How I moved a Sega 18 Wheeler Naomi Upright cabinet down 12 stairs

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I recently picked up an 18 wheeler cab, and unfortunately they only sent ONE mover, so I didn't have anyone to bribe to help me get it downstairs. They wound up leaving it in the parking spot that my wife uses. I of course had some urgency to get it inside. I figured it would be a rite of passage to take the thing apart and get more familiar with the innards.

I first started with a pile of web searches to get my bearings and make myself comfortable. The following forum posts and YouTube videos set the stage for me to dive on in with an understanding of what to expect:

How to rebuild a Sega Naomi Universal cabinet - https://forum.arcadeotaku.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=46&sid=fe8f80620eaa4a52aa12d84b958929a8
Naomi Uni Rebuild - Warning Photo Heavy - https://www.sega-naomi.eu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1117
How to for rotating monitor? - https://sega-naomi.eu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=932
Removing monitor from and transporting Crazy Taxi Upright - https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=373248
What's the best way to move a NAOMI Universal? - https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=341009
Moving the candy cabs through doors and stairs (at the bottom) http://www.candycab.es/akihabarainhome/candycabs.htm

My UKVAC post on making it happen is here: http://www.ukvac.com/forum/greetings-from-an-ohio-based-naomi-upright-chaser_topic364911.html

I'll simply reiterate it here.

My cab showed up on a palate, wrapped in plastic and cardboard. Getting it unwrapped is pretty standard, and of course required the help of my son. I snaked an ethernet cable up from my office so I could try to Netboot Initial D, King of Route 66, etc. I wanted to make sure I didn't get a dud.

I started by taking the back bezel off to expose the monitor, and I took note of the model number, as I know some of them will shock the bejesus out of you if you touch them in the wrong spot, and they should apparently be discharged (to much contention in the community). I decided to YOLO it and not do so after the advice of a UKVAC member: "I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and disagree! For starters, the 29e31s doesn't need discharging, as long as it's been switched off a short while. Also, Given that you're only going to be lifting it by the frame, you'll be fine. Wear gloves though, 'cos the metil is really going to hurt your fingers otherwise." - http://www.ukvac.com/forum/forum_po...om-an-ohio-based-naomi-upright-chaser#1049271

I 100% agree with him on the wear gloves statement... if you think twice, google "Ring Degloving Injury" (oh yeah also take your rings off!)
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Ring+Degloving+Injury

If you want to use an extra bit of caution you can of course follow the community instructions on discharging your monitor: https://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/How_to_discharge_a_monitor

I set both the front and back bezel aside and moved on to removing the monitor. I did unfortunately break one of the tabs in the process

 

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I spent some time eyeballing how the monitor went in, as I understood it needed to come "out and up" a little to get it removed. I followed the instructions left for me by a UKVAC member keeping in mind the pregaming I had done earlier:

"Well - start from the top, you'll need a 10mm spanner and an *ahem* sized security bit.

Topper off, front off, rear off, then monitor out, remembering to disconnect all the cables.

You'll then want to disconnect everything, remove the light unit, take off the CP, and then take off the top and bottom rails for the monitor.

Then legs off, then you're good to go. Somewhere along the line you'll need to take off the leg covers too, and you need a smaller security bit for that.

If I've forgotten anything, my apols, this is from memory. PM me if you have more questions, or post them here and then everyone can see, like - and it'll be a useful aide memoire I'm sure." - http://www.ukvac.com/forum/forum_po...om-an-ohio-based-naomi-upright-chaser#1049145

It took me a bit to realize a "spanner" was a "wrench"

I removed the 4 bolts, and then called my neighbor to help get it out. No way was I strong enough to do it alone, you'd need to be an ox! We just set it on a towel to make sure it didn't get scuffed up on the garage floor. It was heavier than we both thought to say the least. Nothing unmanageable though.

I schlepped the remaining pieces downstairs myself short of the main cab. I also opened up the control panel and took note of how it was wired before tearing it down and removing it.

 

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Removing the driving control panel saves quite a bit of weight!


From there the monitor needed moved too! I was able to do that alone, with my wife spotting me so I didn't fall backwards down the stairs. (don't forget the gloves!)

The bigger challenge at this point was getting the base of the cab inside, and downstairs, I called a lumberjack buddy and had him bring his dolly and a tie strap.

With it all down stairs, it was time to start the rebuild, by doing the tear down steps in reverse!

And now I have 18 Wheeler in my office with my other cabs...