Antec Sonata Mod Worklog

[Kurtis]

Hello everyone. I'm Kurtis Kronk, co-owner of www.thetechlounge.com and I'm going to attempt to mod my Antec Sonata. This will be my first real mod ever, so bear with me! Also, pardon my lack of creativity, maybe you guys can help me come up with a name later...

First off I'd like to say that I think there are a lot of very talented people that frequent the [H] forums, and I am excited to see what everyone here thinks of my mod when it's done. As you probably know, it is Spring Break right now... What better time to do a mod? Well anyways, here's what I have planned for the Sonata:

[Begin Worklog]

Basically the whole 'purpose' of this mod, other than looking cool, is to improve airflow/cooling, and get rid of dust. As you may or may not know, the Sonata has some holes drilled out on the top of each side panel which let a lot of dust into the case. To fix this problem I will be using some acrylic to essentially seal the whole area. But I won't just be putting acrylic there, I'll be using some special lighting in combination with a little sanding of the acrylic, to make a really cool effect on the sealed Antec holes. To be able to use the acrylic on the side panels, I have to use a smaller power supply than the Antec one though, so I will be using a 200W SeaSonic PSU (that's enough power, believe it or not)...

Also, some air will come in from small openings on the side of the door on the front of the case, letting in even more dust... I plan to fix this problem, perhaps with some rubber U molding...

In addition to these two problems, the front of the case restricts airflow, and the fan mount location isn't exactly ideal. Plus, those little rubber 'screws' just suck... So I will be adding a 120mm fan duct to the front of the case, and a little more good stuff, I'll get to that in a second. The Sonata's main selling point is Silence. As such, I will be using water cooling to keep my processor cool (probably not my FX5950 Ultra though...). The radiator will be mounted in the hidden 3.5" area. I'm not completely sure how I will mount the radiator, probably will craft something out of the acrylic to mount it...

And what would a mod be without cleaning up the inside of the case?? Well, it would be ugly inside, that's for certain. So I will be doing a custom wiring job on the whole thing, sleeving everything nicely, blah blah blah...

I think that about covers my plan of action... I'll keep you all updated on my progress. :) Hopefully I will be finished with the mod by Sunday (3-20-04).

[Kurtis]

I guess I'll get started with the first step... To make sure that my acrylic idea would even work, I had to install the SeaSonic PSU and checkout how much space it left me on each side, etc... Well, it was just the right size, so now it's time to make it look cooler :)

Here is the case with original power supply:

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/01.jpg


This is the SeaSonic 200W power supply...

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/02.jpg


Warranty? Nope. :D

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/03.jpg


Swapped the stock fan with a Vantec Blue UV LED 80mm fan. Wired it up @ 5V.

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/04.jpg


This is how she looks after this quick mod.

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/05.jpg

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/06.jpg


Today I worked on re-mounting the hard drive elsewhere. I'll finish that up tomorrow if I can get a hold of some paint... I'll be working on making some of the acrylic stuff (for side Antec holes) tomorrow.

[drewb99]

Snazzy looking PSU :)

[IYIENACE]

WoW nice change. Me likey.

[ST|FFY]

alrite cool, keep us posted :D

[Kurtis]

Well... I decided to go back tonight and try to play with the acrylic to see what i am getting into tomorrow... It was basically a disaster. After scoring one thin strip that I needed for one of the sides of the 'acrylic cage' if you will, it cracks in several places as I tried to break it off...

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/07.jpg

So basically, I think this means that I should probably only use one piece of acrylic on each side panel, and use wood or something for the rest of the frame of the acrylic cages that you won't see anyway...

That is, unless someone has a better idea. To give you an idea of what the acrylic cages are I am trying to make, they are basically 5 sided boxes (with the side panel making up a 6th side). I need the side that parallels the side panel to be acrylic for the lighting effect to work properly, but I don't care what the other 4 sides are constructed of. So again I ask, any ideas? :D

[yusoweird]

you can try to use those L shape aluminums for all of the edges... so it look cleaner... and get jigsaw or something... y are you trying to break it off?

[Shinare]

I cut my plexi with a jigsaw and a plastic cutting blade. You have to go really slow though. When I was cutting I went a little fast and it melted the edges. It gives it a kinda crappy look. No one sees the edges of my plexi because of molding but if its visible then you might want to take extra care when cutting. The faster you go the hotter your blade gets. If it gets hot enough it will melt the acrylic sure as butter.

A corded veriable speed B&D jigsaw will run you like $25-30. best investment I ever made for modding. I even prefer it over a dremel. Even when cutting metal I use my dremel to start cuts (to make a hole) and then use the jigsaw the rest of the way. I only use a dremel for the really curvy bits.

[Kurtis]

I decided to go with my dremel and some reinforced cutting blades. seems to be working well so far. The edges won't be seen, just one flat surface of it (the side parallel to the side panels). I'll have pics later on today.

[Kurtis]

so far so good with the acrylic... takes a while but the dremel does the job nicely :) hopefully ill finish at least one of the acrylic cages tonight and ill get some pics of it

[CrimandEvil]

Nice job on that PSU.

