C64 Case Restoration


Ever since the “Retro Scene” started getting big the prices of 8-bit computers like the Commodore 64 have gone up. I’m not complaining because I never had a Commodore 64 growing up, or really understood fully what it was and how it relates to the history of home computing.

I finally realized what is was all about after watching The 8-Bit Guy’s channel on YouTube. He’s created an excellent series on the history of Commodore computers, and his restoration videos are awesome.

I picked up a C64 a few months ago for a reasonable price. The price was “reasonable” (around $40) because the state of the case was pretty bad. Not to mention the 5 missing keys. Finding replacements was surprisingly easy. There are multiple people on eBay that will sell you key caps, springs, and the support plunger piece. All for a reasonable price per “key set”.

So here’s a quick gallery of images before the restoration and after:

  • C64 in bad shape
    Dirty case, missing keys, etc.
  • Crack in the corner
    Interesting that even though it’s cracked it was pretty solid.
  • C64 Case Bottom
    A look at the bottom of the case.
  • C64 board
    Despite the rusty shielding the board was pretty good overall.
  • C64 Rusty Sheilding
    The reason for the disaster.
  • C64 Inside Restored
    Feast your eyes on the results of a couple of hours of scrubbing with baking soda and vinegar.
  • C64 Case Outside Restored
    The outside came out nice too.

I haven’t fully restored the mother board due to not having a power supply, video cable, disk drive, etc. I’m working on getting those things going and will write more posts when the parts come in and I find time to get things assembled.

Party On!