As we're having a heatwave in the UK and this bezel being huge, I'm going to Retrobright using Sunlight, this method is supposed to be longer lasting than using Hydrogen Peroxide and I have days of sun to use, so why not! ☀️ 😎
I've laid out silver foil to maximise coverage.

Decided to test out some rust removal gel on this I/O plate, worth a go first.

The top was after a few coats and about 5 hours, not exactly spectacular results, quite underwhelming, but it did remove a bit.

I'm so glad I never attempted to use the original PSU, the voltages are all over the place:
+12v is 3.5v
-12v is -1.2v
+5v fluctuates between +3v and +9.1v 😬
I have an ATX PSU with the wires cut off, that actually does -5v, so I'll solder in the AT cables, plus the power switch.

So after being in the 30°C sun today, I can see quite a big difference, I'm actually shocked how well this worked.
After
/
Before

Looking good, the top half was a different colour previously, it seems to have all equalled out and it certainly looks better 👍

I decided to go nuclear on the internal frame, the only bit you will see is the rear, but there's rust everywhere.
I've used Direct to Rust Metal Spray Paint, it should have a nice and clean look after.

I masked the original Gateway labels off before painting, as I thought it would be nice to keep them.
It's still got a while to dry, but this is what it will be like with the cover on:
Before
/
After 👇

There's not really an easy way to photo black paint in direct sunlight because of shadows and reflections, but here's the inside. 👍

It's starting to come together now! 👍

I like the contrast the black frame / beige outer shell gives it, not that you'll see it when the cover is back on! 😀

I mean, it's not perfect, but at least it didn't peel loads of paint off when I took the masking off.

I need to clean up the Matrox card and try to remove as much rust as I can!

The bracket is looking loads better now! 👍

Only one thing for this card, is to deep clean it. The memory module had some corrosion on the connectors, so it all needed a really good bath, scrub and polish 🫧 🪥

That connector is looking so much better now!
This will be left to dry out for a few days or so, then we're good to go!

So, I forgot to spray the HDD bay, quickly did it and now it's dried. I'm starting to run out of black screws though 😳

I've connected the main power switch to the new PSU and also, as I'm not using the SATA power connectors modified one to connect up an additional case fan, that can be unclipped if needed.

The PSU, fans, LEDs and power switch is now installed.

I've taken the heatsink off to apply some new paste.
Pentium 120Mhz in all its glory:

I wanted to cool the CPU more directly, so I've knocked up a small fan and molex connector:

The board is now back in, the case makes it look so small 😀

New CPU fan installed as well as all the I/O connectors:

Shiny AF Matrox Millennium!

Cards all locked and loaded.....

The moment of truth, will it still post? 🤔

Ms Pentium Lives!

Getting a bit OCD about the cabling, like the case has a transparent side or something 😀
I now need to decide on the optical and floppy drives, and then do cabling tidy.
Honestly I've loved this refurb, so much fun so far. Thanks for following along, nearly there now!

I've attempted to get the original CD-ROM working, but it appears the laser has packed in. I've decided on this nice Sony one as a replacement which seems to be a nice fit for the case.
I test it by booting BeOS 4.5 and it's flawless

Been waiting on these to finish off this refurb, needed an extension on one IDE channel to finish up.

IDE extension cable is installed and I've sprayed a couple of banking plates to match the frame.

Everything is in and blanking plates installed, looking all shiny and fresh.

It's a shame to put the cover on, but at least I know it's all fresh, clean and rust free. 👍

There we go, I'm happy with the final result, it should last for at least a few more decades now the rust has been dealt with. What a fun retro project 😍

😇

A full video of it booting up:

I love this thing! 😍
Tomb Raider (1996)

📀🎵🎶

Well that's a wrap for this project folks, thank you so much for following along, I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
🙏💾😍

@Gammitin thanks for sharing! Nice trip down memory lane!