[Kurtis]

Thanks CrimandEvil :)

Here's a few pics of me working on the acrylic to tide you all over until I get some more 'finished' pics. Nothing really exciting going on, just to show that I am actually making progress... :)

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/08.jpg
me cutting the acrylic with my noobie skills

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/09.jpg
first acrylic piece cut out

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/10.jpg
yay, no scratches or cracks! :D


Okay, I got the 120mm fan duct today from Directron while I was working on the acrylic, so I decided to stop where I was with the acrylic stuff, and do a test run with the fan duct... I grabbed the front of an old HP case I had in the closet, and got to work.

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/11.jpg
cut the hole, no problems...

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/12.jpg
duct fits as expected

http://69.93.141.26/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/13.jpg
or does it...

Again, the case the fan duct is in is not the one I am modding, I was just doing a test run, and it's a good thing I did because now I realize that since the front of the case is not flat, I will have to do something to make it look good on the sides of the fan duct...

My first guess would be that I should use epoxy or something like that, but I've never used it before and I don't know how to use it. Any ideas on that? I will be using some rubber U-molding around the hole in the actual mod, but that won't cover those big gaps on the sides of the duct...

one possibility might be putting the fan duct in the oven after I get the whole cut in the front of the Sonata case, and then while its warm, mold it to fit perfectly on the Sonata. This would save me a LOT of work with buying/figuring out how to use epoxy, getting primer/paint etc that I wouldn't need otherwise... Problem is, I don't have the recipe for a 120mm fan duct :D

Any idea / tips?

[CrimandEvil]

An HP in the closet! LOL :D

How about using some Bondo or fiberglass to help build up the surrounding area?
So your trying to build a new HD cage? Thats pretty cool since I need to do that too and now I can just use your "guide" for it!:D
Hows that PSU working out?

[Kurtis]

Originally posted by CrimandEvil
An HP in the closet! LOL :D

How about using some Bondo or fiberglass to help build up the surrounding area?
So your trying to build a new HD cage? Thats pretty cool since I need to do that too and now I can just use your "guide" for it!:D
Hows that PSU working out?

Lol... yeah, the HP was my friend's before I built him a new one.

I've never used bondo... dunno how to use it. same with fiberglass.

As for the HD cage, I wouldn't say I'm really building one per se, but I'm modified the external 3.5" cage so that a HDD could be mounted there. But yeah, if you have a Sonata too, you could easily follow the same steps as I did for it... I'll talk about the HDD mounting tomorrow maybe...

The PSU is working great. I didn't exactly majorly modify it, so I didn't expect any problems... But yeah it looks great in the case. To see pics of it installed though you will have to wait :D

[8Complex]

Bondo is like using putty, from what I understand. Spread, then let dry and sand to shape when it's fully dry.

I would suggest one of two things...

1 - slicing off the flange and curving the face of the tube to match the inside face of the cover, then epoxy it in place.

2 - Use some sort of spacers on the inside surface of the cover and epoxy the tube to that without cutting.

Other then those two, to get it smooth you're going to have to do bondo work on the outside of the cover.

[bonzanego]

cut a narrow "v" in the top and bottom of the duct part, not the flange and pinch it together, it should bend the flange enough to curve it to the face plate.

[Kurtis]

i think my best option is going to be bondo, not sure if i will cut the flange off or not though... I'll probably cut part of the tube off and experiment with that, leaving the other half with the flange attached intact, that way it will be sort of like if i have 2 fan ducts :D

this is my first time doing ANY of this stuff really, so I have a bit to learn about all this stuff (bondo, acrylic, even painting lol...)

[Kurtis]

Okay, I finished cutting most of the acrylic (enough for the first acrylic 'cage' and most of the second)... Here's another pic of the acrylic on my makeshift workbench

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/14.jpg


With the acrylic cutting done, I decided it was time to ghetto rig some acrylic to make sure I would get the desired effect. I took one of the spare pieces of acrylic that I had from cutting earlier, sanded it in a circular motion with one of my dremel's sanding wheels, which is pretty fine grit, by hand (was too lazy to go downstairs and get the sheets of fine sandpaper i have :D)... and then I ghetto rigged it in place with some good 'ol scotch tape and styrofoam to set it back from the side panel a little bit. I then put the blue meteor light in position under the acrylic pointing up towards it... and this is the result...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/15.jpg

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/16.jpg

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/17.jpg

and here is a link to a really short clip I took of the ghetto rigged side panel lighting thingy...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/worklog_movie_1.mpg
please make sure to right click + save as... if you want to view it :)

Now, please note that this is NOT the final version of the side lighting I am working on, this is just a ghetto rigged test to make sure I'll be getting the look I want. I'm quite pleased with how it looks, so now I'm going to get to work on putting the actual acrylic cage together and stuff... I should have it done by late tonight if I don't fall asleep :D

let me know what you all think so far :)

[CrimandEvil]

Thats pretty cool.

[Logiks]

Thats sweet man. Me and a friend of mine were thinking of putting some sort of laser LED to shine through his ANTEC Sonata case like that too. Awesome deal!

-Logiks

[grjr]

The pics are dead :confused:

[Heath]

Pics work fine for me. Looks great so far, keep it up. :)

[Shinare]

:eek: Wow, did you do the lettering and the paint job on there?!? That looks like a pretty good mirror finish if you ask me! Kudos to you man. You did a lot better job drilling all those holes for the lettering than I could do. :thumbsup:

[grjr]

I'm the only one not seeing the pics?

Even when I paste the url's into a new window I get this:

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/01.jpg on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

wtf?

[ST|FFY]

wow looking good, i cant wait to see ur case fully completed :D

[DaveX]

Originally posted by Shinare
:eek: Wow, did you do the lettering and the paint job on there?!? That looks like a pretty good mirror finish if you ask me! Kudos to you man. You did a lot better job drilling all those holes for the lettering than I could do. :thumbsup:

Lettering and paintjob come standard with the Sonata. Kurtis added some acrylic to the back of it so dust wouldn't get in.

[TheMostWantedPolishTwin]

Originally posted by grjr
The pics are dead :confused:

pics don't work for me either...

[Shinare]

Originally posted by DaveX
Lettering and paintjob come standard with the Sonata. Kurtis added some acrylic to the back of it so dust wouldn't get in.

OIC

[CrimandEvil]

Originally posted by TheMostWantedPolishTwin
pics don't work for me either...
I'm using Firefox and I have no problem, what are you guys using?

[Ike]

Im running IE 6 and the pics work fine

[Kurtis]

Shinare: The Antec Sonata comes with those holes already drilled out, and it also has a great paint job when you buy it. Check out my review of it: http://www.thetechlounge.com/review.php?directory=antec_sonata

Now, as for all the people not seeing the images... they work... BUT apparently our hot-linking protection is being sort of ghey... I'll get it disabled later today. We've got plenty of bandwidth anyways on the new dedicated server now.


Now back to the topic at hand!

Last night I fiddled with the acrylic 'cages' for a couple of hours, and then I finally decided that I was making it too complicated. I decided to go ahead and just use one piece of acrylic on each side panel and stick it right up against it. This will work better in the long run as well, because NO DUST will get in the case, or on my acrylic. If any dust does get on the acrylic, now it is easy to clean off, since it is right up against the case.

I was quite pleased with the effect I got from putting the acrylic right against the side panel, much to my surprise... You can't really tell that there is acrylic right against the side panel when you look at it...

Also, something I noticed when I got the acrylic on the side panel was that my DFI LanParty KT400A has some really bright red LEDs on it that would make the blue light shining on the ANTEC name look purplish... So I will be painting over these LEDs (or something... lol)

Anyways, I only have the acrylic on one side panel, and it's just taped temporarily... So I am going to go ahead and install both pieces of acrylic permanently, and then I will post some more pictures.

[TheMostWantedPolishTwin]

Originally posted by CrimandEvil
I'm using Firefox and I have no problem, what are you guys using?

linux -> firefox... it's prolly due to my net connection which in fact is plenty fast (peaks at 100+ kB/s) I'll try pics this weekend when I get home (currently at my college apt) - I have cable there...

[Kurtis]

Do the pics work now?

We switched to a different server a couple days ago, so maybe the DNS hasn't changed for everyone... It will soon though if that is the problem...

[BLsibub666]

the holes cut out to spell antech are also there for more airflow, but its not much more, and if you modding the intake exaust anyway then it looks good with glass behind it.

i would say cut the sides of the duckt (cut out a knotch running down the sides) and bend the flange in to where you want it and glue it, and then patch the hole in the duckt if its still there, thatway anything your patching will be hidden (you dont have to sand and paint it) or you can add a bigger duckt (just the flange) molde that and glue it down, and then shave that down at the top and bottom so the duckt your using for air will sit flat with it (or dont use a duckt, if you have a fan the air will come to it threw the path of leaset resistance, (the hole, or holes in the front) you can carve a grill outof the bexle, instead of cutting a hole and adding a grill

either way good luck, and happy modding

[Kurtis]

yeah the antec holes have a purpose, but the air they let in brings in dust, and i am not particularly fond of dust inside my computer... as i said in my fist post, the whole 'purpose' of this mod is to improve airflow and cooling while getting rid of dust. The front intake fan in the duct will have a filter in front of it to keep dust away :)

and i just got back from the store, got the bondo, primer, paint, etc... so it's too late to turn back now! :D

[grjr]

Pics are working now, that antec case looks pretty nice, I like the LED's behind the Antec sign

[Kurtis]

okay well i've been cutting away at the front of the case for hours now... I've got the holes in the front plastic parts of the case, tomorrow I'm going to work on cutting away the steel parts of the case in my way...

sorry no pics right now, my computer is spread across the living room. I'll be putting my components in a different case until my mod is complete...

I'm also trying to conform the flange of the fan duct to the case exterior without making the duct itself oval-shaped... I'll keep you updated as I make progress (or ruin the fan duct :P)

[TheMostWantedPolishTwin]

pics worked for me this time :D

looking good - I really love Sonatas... wish they were available here where I live...

[Kurtis]

Today I went to Home Depot and got myself a sheet of metal (will need this for mounting radiator later...) and some goggles and a good face mask... So tonight I will be cutting up some steel. I'll have some more pics up tonight :)

[Kurtis]

Okay, I've been hard at work on my case, here are some pictures of my progress:

Before I got started cutting up the case, I taped around everything I would be cutting... On the front plastic part I drew out a template for where I wanted to cut the hole for the fan duct...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/18.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/19.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/22.jpg


This part was easy, just cut out this large piece with a dremel cutting wheel. Probably only took 5 minutes, 10 tops...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/23.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/26.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/28.jpg

[Kurtis]

When cutting this plastic piece, I needed a more precise hole than the previous piece, so I went ahead and used a cutting wheel to cut well inside of the circle I drew... I then used a grinding stone attachment on my dremel to expand the hole to the needed size. It took me around 30-45 minutes to finish the hole in this piece probably...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/30.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/31.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/32.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/33.jpg


Breathing in steel probably isn't a good idea, so make sure to be safe and use goggles and a face mask...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/37.jpg


I started cutting out the hidden 3.5" bay area... Unfotunately for me, this part is connected to the motherboard tray, so it's a pain to cut it out... I made a little extra room for myself by cutting out the piece you can see in the 2nd picture...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/38.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/43.jpg

This is about as far as I am so far... Oh and don't mind how sloppy the cutting job looks inside the case, it will be pretty when I am done :D

[ser1al]

Its looking really good. Keep it up the good work.

[IYIENACE]

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/33.jpg

Kurtis, I would imagine you could heat that duct carefully by sliding it out, heat an area, slide it back in and press it against the front cover to get as tight a fit as possible, slide it out, heat, rinse & repeat until you get the desired effect... [yes this was a run-on sentence]

Now, if you want to do it the way I would & have, ;) trace a pattern onto 2 pieces of 1/2" plywood and cut them out. They should be flat on the bottom, convex on top when standing on edge. The curve in the wood should exactly match the curve of the case cover in the area of the duct cut out.
Now, using a piece of hard board or equivalent, screw it down tightly to your 2 patterned boards (keep them far enough apart to just let the duct pass between them). You could probably use 1/4" plywood if you make sure to turn the grain parallel to the bend. Cut a hole in the hardboard for the duct.

Place the duct in the hole, heat it up as much as needed and the wood form will allow you a sturdy jig to press the duct firmly against it while heating to get a tight fit.

When you get it shaped just slip it into the hole in the case and it should match very well.

Now w/ all that explaining, I could have built the jig in the same tine frame. :p


BTW: looks great. Nice attention to detail! :cool:

[Kurtis]

IYIENACE: Thanks for the feedback. I am considering just using some rubber U-molding in place of the flange, but I need to see if I like how that looks first. If I do not like how something looks, I won't use it, period :P I want this mod to be as perfect as my newbie skillz will let it be :D

[DaveX]

Originally posted by Kurtis
I started cutting out the hidden 3.5" bay area... Unfotunately for me, this part is connected to the motherboard tray, so it's a pain to cut it out... I made a little extra room for myself by cutting out the piece you can see in the 2nd picture...

I thought you just had to drill out the rivets from the hidden 3.5" bay?

[Kurtis]

nope, its actually part of the motherboard tray unfortunately... so it's a real hassle to get out... Still haven't gotten it all the way out yet, rivets are giving me hell...

[CrimandEvil]

Thats weird because I have no problem drilling the rivets out of my old Lanboy case. Now I just have to find some replacement rivets....

[Kurtis]

i don't have a drill i can fit inside the case and maneuver with though, just my dremel... perhaps if i get a right angle adapter and the right sized drill bit?

[Tanis143]

For the rivets at the top of the tray, use a cutting disk and very carefully use it to grind away the top part of the rivet. I had to do that. The back part of it though, is it actually a physical part of the mobo tray, or is it riveted as well? Im at work, otherwise I would download your pics and draw circles to what I mean.

[CrimandEvil]

Originally posted by Kurtis
i don't have a drill i can fit inside the case and maneuver with though, just my dremel... perhaps if i get a right angle adapter and the right sized drill bit?
Oh, I just use my dremel too. I thought they had one of those for it? :confused: I think I use the 1/8 bit one the ones with my case, can't look right now since I'm moving this around in my room and the bits are up away.

[Kurtis]

Originally posted by Tanis143
For the rivets at the top of the tray, use a cutting disk and very carefully use it to grind away the top part of the rivet. I had to do that. The back part of it though, is it actually a physical part of the mobo tray, or is it riveted as well? Im at work, otherwise I would download your pics and draw circles to what I mean.

I think you may be confused as to what rivets I am talking about... :P

I think I know what to do to get them out, I may finish cutting the case up tomorrow. But after all the stuff I've done to the inside, I'll probably have to sand her down, prime her, and then paint her... fun fun...

[Kurtis]

Alright... I got the rivets out today finally... Thanks to my new right angle adapter and drill bits for the dremel, it was easy :)

I will probably have some pictures tonight. Next step will be cutting out some of the front of the case and then to mount a plate there which I will be mounting the radiator onto later.

Once I get that plate in I will need to sand down the insides of the case, prime, and paint. I'm getting excited :D

[misfitsfiend]

is the single fan on those antec sonatas good at cooling? is the 2nd 120 mm fan reccommended? so 2 case fans are the most you can have in that case? nice review by the way!:D

[Kurtis]

the cooling in it was just okay before, that's part of why I am modding it :) I'm greatly improving airflow in the case, and it will still be quiet.

