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COMPLETE!
Please go to page 2, post 35 if you wish to see the final result pictures and finalized "Progress Log".

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Picked up this Vewlix F some time ago and finally started on it. First step was to disassemble it. The disassembly guide was very helpful. I wanted to take the disassembly further, and it was pretty easy. Took pics of everything (backed them up).

https://imgur.com/a/WgJmvEm

The things left to take apart are the bottom speakers (didn't have a super long screwdriver) and a couple minor things. Planning on taking off the wheels, to clean them and the bottom of the Vewlix.

Plan is to clean everything very well, remove marks where possible, and get the whole thing looking as well as possible (not planning on buying external replacement parts, give it some character).

Internally, the plan is to replace the monitor (thanks to the bracket Hadouken Arcade is producing) and the speakers (they work, but new ones are not expensive). Additionally, only enough internal wiring will be left to support a PC for emulators/PC games and the light up areas of the Vewlix. One could say the goal is to get it looking like a well-maintained stock arcade veteran Vewlix! :)

Eventually, if circumstances allow, I might add more buttons to the control panel, a headphone jack, a 2 player control panel, and a pair of Taito stools. But all of that is extra and not to be worried about until the primary objectives are completed.

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All that being said, anybody know what this thing is? Found it inside the Vewlix:

https://imgur.com/a/UprITaa

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Does anyone have suggestions for cleaning/restoring the metal body of the Vewlix?
 
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I also have an F and I'll be curious what speakers you go with. Oh and are you planning to replace the fans? mine had two 60mm in the back that were stupid loud. I replaced with noctua ones and it is quiet enough now where I don't think about it.
 
Does anyone have suggestions for cleaning/restoring the metal body of the Vewlix?
I've stripped my body down to the frame, I'm going to power wash it.
qqGDQq9.jpg


I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
I also have an F and I'll be curious what speakers you go with. Oh and are you planning to replace the fans? mine had two 60mm in the back that were stupid loud. I replaced with noctua ones and it is quiet enough now where I don't think about it.
Yeah, forgot to mention the fans. Yep, I'll be replacing all the fans I can! :)
Does anyone have suggestions for cleaning/restoring the metal body of the Vewlix?
I've stripped my body down to the frame, I'm going to power wash it.
qqGDQq9.jpg


I'll let you know how it turns out.
Cool!

Is rust a concern?
 
I also have an F and I'll be curious what speakers you go with. Oh and are you planning to replace the fans? mine had two 60mm in the back that were stupid loud. I replaced with noctua ones and it is quiet enough now where I don't think about it.
I was thinking of doing this with my F, but wasn't sure any Noctua fans would work as the stock fans are 24v ones. Which model Noctua fans did you use?
 
Hmm. I thought just the monitor fans were 24v. Yours had 24v fans as the exhaust fans on the back? Mine were two 60mm 12v. I’ve heard other cabs have 120mm 12v.
 
Hmm. I thought just the monitor fans were 24v. Yours had 24v fans as the exhaust fans on the back? Mine were two 60mm 12v. I’ve heard other cabs have 120mm 12v.
oh i thought you meant the monitor fans. Those are the ones i want to replace. I’m getting an error notification on the monitor because of my fans, even though i can hear them both spinning
 
Results of cleaning...
TZ70cvq.jpg


I used the power washer, a scrub brush and Formula 409 on the body.
I did this outside on the sidewalk yesterday (it was really hot and sunny so it dried very fast.
Just to be "sure" I hand wiped it down with shop towels and IPA.

The plastic parts I removed from the metal frames...
Power washed the frames then hand washed the plastic in the bathtub with normal Dawn dish soap and a soft sponge.
Just like with the body I hand wiped with IPA after

The stainless feet and metal join covers I used paper towels and Brassio metal polish (this worked fantastically btw).

Its all back together just to make sure I didn't miss anything (and I didn't, using the PDF manuals helps a TON).
I'm still waiting on my new LCD bracket and 120mm fans.
 
@jassin000 it's frustrating how much effort it takes to get the yellow out of the white ones :(
 
@jassin000

Looks good! Might have tried power washing it, but that is not feasible for me. Going to have to do everything by hand. Never used Brassio, what does it do?

