Case Mod - In Progress Project: LEXA

I got the big grommets (ones used for the radiator pass through and reservoir pass through) from my local hardware store. They come packaged as a pair and are labeled as cable grommets. They fit snugly around the tubing I am using. The smaller grommets I got from Jaycar (the equivalent of your Radio Shack) and came in packs of 10.

 

Thanks, you just solved a small problem I had!

 

No problem. Glad I could help.

 

Time for another update.

Today I got stuck into mounting my radiator.
Here I where the radiator will be mounted, all taped up and ready to go:

HDD racks removed:

Plenty of room for the radiator:

I traced an outline of the radiator to help with the mounting:

All marked for cutting:

All the useless lines removed, only the cuts left:

All cut out:

And a shot with the radiator where it should be:


However, I made one mistake. Take a look at the last pic. I cut the width too wide. I measured from the outside of the radiator rather than the inside. It still fits but there is a tiny gap either side now. One I put the fan hole molding on the cut it should be just fine. Well that's it for now, may have some more towards the end of the week. Until then...

Happy Modding.

 

Looking really good. The contrast in the yellow and black will look awesome once all the plexi lights up. Will keep an eye out for the finished result. Keep it up.

 

Thanks mate. I am a bit pissed off about that gap on that radiator though. I guess it just learnt my lesson...measure twice, cut once. It will look fine painted up though.

 

Sorry for the lack of updates guys. I was away all last week and half of this week and to top it all off the house is being painted, not much time for modding. Any way I did manage to get some work on the case feet and spacers done before I went away and finished them today.

On to the pictures.

Ok so I went out and got myself some more bolts and domed nuts:

I also got myself a pair of small clamps:

They are perfect for what I need them for.
I clamped the mesh to the plexi spacers and then through the holes I drilled in the spacers I drilled identical holes in the mesh:


All drilled:

The plexi attached to the mesh with the domed nuts and bolts I brought:


Ok so that's the stuff I did before I went away last week. Now here is what I did today.

The Spacers are FINISHED!!!
All 4 feet with spacers in all their glory:

A close up of the completed case foot:

A pic of the mounting bolts:

Sorry I don't have pics of working towards the finished product but I can run you through it. Basically I just filed down the overhanging mesh while it was still attached to the spacers. Then I removed the protective tape from the spacers and taped off each end. I then painted the center stem of the spacer. Then I removed the protective plastic film from the mesh and bolted it to the spacer followed by the case foot. Quite boring steps, I know you guys like the eye candy lol .

I have also found a way around the gap I made while cutting the hole for my radiator. I will be using 2 mesh strips to cover the gap from the underside. These will be painted black to fit in with the rest of the case. Well that's all I have for now. The last few days of my holidays will be dedicated towards my homework so don't expect another update this week. Until then...

Happy Modding.

 

Nicely done! Watching with interest!

Joe

 

Oh, wow! I almost bought the same handles the other day. I would have... The price sign said 'stainless steel', but they only had nickel plate. Nice baseplates. It's a shame they won't be very visible.

 

Thanks for your interest guys. I haven't been on lately cos we have been painting the house. My PC has been out of commission lol.

 

ah ive been wonderin where you disappeared to... the feet look great!

 

Thanks mate. I am going to see if I can mount them this weekend.

 

Yuo gave me a tons of good ideas!
Really good job, I like the mesh/plaxy effect, and, by the way, the rubber grommets looks so cool in this case!
Keep on mod, mate!

 

Thanks mate. Those comments mean a lot coming from someone with your skills. Yeah I like the grommets too. I used them originally to protect the tubing from the rough mesh cuts but it turned out looking awesome.

I will have an update in the afternoon (it's 1.30am here at the moment ).

 

This might be really intresting.. *Subscribes*

 

Progressing well mate, though the u-channel around the mesh isn't working for me. Besides the edges looked nice and straight, I don't see the need for them.

 

Very nice idea for the feet, they turned out really clean. I was hoping this LEXA project would re-surface

 

I will take some pics without the U channel on the mesh. I thought it just made it look a bit cleaner, the mesh is straight it just looks rough when you look at it through the window.

Thanks for your comments guys. It means a lot.

 

Well guess what guys??? UPDATE TIME!!!

I finally got my case feet mounted so here are some pics.

First I masked off the area and marked the holes for drilling:

Holes drilled:

After that it was a simple matter of cutting the mounting bolts down to size and then mounting the completed feet:

Time for the money shots:




Yes it does look awesome (applause lol) but there are still a few problems with them. The feet cover up some rivet holes so I will have to counter sink a hole under some spots on the feet to allow the rivet to fit.
Example:

You can see in the pic the rivet hole in the center of the green part of the spacer.

Another problem (which I already knew about) are the spacers themselves. Yes they did bring the height of the case closer to stock height but they are still about 2-3mm too short.
Example:

You can see the difference in the image above.
I am thinking of adding 1 or 2 washers in between the mesh and the handle (foot) to add the desired height (I think this may look quite good). The other option in cutting the difference off the front fascia itself which I don't want to do.

ModimusPrime here is a pic of part of the mesh without the U channel on it, personally I think it looks better with it on. What do you guys think???
Pic:


Well that's all I have for now. I have got a small order which is almost complete for me to pick up which will allow me to finish mounting the radiator. Until then...

Happy Modding.

 

U Channel rulez!
I hate to see the grill without the u-channel, my two cents