Funny thing is that by the time I finish, the inside of it won't even look like a Sonata lol... I just finished doing some steel cutting and now I've pretty much got all the cutting done I'll be doing...

Here's some more pics :D


Here you can see that I finally cut that piece loose from the mobo tray. It was a real pain to get out, and its still a little jagged edged, but its flat. I will be putting some rubber u-molding around the edge later to protect myself from getting cut. It will also make it look cleaner.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/44.jpg

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/45.jpg



Before I got to cutting the outside parts of the case, I wrapped up the nice black exterior with some painter's tape. Scotch tape would have done the job, but obviously it would have taken forever because its so skinny...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/46.jpg


This is where I marked before cutting the front of the case...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/47.jpg


Well, there's no turning back now, the front is destroyed... Next I'll have to mount a steel plate there for mounting the radiator on.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/48.jpg

[DaveX]

Looking sweet man! I plan on mounting a heatercore around the same place.

[LyL18]

Man, I cant wait to see the final product! looks sweet man

[1337m0dd3r]

looking good so far.

[Kurtis]

I'm working on the case more today, I got the front all cut out already, as you saw before, and today I cleaned it up a bit to make it look nicer. Now I am working on the steel plate I'll be mounting on the front in the holes place, so I can in turn mount the radiator. Also, I think I may be making the holes for the nice black powdercoated case handles provided by MNPCTech :)

I'll have more pics tonight

[Kurtis]

I didn't show very good pictures of the ugly inside of the front of the case before, but here you can see that I cleaned it up on the top and bottom of the hole on the inside. No more ugly half-circle holes from what I cut off earlier...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/49.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/50.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/51.jpg


Next I drew out exactly the shape of the plate I need to mount on the front of the case for me to mount the radiator on later... Looks funny, but you won't see it later anyways, and it has to be shaped funky like that to be able to close the case and to be sturdy as I would like it to be.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/52.jpg


Didn't take me long at all to cut this piece out once I had it all drawn out. Probably took 20 minutes to draw out, and 10 minutes to cut out...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/53.jpg

[Kurtis]

Ah, she fits!

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/54.jpg


Here's a look from the inside. This is just about what it will look like from the inside later, except it will be a little cleaner, and all the insides will be black.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/55.jpg


Here's an overall look at the inside of the case, it doesn't look much like a Sonata anymore does it? :D The bottom picture was taken from my review of the Sonata, back when it was intact. You can get an idea of how much of the case I ripped apart by comparing them :)

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/56.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/57.jpg

[Kurtis]

Put the front of the case back on to make sure the steel plate doesn't keep it from clipping into place... And it fits... -like a Guh-LUV!- (Ace Ventura :D)

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/58.jpg


Measured and marked the case for where I needed to cut the holes for the nice handles Bill from MNPCTech sent me (Thanks Bill).

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/59.jpg


One down, one to go.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/60.jpg


And.... it fits :) On to the next hole!

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/61.jpg


Ah both handles in! Its glorious. :cool:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/62.jpg


The next step will be drilling some holes through the top of the case to screw the handles into place permanently. But I'll be painting the whole inside of the case soon, so I won't leave it in permanently yet :)

This week will probably be a bit busy at school, so I'm not sure how much else I'll get done this week. Let me know what you guys think so far though :)

[misfitsfiend]

nice car :) an infiniti g35 sedan?

oh yeah, by the way, looking good i guess on the case, but i highly doubt you'll be able to tell it's a sonta by the time you're done with it.:p

[Kurtis]

Originally posted by misfitsfiend
nice car :) an infiniti g35 sedan?

oh yeah, by the way, looking good i guess on the case, but i highly doubt you'll be able to tell it's a sonta by the time you're done with it.:p

wow, how'd you make out what model car it is lol... you can barely see it in the pics... But yeah thats what it is :D

Lol, I hope you won't be able to tell it is a Sonata when I'm done :) That would make me happy lol :p

[CrimandEvil]

Damn thats looking nice! I've been thinking about getting those handles for some time now but they have always seemed rather expensive..but they do look nice and sturdy so I'll probably have to get some.

[Kurtis]

I recommend them... Very shallow, so won't be in the way, and they come with a template and everything you need to install them... And they look sweeeeet :)

[Kurtis]

I'm gonna go drill the holes for the handles now, hopefully the ryobi battery-powered turd of a drill i've got won't have any problems going through the steel :P

[Noah]

*edited* Keyboard is defective.

[tempo*]

nice work, looking forrd to seeing th final product

[Kurtis]

well my fear was semi-confirmed... I managed to get all of the holes drilled for ONE of the two handles, after charging the RYOBI twice...

While waiting for the drill to charge - AGAIN - I went ahead and screwed in one of the handles and did a lift test. Me likey handle :) Its perfect, and the case doesn't give a bit when I pick it up. Of course, it's empty right now, but hopefully that won't matter :P

I'll be drilling the other holes in a little bit after the drill charges up again... (tick tock tick tock...)

