Tracking down a cabinent

[Contraba55]

I'm loving the software side of this, but would like to put it in something authentic looking without breaking the bank. (The bank is pretty small and easily broken)
For those of you who have renovated old cabs, what is the best way to track them down? Do you just walk into an arcade and ask to buy something? That seems a little forward. Do you find a broken cab that someone just wants to get rid of? Where do you find them? Any ideas? Thanks!

[BadBoyBill]

I see them on craigslist all the time.

[Contraba55]

Cool! There are a few listings, almost reasonably priced. In terms of gutting it and retrofitting it for HS, does anyone ever keep the original control surface, or is it just common practice to put in something new? If anyone uses the original, what games would have the most compatible (2 player) button setup? I ask because it would be cheaper to use whatever is already there... but that limits my cabinet options if I'm just scavenging off of Craigslist... If I jumped on a galaga cab, I'd have to put in a new control set to play street fighter. I guess what would be a better question is what cabs should I be watching for that have the most buttons in a 2 player config?

[sacredgaming]

most of the people who are enthusiast would tell you not to gut a classic game. galaga,ms pacman, street fighter cabs ect...Unless they are beyond repair. To give you an example of what can be found on craigslist just the other day i found a shinobi and white shadow arcade both working for $200. Good deals exist you just have to be patient.
To answer your question it really depends on what you want to play if your a streetfighter person i would recommend looking for something with a large control surface i.e Mortal Kombat, Nfl blitz something of that nature. You could always look for a local wood shop and have them build it. but, then comes issues like finding a monitor that wont break your bank. Good luck in your endeavors.

[tiratoshin]

I was able to luck out and get a Operation Wolf Cab on craigslist 1 block from my house for only $40. Some looking and luck and you will find one. Mine was gutted already, but I have all of the guts if anybody is interested in trading or a great deal! For the monitor I am using an old crt. This is my first cab so any tips would be used!

[pomme]

This podcast (http://www.allgengamers.com/home/2010/9/8/episode-6-tales-of-arcade-collecting.html) has some good tips.

[dragonman73]

if your close to my location I put two cabinets on craigslist last week. One is a empty cabinet I was trying to get $50 out of and another actually has a keyboard encoder, 21" monitor already installed for $100...just need to supply the PC.

I bought these three cabinets about a year ago and need to make roon. I'm putting the third one in my house and getting ready to try and install hyperspin shortly. :proud: