Everyone that is big into the arcade/pinball collecting hobby asks themselves this question at one time or another. Maybe you have a less desireable game sitting around you can’t sell. Or maybe you have to purchase a few games you didn’t want just to get something you did want. I have found myself in this position a few times and I learned something each time. You learn which games are worth putting time into and saving and which aren’t.
My last mini bulk buy I purchased three games: Star Trek (Upright), Mechanized Attack and an ESWAT housed in an old Robotron cabinet. I really wanted the Robo cab for my Multi-Williams project but the other two were of no interest to me. The Star Trek sold quickly on eBay but the Mechanized Attack was much harder to get rid of. I advertised it for a month with no takers. Some people were looking for parts like the guns but no one wanted the entire thing. I decided to part the game out and get rid of the cabinet because this thing is a BEAST! I couldn’t move it around by myself. 
So I tore the game apart. Did I document what went where with pictures? Nope, didn’t even think of it. Wouldn’t ya know I got a buyer interested in the ENTIRE game, working as it was. DOH! So now I had to put the game back together without much in the way of photo evidence. Here is the only photo I took of the insides:
Inside the back of a Mechanized Attack - Dedicated
Luckily the manual has a great wiring diagram I used to verify that I put it back together properly. With pictures though I could have put it back without having to verify everything with the diagram… I mean who wants to put something back together and power it on without being COMPLETELY sure that it’s reassembled correctly? Burning up good parts isn’t my idea of fun
So here we come to the topic of my post: Are you SURE you want to part that game out? Be certain before you do this. If you aren’t dying for space keep the game intact until you sell the individual parts. If you don’t have space then go for it, part away, just remember to take pictures of everything before you strip it.
