I'm interested in almost anything related to a Williams Stellar Wars for a mega restoration project. I could be picking up the machine in a couple of days and am trying to gauge how available replacement parts are because its going to need them!!! - translite, plastics, flipper assemblies, replacement pcbs, cabinet stencil etc etc.

Any specific advice on the best way to restore this machine? I'm planning on documenting the whole experience and sharing it on here like some others have done. (those are some of my favorite forum posts!)

Cheers!

That's good news.. I will have a look at Rottendog.. Where do you suggest is the first place I should look for parts? They will have to be able to ship to Australia.

Cheers.

Yes I'm not too bad with a soldering iron and I have a meter so I guess that's a good start I think the bulk of the work in this machine will go into restoring the cabinet.. its in a real mess but I really want to take on a fixer / restore project.. I guess I want to make sure I'll be able to get all the stuff I need for it before jumping in...

BTW Ive been reading your forum post on playfield restoration... Awesome stuff.. You should compile it and write a white paper on the subject.

From where? I'm not sure anywhere in Australia that does that kind of thing (If they did Im guess it would be more than 300 here!)

Quick Google search and I found these guys over here.. I wonder what the quality is like.... http://www.arcadeworx.com.au/. Would be a gamble at $500 but probably better than spending $$$ on trying to resurrect the original cab.

I have to admit though that there is something about resurrecting the original cabinet that appeals to me...

Thanks so much for the awesome advice... I will be absolutely sure to get the 'rated for lead paint' respirator and definitely sand the thing outdoors in the backyard.. I'm going to have to buy / get the equipment to achieve this task.. What sort of sander / surface to you recommend?

The bottom on this thing is rotten.. I can see by the photos that the speaker is hanging by the wire below the machine!!! (I told you its in bad shape). It sounds like that this could be a common problem.. Ill be sure to replace it with better quality wood.. I'm guessing once you get it set up you would glue the new bottom back in?

I've never used bondo before but I am sure I will be able to get the correct advice at the hardware store on which one will be best for wood etc..

I have no idea what the playfield is like as yet (I'm going over to have a look and maybe pick it up tonight!) if it is in real bad shape then I may not buy the thing at all.. Apparently the system board was 'looked' at a while ago and fixed so it still functioning. It may turn out that I will have to replace that as well.. I guess the playfield is really going to be the telling factor for me. If its ok then I will probably buy it. I'm also pretty sure if the body is completely falling apart I will probably pass on it or maybe offer $50-$100 to take it away. At least I will have the option of getting a whole new cabinet made up.

Cheers again for the awesome advice and taking an interest in my 'project'.

OK that's good to know.. If I have to order a new one I wont just assume it is a particular model and will double check.

So I'm just curious.. what shape is your Stella Wars in? Do you love it? What other advice do you have for this machine? E.g. mods etc?

Cool... Would love to see some pics of that work you've done...

Cheers!

OK so I picked up the Stellar Wars last night... I will provide photos in the next day or so.. but the news is good and bad.

I got it at a very reasonable price ($100 in fact). The play field is in amazing condition for its age.. All the plastics are basically perfect and there is no real detectable wear anywhere.. Amazing. The back glass is also close to perfect with no flaking. I've only had a quick look but the system board etc look very clean and there was a remote battery pack installed so it all looked good.

That's the good news..

Now the bad news..

The cabinet is in bad shape.. I'm pretty sure that the machine has been exposed to the elements for some time and basically the top layer of wood is peeling away in a lot of places. The bottom is also completely missing so stuff that is usually connected to it was just hanging from wires! A quick look also revealed several abandoned insect nests..dead spiders etc. So its in bad shape..

Any advice on how to repair this cabinet would be greatly appreciated!

So its not worth repairing it? I.E. Remove top layer where wood is peeling then bondo surface flat / smooth?

OK.. good advice... I will start looking into getting a new cab built... Maybe a local cabinet builder will do it for me..

No way worth your time.
The glue holding the layers of wood together have been compromised.
You don't want to waste a week of work bondoing, only to have another layer give way during the next temperature or humidly change.

OK so I had a good look at the machine last night and can now confirm that I have no choice but to get a brand new cabinet built.. the front joins on the base are cracked all the way through and there is significant warping everywhere.. definitely no resurrecting it. I've spoken to a couple of businesses that specialise in sign making etc. It looks like I can get all the parts CNC routed for around $400-$500 + materials so it would be up to me to put it all together..Shouldn't be a drama.

I also had a closer look at the playfield. It looks OK. Little to no signs of wear but when you run your fingers across the surface it feels 'rough' in a lot of places. I'm not sure if its some kind of protective surface peeling off or the paint in the early stages of going bad..

Did those old playfields get clear coated? I guess its possible someone tried to restore it years ago and sprayed it with something..

What would be the best approach with dealing with it do you think?

playfield1.jpg playfield2.jpg playfield3.jpg

I'm guessing a full playfield strip.. buff / sand the whole thing. Potential paint touch-ups.. then clear coat?

I found some plans for a Williams wide-body.. I think they are based off a TZ...

Are these what I require for Stellar Wars as well? Are all Williams wide bodies equal in size?

Ok that's good to know.. I will keep looking and if I have no luck I will either have to draw up new plans or get the shop to build it from the empty cab.

Thank you so much!!! Yes I will definitely do a check on those numbers before cutting anything out.. definitely looks right!

I am actually not sure if I'm going to go ahead with the restoration at this stage as I'm having some trouble getting the Stellar to start up... When I switch it on all I get are the GI lights and nothing else. None of the number displays power on and the game does not start... I haven't really done too much investigation except for checking the fuses and battery but right now I don't have a functioning machine...

Are there any obvious things that I should check besides fuses / battery?

OMG!!! I would of bet millions on the odds! Thats awesome dude.. You are just around the corner! I will definitely be in touch if I get stuck.. Vid has pointed me to his guide on bullet proofing System 6 and I think this is going to go a long way to solving some initial issues.. I was wondering on local availability on some of the replacement parts? Can you get this stuff e.g. 40 pin connector from Dick Smith or Jaycar or somewhere like that?

OK that's great to know.. I will take a look this weekend and maybe arrange to come and get some of those parts off you if that is OK? Could you PM me your contact details?

That is awesome news... I will look at getting some quotes from those dimensions..