Lethal Weapon 3 Restore

After more prep of filling and sanding, I sprayed the cab. I also put a nice angled edge around the bottom of the cab. The cab surface prep takes time but worth it, and the MDF 'in fill' coin door piece stops the spray going inside the cab. Also a real 'must have' when applying the front decal.

The rear of the cab is much better than it was a few weeks ago........

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Tomorrow - paint her black.

Very very nice :)

my lw3 also needs this kind of treatment, I just need the decals in a printable file (i think I will stay with blue version) and I will start my adventure with restoring cabinet :)

Very very nice :)

my lw3 also needs this kind of treatment, I just need the decals in a printable file (i think I will stay with blue version) and I will start my adventure with restoring cabinet :)

It's not that hard. There are some really good resto threads on AA and I spent plenty of time reading before I attempted my first one. I am not a qualified carpenter or tradie by any means, but have a pretty good idea and am capable with this type of thing. If you get stuck or need any advice, there are plenty of good decent members here to assist you. Just ask. Good luck with it and post some pics up if you wish, as many here like to see what and how others restore shit.

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Cab painted black a couple of coats and now leave it alone a few days to cure and dry well. Have turned the cab over, removed masking tape and caulked the area between the trim and base. Not really necessary, but had the products anyway and took me 2 mins. Will paint under base tomorrow, most likely with a brush/roller as I have some left over black paint in a small sample pot my Mrs used for something else recently.

Also started fitting the new leg brackets.

Anyone has the paint number for BLUE version of LW3? If I take on the cabinet restore I need to paint some elements blue.. what is the type of Data East blue paint?

I have no idea what the paint code is. I don't even know if there is a code for it like a car's paint code. Maybe take a sample into a paint shop and they can match it pretty good. When I took possession of this current LW3, a previous owner had done some cab touch ups to match the blue and it was so close you had to look hard to tell.

If the cabinet isn't too faded, take it to a hardware store that has the paint matching machine. There's a picture on here if someone doing it with a Medusa cabinet I think.

And here you go:

From http://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php/89141-cleopatra-playfield-colours

If the cabinet isn't too faded, take it to a hardware store that has the paint matching machine. There's a picture on here if someone doing it with a Medusa cabinet I think.

 

And here you go:

 

From http://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php/89141-cleopatra-playfield-colours

Now that's the best way to get the paint matched accurately. Love it.

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Don't know if you need any, but these popped up in my searches this morning: https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/wollongong/collectables/leathal-weapon-3-pinball-speaker-grills/1169889277

Yes, @newy16216 sent me a text informing me of this post. Thanks heaps mate - legend. Have paid for them and awaiting delivery. The seller is a member here and was real good to deal with (as usual with AA members). Always good to have the original looking grills as opposed to just black.

If the cabinet isn't too faded, take it to a hardware store that has the paint matching machine. There's a picture on here if someone doing it with a Medusa cabinet I think.

 

And here you go:

 

From http://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php/89141-cleopatra-playfield-colours

damn. that is a hardcore pinball restorer :D thumbs up!

One of the best things about this pic is there home made handles bolted in where the legs attach. How much easier would this make it?

Love it.

Under cab painted - brush on edges and roller on flat base.

Unfortunately a common mistake (made by me also in the past), is not allowing enough time for the paint to fully cure, set, harden up, etc. Whilst this is happening, I couldn't resist installing some of the internal cab items. Of course the transformer is just too heavy to put in now as the cab will need to be put on it's side for the decal application on the weekend. I installed a new speaker and made a 3mm MDF spacer for it (jigsaw used), as part of the centre of the speaker was hard up against the plastic speaker grill. I just wanted some space between them. Had to also spray the screws black of course.

Looks mint glen.looking forward to seeing it when it's finished.

Thanks mate. Not much done today as working and trying to keep kids occupied attending a play centre. I reckon decals will be done late Sunday arvo and may start sanding head box tomorrow. Don't want to be doing that in 41 degree heat!

It's not that hard. There are some really good resto threads on AA and I spent plenty of time reading before I attempted my first one. I am not a qualified carpenter or tradie by any means, but have a pretty good idea and am capable with this type of thing. If you get stuck or need any advice, there are plenty of good decent members here to assist you. Just ask. Good luck with it and post some pics up if you wish, as many here like to see what and how others restore shit.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Cab painted black a couple of coats and now leave it alone a few days to cure and dry well. Have turned the cab over, removed masking tape and caulked the area between the trim and base. Not really necessary, but had the products anyway and took me 2 mins. Will paint under base tomorrow, most likely with a brush/roller as I have some left over black paint in a small sample pot my Mrs used for something else recently.

 

Also started fitting the new leg brackets.

 

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you have used normal paint brush/roller or paint gun?

it looks awesome.

you have used normal paint brush/roller or paint gun?

 

it looks awesome.

Thanks.

I use spray paint in can except for underneath on the base where I used brush/roller. Where the decals will be going I am particularly fussy as any imperfections will show up through decals. I sand, fill, sand, etc, until I get the timber very smooth, Start off with orbital sander with 80 grit, then use finer paper until I end with 320 grit normally. I then use spray filler (2-3 coats), then sand with 500/800 grit wet/dry paper. Wipe down with rag/cloth and then paint with spray can - 1 decent coat. Some people only spray paint around edges of cab but I just prefer to do entire area where decal goes. I give it at least 3 days to harden up/cure before going over lightly with 1000grit. Then I apply decals - dry method, as per these vids:

For the rear of the cab and rear and top of headbox (no decal), I use the same method but spray 2-3 coats of paint.

Inside the cab, same again but generally not as fussy as the outside. Only one coat of spray paint on inside, but a decent coat, not just a light one as you'll find you will need to go over again.

The clear base has 4 coats with a good quality brush. I generally use Cabot's interior clear gloss I think it was called, but there are many brands you can use for this. I just had that left over from the previous one (WH20).

The prep takes a while but is so rewarding when the decal goes on and the cab is complete. Well worth it.

Hope this helps.

@Railways Jeff and Mark made them. I have used them to help transport his machines and they are bloody brilliant. Not sure how much a set would come in at, but I can see them being worth it to some guys as a custom order.

Dave

Yes, completely agree. One of the best and most convenient things I have seen. Well done Jeff and Mark.

This morning I located a nice shady spot at the front of the house and went to work for 50mins on the head box with the orbital sander. Wanted to beat the damn predicted temp of 42 degrees in Melb. I must thank Apple for occupying the kids with their new i-pads whilst I work on this restore as Mrs at work. Headbox came up nicely with the 80 grit doing it pretty quickly without leaving marks/indentations in the timber as I have done before. The trick is to keep the sander nice and level/parallel to the sanding surface. When I did my Getaway cab last year I tilted the sander due to my impatience and left marks and a wavy feel over the timber. Anyway, solid construction with only some minor areas requiring bog/filling that I will do now.

Next job - main cab decal application.

Yes, completely agree. One of the best and most convenient things I have seen. Well done Jeff and Mark.

Thanks for the kind words. Small hijack for a sec. but I've asked Mark how many sets would we have to produce to make them viable pricewise. So far we've only made two sets, sold one years ago and kept that set for ourselves.

Sorry for that but now back to the LW3 after that short ad break:D

Thanks for the kind words. Small hijack for a sec. but I've asked Mark how many sets would we have to produce to make them viable pricewise. So far we've only made two sets, sold one years ago and kept that set for ourselves.

 

Sorry for that but now back to the LW3 after that short ad break:D

All good. Let me know if and when you ever produce some. Thanks for the info.