Did I mention this Ryobi drill is a piece of crap?

[Kurtis]

damnit, drilled 3 more holes and it died already... i'm gonna go buy a new drill lol...

[Atragon]

Corded drills are the bomb!

[Kurtis]

alrightey, i just got back from home depot, got myself a good corded DeWALT for ~ $60.00

This should do the job nicely :) (and future jobs of course)

[133]

what kind of tape is that you put over the case before you cut it ?

looks like masking tape, but that would be kinda sticky. I'm going to be doing a job on my old case soon and that tape looks like a good idea instead of just cutting up the case and accidently scratching it.

[eL c0L0mb1aNo]

Looking really good so far. Can't wait to see how this ends up.

[IYIENACE]

Originally posted by Kurtis
alrightey, i just got back from home depot, got myself a good corded DeWALT for ~ $60.00

This should do the job nicely :) (and future jobs of course)

Hurry up and get back to work! We are waiting.... ;)

[Kurtis]

I used a couple different types of tape, stickiness wasn't a problem with either. The big blue tape is 'painter's tape' and the other tape is just plain old scotch tape. I go crazy with tape just to make sure nothing gets scratched. You can never be too safe! :P

Well, I quickly drilled out the holes in the top of the case thanks to the new drill... Unfortunately there's a bar hanging right under where some of the holes were drilled towards thr front of the case... I chopped it up a little with the dremel to make room for the nut/bolt to screw the handle in, but I'm undecided as to whether to cut the thing out or just leave it... Taking it out would definitely look better (i think...) but i'm not sure what effect that will have on the sturdiness of the rails when i mount drives in the 5.25" bays... Suggestions?

Oh and um, I've got some more pics, nothing extremely exciting, but just some pics of the handles installed :)

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/65.jpg
New drill, MUCH better than the Ryobi :D


http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/66.jpg
Handles are installed now, yay....

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/67.jpg



See what I meant about the inside?

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/68.jpg

______________________
http://www.thetechlounge.com

[133]

sweet. thoes handles look DAMN good.

[Kurtis]

Well, I went back to the garage, mounted the steel plate (drilled holes and mounted), then dismounted and measured where the hole would be for the fan duct... then I drilled the holes for mounting the fan, and, well, then I mounted it with some rubber grommets and standard fan screws...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/69.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/70.jpg


Ah, check it out when I put the front of the case back on, looks pretty shwag I think :) Still gotta get the duct to fit the curve of the case, but that's not priority, I can do it later...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/71.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/72.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/73.jpg


I think next I will start filing down all the sharp edges of the inside of the case where I cut it up, and then sand it, then prime, prime, prime, paint, paint, paint. :P

I've got an exam on Thursday this week, so don't expect me to accomplish too much until this weekend.

Since so many of you are viewing my worklog, how bout some feedback? :P The view - feedback ratio is to high lol :D thanks for your support guys.
______________________
http://www.thetechlounge.com

[DaveX]

Very nice! It looks very sweet IMHO. Kind of looks like a submarine propeller type thing. Very nice job. Keep up the good work.

[IYIENACE]

I love the fan set up. I wish they would have come like that from Antec. :(

[Kurtis]

oh and remember that UV blue fan I put in that power supply in the start of the worklog... the fan in the front will be uv blue too :) should look verrrrry coooool :D :cool:

[Kurtis]

oops, forgot to ask... i've never painted a case before, actually i haven't had much experience with painting at all...

i have some primer and some paint, but i was wondering if anyone has any tips or suggestions for when i paint...

in other words, how many coats of primer, in cross cross pattern with each coat? will sanding after each coat give me glossy finish or flat, or what? should i make it glossy or flat finish on the inside?? feedback is VERY much appreciated here, b/c i don't know if I want the inside to be reflective like the outside or not... let me know what you all think please :)

[CrimandEvil]

Follow this guide. (http://linear1.org/gm/archives/00000156.php)
That fan looks awesome! I can't wait to see how those handles look when you take all that tape off!

[eric266]

I painted the inside of my case as shiny as I could get it, so the cathodes would reflect more. I painted in the following order:

Primer
Sand
Primer
Sand
Color
Sand
Color
Sand
Color
Clearcoat
Clearcoat

Though after the second clearcoat, a small area under where my mobo would go kind of bubbled up. I think I put too much clearcoat on :mad:.

It turned out pretty good overall, the reflection from the cathodes is good, but the paint isn't automotive quality. I prefer shiny, as do most small children and animals :p .

[CrimandEvil]

Forgot to ask- What color are you going to paint it? Are you just going to repaint it black?

[LyL18]

black black black!

You should sell this thing when your done! I bet you could make some major cash. Keep up the good work man

[ErrOnReq]

Yeah, he is painting it black.

[IYIENACE]

Originally posted by Kurtis
oh and remember that UV blue fan I put in that power supply in the start of the worklog... the fan in the front will be uv blue too :) should look verrrrry coooool :D :cool:

How about you send me that case front plate for a couple hours and I'll make a mold from it so it I can make one from carbon fiber for my 3700BQE ;) It should fit perfectly. :D

Hell I'll even make you one too. :p

[Kurtis]

lol sell it.... right :P

i've probably spent well over a hundred on this mod so far, not even counting all the stuff sponsors have sent :P

I dunno, when I'm done, I guess if people offer enough I might be tempted to :P

like erronreq said, i will be painting black

[darktiger]

Looking cool so far.

