Hello Bit-Tech! Well, the short story is that my brother needs a new case! The first one I built long ago had begun to fall apart, due to noobish modding mistakes and a poor choice on the canvas as for being too cheaply built to start. So he filled my head with some ideas, and it was decided that something custom was in order. One of his passions is this- A 1973 Nova SS 350 hatchback, which is actually a fairly rare whip! He has put a lot of time and sweat into fixing it up. Next summer he hopes to sand it all down to tackle the hidden nightmare of bodywork that needs to be done. These are notorious for hidden rust. I used to have a '70 so I can relate! So we decided to create a desktop version We decided to try having the base of the project made for us to save some time, so we had this aluminum tub fabricated to my specs by a local shop. It came out pretty close. I had some tolerance built in just in case. Also a tray to fit inside to become the motherboard tray to be bolted on the sides, but I quickly figured out this was a painful way to do this, so it has been omitted. Instead I used some angled aluminum to create some brackets to hold a new tray. Also threw a PSU in there for good measure. The new tray mocked up, much better It was made from a scrap piece of aircraft aluminum. Knowing where the tray was going to be I was able to cut out a hole for the fan/rad assembly. Yup, we're going to liquid cool this beasty too Eesh, need to clean up that cut some more though The pros of going with tub is that it did save some fab time and is a good way to start, though because its dimensions are not 100% exact I found that it is harder to be accurate so I have to spend more time double checking measurements. Had I done this again I think I would have attempted to build it myself from aluminum plates and angle bars as most do. Live and learn So far so good! It doesnt quite look like a muscle car yet, but this is only the core of what we are thinking of. I have drawn it and could show you, but where is the fun in that!
@St3ph Thanks! Added 2 more brackets to the backside Doner backplate from a media center case I had the hates for. With the help of my modding partner, Mr. The Incredible Hulk, a hole for the backplate emerges Some guts! But there is a small problem I am seeing... The holes on the rear brackets did not line up with the backplate if it was flush against the back, so I made a spacer out of 5mm MDF. With everything lined up the bolts hold in the bottom of the backplate and rear mobo tray to the tub. Easy fix Looking better. A tip I figured out is to throw some old cards on the mobo to make sure it all lines up right! Also something I am sure no one would notice, I chopped a better fitting motherboard tray as well. My assistant just had to show you the new fans I picked up! These are some very slick Enermax units from Performance-pcs.com Night shots are not something I have mastered quite yet But they basically do look like that in real life, the dark translucent blades keep the light diffusion to a minimum on these. Sexy Breach
@ St3ph Well you are second person to say I need some pipes on this The real car actually has its exhaust totally hidden from view, Ill have to check with my brother on that one! Today I wanted to share what I am going for with the SSC design wise- My design goals were to use the overall lines and shapes of the real car but still maintain that it is indeed a SFF computer at heart as opposed to a straight 100% accurate replica of the Nova's nose. So, that ugly aluminum tub Ive been working on has a brighter future in mind
@BlackWhizz and Argressions Thanks guys! As typical life got in the way the last couple weeks on this project, but I did manage to knock out some of it. Unfortunately this is all mostly little stuff this time Some big thumbscrews hold the backplate in place, you can see the addition of some new holes in the bottom The power plug in place, which will feed the PSU internally, in the middle of the two vents. Erg, what the hell is going on with the top there? Yes, that is my first major screwup for the project! Apparently while flattening the overhang the mobo tray and the bracket pushed down, so I took off too much! Crap! I decided to "fix" it I would just make a cover out of more of that lovely angled aluminum. You can never say screw ups dont spark innovation I liked the chunky look of those massive thumb screws, so they stay With a lot of filing to clear the existing hardware the cover is done! Not sure yet if I want to just use double sided tape to mount it later, or throw more bolts in there. I still had yet to think about how to mount the top of the back plate, the bottom worked out nicely so I had something similar in mind. You can see more of that hideous gap I created too Perfect. Apparently I need to grab some proper bolts though Some Modder's Mesh fills the void nicely. And a mysterious new hole appears What do you suppose this is for? For the most part I think the back end is mostly complete! Just for fun, here are the very first rough sketches! My brother drew the ones on the lower half, which I redid in black. At first we thought of more a full desktop style, then I experimented with a more SSF design which we obviously went with in the end -Breach