How was the nicotine residue (assuming the cab has it) with your wash? Reason I ask, is I did a spot test on the body of the cab and I feel that that this residue is the biggest hurdle to overcome when it comes to restoring/cleaning the cab. I've found some ways to remove this residue, but it is good to see what other people have done here.

Update:

Spent some time removing all the sticky residue from left over pads that had been used to hold wires inside the cab and also sticky residue on the outside from tape and stickers. Goo Gone was used for this, pretty straight forward.

Next, going shopping for cleaning supplies for the metal frame and the rest of the parts.
 
the nicotine residue was the worst part, only the 409 loosen it, and I had to do small sections and spray often.
IF the 409 dried so did the yellow/brown scummy film.
 
the nicotine residue was the worst part, only the 409 loosen it, and I had to do small sections and spray often.
IF the 409 dried so did the yellow/brown scummy film.
Yeah, if Japanese arcades did not allow people to smoke, 2nd hand buyers would be better off. I used to smoke, and I remember thinking it was 'cool' they allowed people to game, smoke, and drink...honestly, if smoking was not dangerous I would still be sitting in front of a cab for hours chain smoking and probably drinking. :)
 
Update:

Finished with my spots tests/cleaning experiments. Tried several things, but the solution that worked best was a Magic Eraser with a couple of sprays of Simple Green for cleaning the cab. Tried sponges, scrubbers, etc. The Magic Eraser is abrasive, but it is so minor as not to be a concern.

The main concern is nicotine residue and attempting to eliminate the nicotine residue is not worth it. Let's put it this way: I used to smoke in my car and the front of the windshield had a ton of nicotine residue on it. However, you could only see the residue in certain temperatures. The rest of the time it was invisible. For a Vewlix cab, a person is not going to see this residue in any temperature because the Vewlix is not glass and the residue does not show up. It is really difficult to remove too, so one should realize this and not worry about it.

Definitely still going to finish scrubbing the cab with Magic Erasers combined with Simple Green because it will clean up a lot of residue and it will make it smell nicer. After that, going to wipe it down with water and paper towels to remove any remnants from the Magic Erasers. This process will take some time, but now there is a clear path on which to proceed, so all it is is a matter of heading down that path. :)

:!: Do not use baking soda combined with dish soap and something harsh to scrub the body of the Vewlix! Did a spot test with this combo and it dulls the paint. It was a small spot on the back, so it's not a big deal, but good to know!
 
Magic erasers are super fine sandpaper. If you're not gentle you'll either dull or remove the finish layer.
 
UPDATE:

Took the cab outside and blew out all the dust with canned air. Wiped the ENTIRE cabinet body with a sponge cloth to get rid of dust and grime that the canned air could not get rid of. This part took a while. Did underneath the cab as well.

Next, I will gently (as @rewrite points out) go over the body with magic erasers and Simple Green (but any cleaner would probably work fine; Simple Green freshens the smell a bit). The feet will be removed after that to be cleaned up and polished (I think Brasso will work for this as @jassin000 mentions).

https://imgur.com/a/LkH1SEC

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Thought that documenting the steps taken will be good for future use (like if I ever restore/refurbish more) and for accountability. Might help others doing the same.

PROGRESS:

- Completely disassembled the cab except the feet(parts detached disassembled as well); took pictures and separated screw, washers, etc in ziploc bags/cling wrap with small notes to document what went where.
- Used Goo Gone to remove all sticker residue (a few of the wire holders that were stuck inside the cab had fallen off or were about to fall off and they left behind sticky residue; can be replaced easily)
- Used canned air and sponge cloths to blow/wipe away all the dust and grime (you're not going to get everything, some spots are too hard to reach)
 
UPDATE:

- Finished cleaning the body of the Vewlix inside and out (taking my sweet time). The inside has so many nooks and crannies its the most annoying part. For most people, going once over will be fine.
- Attempted to take the wheels/feet off. On the Vewlix F it seems that a sealing agent had been used on the bolts holding the feet. One of the hex heads started to strip half way, so that sucks. Realized that taking the feet off to go over them with Brasso is not necessary (but nice!). Ordered some tools that will hopefully let me screw the bolt back in, because sticking out half way is not cool. Recommendation: don't take the feet off!