[Smititty]

mmmmmmmm......sexy........gives me ideas for my sonata

[Kurtis]

I think I might ask our buddy Bill from MNPCTech for some tips on the paintjob :) Seems he knows exactly what he's doing heh :P

Anyway, today I will probably file and sand the case a little bit on the inside to clean things up before painting, so I doubt I'll have any pictures for a few days when there is something interesting to take photos of :P

damn political science test tomorrow.... :mad:

[IYIENACE]

Originally posted by Kurtis
Anyway, today I will probably file and sand the case a little bit on the inside to clean things up before painting, so I doubt I'll have any pictures for a few days when there is something interesting to take photos of :P

damn political science test tomorrow.... :mad:

yeah yeah yeah...;) Quit dragging your feet and get that bad boy done! Krylon is your friend lol

[Kurtis]

LOL... I think I'm getting things done pretty quickly. A lot of people drag worklogs on for weeks and months even... I should be finished within 2 weeks of when I started I think :P I can't wait to see it done though, I'm getting more excited as I get further along :)

[Kurtis]

I just went to the garage and did some minor adjustments in various areas, and I cut the flange off of the fan duct. Looks like that will be the best way to make it fit the curve of the case. This will call for some bondo to make the fan duct look good :P

won't be working on the case any more today... have to study after dinner :(

[Kurtis]

test is done with, now i can get back to the sonata mod :D

[IYIENACE]

Originally posted by Kurtis
test is done with, now i can get back to the sonata mod :D


Bout' time! :)

[CrimandEvil]

Originally posted by Smititty
mmmmmmmm......sexy........gives me ideas for my sonata
Eeeewww! ;)

[Kurtis]

lol not sure I want to know what sort of special hole he's putting in the front of his Sonata ;)

[Kurtis]

k today I got some more work done on the Sonata... I cleaned up all the rest of the jagged edges, and then I realized I should take the shell of the case off...

What I mean is that I decided to remove the top/right/bottom of the case, which is all one piece of metal... this will give me better access to the insides of the case for painting, and I won't miss any spots. Of course, to put the case back together later, I'll be getting a rivet gun for TheTechLounge :P This will be useful in future mods as well of course :)

I also did a test run with the paint I got, and I think I'll be going to the store again tomorrow to get some better paint, Krylon specifically... I'll have some pics in a little bit, still working in the garage a little bit... Next post will have pics :)

[Kurtis]

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/74.jpg

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/75.jpg

There is DEFINITELY no turning back now :eek:

Next step will be painting everything as I said before. Not sure if I will sand down everything first or not, but I definitely need to spray it down and clean it with soap and water to get rid of all the debris on it...

Is anyone else as scared for my case as I am? :p

______________________
http://www.thetechlounge.com

[CrimandEvil]

I have to do that later myself. You'll want to sand it down just a bit so that the paint can "stick" to the frame better.

[IYIENACE]

Originally posted by Kurtis
There is DEFINITELY no turning back now :eek:


OMG what did you do man?!















j/k :D Don't be scared lol

[IYIENACE]

Originally posted by Kurtis
What I mean is that I decided to remove the top/right/bottom of the case, which is all one piece of metal... this will give me better access to the insides of the case for painting, and I won't miss any spots.

Both sides remove on the SLK3700 BQE :p
HDD cage is just riveted in too lol. :cool:

[sikopath]

major props for a awsome job and you aren't even done yet... Makes me want to go out and get a sonata and start chopping it up. :D :D :D

[Kurtis]

Originally posted by CrimandEvil
I have to do that later myself. You'll want to sand it down just a bit so that the paint can "stick" to the frame better.

i will be using primer... does primer need sanding first? My guess would be that the primer sticks fine without sanding... I'll do a test run of course to find out :p

______________________
http://www.thetechlounge.com

[Atragon]

AFAIK the sequence you want to use is is to sand the surfaces you're going to be painting, and then clean them, the sanding is to allow the paint to stick properly by roughing up the surface somewhat, the cleaning is to remove any foreign particles that could cause bumps or the paint to not stick properly.

Then you prime it with primer. Then you sand the primer, and then prime it again. This is to ensure a good coverage of primer.

Then IIRC, you sand the primer, and lay down your first coat of paint, then sand the paint, paint it again, sand it again, and paint it again. (For those keeping score, that's 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of paint). After this, you apply clearcoat to keep the paint from becomming damaged.

Of course, this is total overkill. :D

[Kurtis]

yeah it seems most of my project so far is all overkill stuff... ah well it will be worth it in the end... i hope... heh :)

[Atragon]

I've got a link to a good article about painting cases, I'll link it when I get home.

[Atragon]

I'm home and here's the link http://linear1.org/gm/archives/00000156.php

[Garage81]

Kurtis,

mod is looking great man, fun to follow along! I've got a hacked up Sonata (not nearly as major as yours, link is in my sig).

one weekend when I get some time and can live without my main rig, I'm gonna paint the inside, looking forward to seeing how you go about doing yours.

keep it up man, looking like its going to turn out really well.

