today! It only took 10 minutes to install. The longest part of the install was waiting for the soldering iron to heat up. Installed the EPROMs and then soldered in the replacement 220pf caps. A big thank you to MJW & barakandl for the great deals!

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