- Rough idea for how I'm going to clean most things: https://imgur.com/a/tvl66g2

- Stuff in Blue (A) is easy peasy: Goo gone as needed. Maybe some Brasso for the metal shiny stuff. Simple Green and paper towels. Windex for glass/clear stuff.
- Stuff in Yellow (B) is like the body (this stuff is mostly metal): Simple Green and Magic Erasers. Some Brasso for the Steel Legs.
- Stuff in Green (C) is mostly plastic: Goo Gone as needed. Will wash/soak with soap and water. The white plastic sides and top will need to be re polished (Things look cleaner than they are).
- After everything is cleaned, will go over with IPA as some people on here do to remove glove marks and unavoidable residue from cleaning.
 
SMALL UPDATE:

I was wrong about the feet. Turned out the hex tool I had been using sucked. This is what I bought to attempt to finish unscrewing the stripped hex bolt:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PH39ZFD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I didn't help with the stripped head all that much, but the the product worked wonders for the rest of the feet. I have removed the feet! Using Brasso on them will be a lot easier now! :)

To remove the stripped hex bolt, I was actually able to use a bolt cutter. Since I had twisted the bolt out somewhat, I was able to bite into it with the bolt cutter and turn it by turning the bolt cutter. The head is messed up, but it can be replaced easily.

https://imgur.com/a/XHWCHrc
 
UPDATE:

- The last part of the body that was waiting to be Simple Greened/Magic Erasered was the bottom: finished! So now the entire Vewlix body has been wiped down with SG/ME. I used Brasso on the feet/wheels. Wiped down with Simple Green and paper towels.

- Cleaned things pretty much as outlined in post 17. Had to buy a plastic tub to soak the plastic parts; could have probably used Simple Green and Paper Towels instead of soaking. Started polishing the plastic parts that I wanted to polish with the Novus system.

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- Will update the PROGRESS section with green colored text to indicate what has changed since last time.


PROGRESS:

- Completely disassembled the cab except the feet(parts detached disassembled as well); took pictures and separated screw, washers, etc in ziploc bags/cling wrap with small notes to document what went where.
- Used Goo Gone to remove all sticker residue (a few of the wire holders that were stuck inside the cab had fallen off or were about to fall off and they left behind sticky residue; can be replaced easily)
- Used canned air and sponge cloths to blow/wipe away all the dust and grime (you're not going to get everything, some spots are too hard to reach)
- Finished wiping down the ENTIRE Vewlix body with Simple Green and Magic Erasers (outside, inside, bottom). Used Brasso on the feet/wheels. Wiped them down with Simple Green and paper towels. Reattached the feet and wheels. Wiped down the body (outside, inside, bottom) and feet with IPA.
 
UPDATE:

Had to pause because of stuff happening/waiting for things to arrive, but I'm back at it.

Earlier in this thread I mentioned that I had tried a baking soda/dish soap solution on the back to attempt to clean the cabinet. Well, the area I tried it on ended up having a dull finish, and in hindsight I should I have tried the solution on detachable panel. It looked bad, and I decided I did not want it that way.

I looked into getting the whole thing powder coated again, but that turned out not to be feasible. I found a body shop that was willing to repaint the back of the cab. This works out because there was a three inch scratch going down to the metal on one side of the back portion of the Vewlix, and the paint job will cover that up too. I could have gotten the whole thing repainted, but the reasoning is that the front portion of the Vewlix is cosmetically fine and the two portions will be separated by the white and red F panels. If the paint job from the body shop is close enough it should look good. Especially since the back of the Vewlix will be to the wall. The paint job should be finished by the end of this week. Luckily, this is an exception and anyone else restoring/cleaning their Vewlix should not have to go through this.

SO AGAIN, DO NOT FEED THE VEWLIX BAKING SODA! IT WILL BE UNHAPPY! LESSON LEARNED THE HARD WAY!

Anyway, I'm almost done polishing the plastic panels. It's going well.

The replacement monitor and the universal monitor bracket are on their way! :)
 
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