It seems like I haven't gotten much response to this log so far, though that isn't what modding is about, but it is cool to see what you guys think! So if there is something hideously wrong with it I also like constructive (key word!) criticism on how to make it better As part of that, looking back it seemed like maybe I wasn't showing enough of the process, so I am going to try and focus more on that. With the back end mostly finished aside some paint, I moved to the lower section, focusing on the hard drive cage! Starting out with more of that thick angled aluminum and the first motherboard tray, going for a simple 2 drive stack. Since drives go up to 2Tb each now that should be more than enough...or will it? Starting to look like what was in my head Everything in its proper place and Hulk approved A test fit in the case to make sure I wont find any nasty surprises lurking when I mount it for real. Everything looks spot on. Knocked out the holes a bit so I could put grommets in to reduce vibration I got tired of looking at gnarled up looking aluminum, so I painted it black, even though this piece will mostly not be seen once the mobo tray is in. All that is left is to bolt it to the case! -Breach
Well, it has only been a little while since an update... But I did make some progress on the SSC, which I am very pleased with so far. Side Panels A little foamcore board helped me visualize SSC's shape better. Somehow I always have to see it in reality before I can decide. Using a jigsaw and an MDF type wood, i cut out twin side panels I bolted both panels together to ensure I got the same starting shape I recruited a new toy for this project, the mighty Black and Decker Dragster sander The Decker makes quick work of this kind of wood You can kind of see how much was taken off compared to an untouched panel. There was just a ***little*** wood dust everywhere It is tough to see but the panels also have a vertical curve as well, much like the real Nova's fenders have. There will be more shaping to come Power Supply Mount The next thing to tackle was how to mount the PSU in the chassis I decided to create a bracket from that angled aluminum I love so much. I went the manual way and punched several holes in the aluminum, then used a coping saw to finish the cut. Think of it as the poor mans CNC mill After attacking it with various files and a belt sander, I ended up with this And mounted to the bottom of the tub. I will likely put some kind of thin foam mat under the PSU when mounted to reduce vibrations. Mobo Tray Vents and Wire Port The problem with the PSU in a confined space was that there was nowhere for the 12cm fan to move air. Some room to breathe Also a nifty hole under the motherboard for the wiring to come through the bottom. AC Ryan mesh to finish the job Mock Up Unable to contain myself, I decided to put it all together to see what I was ending up with All that is left, is everything -Breach
Thanks! It has been pretty slow feeling, I probably shouldn't have started my Kaiten X project too Thank you! The Dragster is a monster of a sander. It is only bad because it only has 2 speeds: stop and destroy . I had to be super careful not to take off too much with that beast
Thanks! I intend to do exactly that my friend I am working on the front of the shell at the moment Good eye llamafur! You are actually very close The Aerocool M40: The backpanel I have was actually ripped out of the M40's cheaper knockoff cousin, the JeanTech Mediabox: As far as I can tell they both use the exact same inner shell, which I did actually find the arrangement of to be less than great and frustrating. I had it for a media center project that just never made it off the ground due to parts pilfering. I just kinda wanted it gone, so I robbed it for parts and scrapped the rest Thanks PureSilver! Ferrari's have nothing on good ol' fashioned American Muscle
Surely this has to have the Coolermaster V8 cooler, and a bonnet you can lift to appreciate the computery goodness Nice work, like those side panels! Have you got a bulk agreement with someone who makes thumbscrews?? You'll put screwdrivers out of business at this rate *Edit* Oh yeah you said watercooled
