Case Mod - In Progress Project: Hutch (Qmicra v2) The reservoir v.2! Aug 16

Haha, thanks Brian!

 

yay will be following this one again

Josh

 

ignore....

 

Thanks Josh!


As a sidenote, how are the pic load times for you guys? I'm linking from my own site for the first time, and I'm using larger pictures than I have before. I just wanted to make sure you weren't waiting forever for the pics to come up. Things seem fine for me, but I thought I'd double check.

 

Pics are fine even having to go up her to the high elevations
Lot's of us watching.
You're going to be known as Starsky after this mod

john

 

Thanks John!

Starsky, huh? Lol, nice.

 

With the front of the case newly revised, it's time to get a radiator mounted behind it. Looking at the area below the drive bays, you'll see that there are no provisions for mounting fans, let alone a radiator. That means we need to make a custom mount.

There are many different to ways to fabricate a mount, but I wanted something completely unobtrusive, and undeniably simple. Sometimes taking this approach is actually a little harder to plan out, than if I would simply cut out a mount and bolt it in place. However, I decided I didn't want to work around any mount, and to use what was already existing in the case to hold the radiator. So, what does that actually mean? The following pictures will tell the story...

We'll start with this. I used an extra drive bay cover to fabricate a lower radiator mount.



The radiator nicely cradled...



The mount sitting in the case.



The radiator sitting in position.



Okay, now at this point I've got a couple of issues I need to address. The radiator is sitting in place, but how do I keep it from sliding left to right? Also, after time, the mounts would wear in to the radiator casing and cause damage. Oh, and let's not forget about any possible vibration caused by the fans on the radiator... Well, we can't have any of that, can we? So, I decided to address all of the above issues with a decidedly simple solution.

These are silicon bumpers...



I cut a small slit in each one, and mounted them to the radiator.



With the bumpers in place, the radiator is mounted securely, and it's vibration is isolated from the rest of the case.



That takes care of the bottom of the radiator, but what about the top? I still need a similar method for attaching it as well. So, I break out the dremel again and cut notches in to the drive bay support.



Like a glove!



Finally, here is a shot with the radiator fully mounted. It looks like it belongs there. It's also isolated, yet completely secure. It also can be removed completely at a later date, and the case remains almost completely stock.



With the radiator out of the way, I'll work on mounting the pump next. Well, actually, I do have something else to finish up first... Look for the return of a little basement modding. I'm getting a new workshop!

 

Brilliantly conceived mounting solution for that radiator! Will that lower mount (aka drive bay cover) be secured to the bottom of the case somehow?

 

Thanks! The lower mount is actually riveted in place. I'm not sure how I forgot to take a pic of that. Either way, it's not going anywhere...

 

Nice one craigbru

 

Yay, another one of your creations And now that I've posted, I will be coming back because the topic is green

 

Heh the system to hold the radiator looks nice.

 

Argh dam just grazed my chin as it the floor!

I love with this project already! since this case is smaller than the last project and the last project had a TEC, you shoe horning a phase changer into this one? lol!

 

Thanks!

Lol, I'll hold you to that.

Thank you. It just makes a lot of sense in this case. It's not any more complicated than it needs to be, but works exactly as it should.

Hey, thanks man!

You guys aren't going to settle for anything less than a fusion reactor, are you? This isn't my own project, so it's not going to be as extreme as the Rogue or L.O.S.I.A.S. It's just going to be a very clean and well executed build. Well, that's not to say we won't drop a surprise or two in here, but it's not my budget this time around.

 

So you dont get pm'd to hell with requests, you best say this project is for a family memember.. lol! is it?

Fusion reactor, hell no warp drive please!

 

The rad mount is a very good idea.

 

Lol, no it's not for a family member. They all think that what I do is pretty cool, but they don't understand it all. Well, mostly when it comes to the cost of the hardware. They see Dell commercials where they can get a new PC for $500, and don't know why you would pay more. I would say it's just as much of an artistic outlet as anything, but that would sound pretentious. So, I compare it to buying new rims for your car, a cover for your pickup bed, or even new seat covers. The kind of get it at that point...

Thanks man. At first I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do. Not until I set the rad in the front of the case, and saw that it would fit almost perfectly if sandwiched between the bottom and the drive cage. At that point, the idea popped in my head, and I had to follow through.

 

holy crap that is awesome way to hold that rad and still look stock!

 

Totally get ya, when i first modded a cheiftec dragon my mum didn't see the point then the paint job kinda made it make sense. There still against it all due to cost tho.

Own place own rules now, many years on.

 

g-g-g-g-godlike attention to detail on the rad mounting I would never have thought of that... There's the difference why your mods look so damn nice!