-G

[Kurtis]

Atragon: yeah someone linked to that before, very helpful :)

Garage81: The link in your sig has two http:, just fyi. Your mod looks nice, good work on the window. Hopefully it will turn out really well :p The rivet gun we got makes me a lot more confident that I will be able to put everything back together when I am done... :)

Last night I filed, sanded, and washed (soap and water) the outer shell of the case that I removed. I let it dry outside overnight. Today I will be getting to work on priming and perhaps a little color coating :D Stay tuned hehe

[Kurtis]

Ok I have primed, painted, and clear-coated a spare piece of metal to test how the outcome will be... waiting for the clear-coat to dry right now, but so far it looks good :)

[Kurtis]

got a couple coats of paint on the shell today, nice and smooth but it doesn't quite look perfect yet. You can tell that my 'strokes' with the spray paint weren't all even. Some parts are more reflective than others, etc... I'll sand it down a little bit tomorrow and see if I can't get it just right :)

[Atragon]

What colour? Black, or other?

[Rakinos]

looking good so far, hope the paint job works out, and as always: MORE PICS :D

[Kurtis]

yeah black. I have some pics of the primer and stuff, but I won't post any more pics until I have at least the shell finished. :P So you'll just have to wait, muahaha

[Kurtis]

okay the shell will be done today. It's not going to be 'perfect' (in my eyes at least), but it looks good. Just putting on the clear coat now

[Kurtis]

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/76.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/77.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/78.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/80.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/81.jpg

[DaveX]

Looking good :cool:
I am so jealous of your good weather :(

[Kurtis]

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/82.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/83.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/84.jpg

Well that's the shell finished... you can see some obvious flaws in my paintjob... I'm not sure if this is due to my sanding before painting, or uneven coats of paint, or a combination... I don't know, but I'm not very happy with it :( Good news is most of it will be covered up by other stuff, so as long as it is black it will look good when the case is put back together...

Ah well... Now I have to paint the left panel and the rest of the stuff... If it rains in the next couple days I will probably work on finishing up the duct...

[ErrOnReq]

Thankfully it isn't as obvious in real life...

And if you look at it at the right angle (a very specific angle which is kinda upside down with no direct light...), you can't even tell it's messed up!!! :-P

[Kurtis]

shutup you! :p

had you painted it for me we wouldn't have this problem ;)

Actually... I was also painting outside and there was a lot of wind which was annoying as crap... I had to hold the spray can closer than I would have liked or else the paint was just airborn and did nothing... So I'll be moving operations into the garage :p

[CrimandEvil]

I was also painting outside and there was a lot of wind which was annoying as crap... I had to hold the spray can closer than I would have liked or else the paint was just airborn and did nothing... So I'll be moving operations into the garage
Yeah thats what it looks like. You'd should have waited for a day when it wasn't windy, <shrug> It was your first time right? It still looks pretty good then my first time if that makes you feel better :).
You might want to sand it and give it another try but if so find a place to do it. Some place well vental..ventail..(damn it) some place with open air like a garage (neigbor's, friend's, yours).

[Kurtis]

every day is windy... :(

But I'll be painting in the garage from now on... Maybe I'll redo the shell, I haven't decided yet... I know I don't want to though :p

[Monoman]

Hey Kurtis.


Nice work you got there. I am also in San Antonio. I have an idea that would look freaking cool IMO. If you went to a hobby shop and bought a model plane cone and glued it to the fan that would rock. I am contemplating doing that same to my case but I will need to find a tunnel thats clear or grey to match my current rig, Antec Super Lanboy. Also, I like the layout of you site. Keep up the work!

Later,

Mitch

[Kurtis]

Thanks. Yeah, Bill from MNPCTech does little cones on his fans usually, not sure if he steals plane model's nose cones or how he does it, but the effect is pretty sweet :)

[Kurtis]

painting the left panel and inside of the case (part I yanked out) in the garage now... damn it's hot in there! :P

[Kurtis]

i'm getting the same problem as with the shell on the rest of the stuff I paint too, even though I am doing it in the garage... And I didn't sand the other stuff like I did the shell... Wonder if it is this semi-flat krylon paint that is the problem? Perhaps a glossier one would go on smoother? I don't want a glossy look though... =\

[ErrOnReq]

Monoman: "Also, I like the layout of you site."

Thanks. It took quite some time to get it where it is now :-P

EDIT: BTW, what area of SA are you in?

[Monoman]

Originally posted by ErrOnReq
Monoman: "Also, I like the layout of you site."

Thanks. It took quite some time to get it where it is now :-P

EDIT: BTW, what area of SA are you in?


I'm in the Air Force stationed at Brooks. I run a LAN Party business on the side. Our site took a while to get developed but it was a great adventure.

[Kurtis]

LAN party business? How big are your facilities etc?

[Monoman]

Originally posted by Kurtis
LAN party business? How big are your facilities etc?


well, we are still insearch for the "one" but as of now they can hold 200+ occupants. the one we are working on now can hold in the upwards of 500 guests. wow, what a LAN that would make!

[Kurtis]

Can you actually get 500 people to go? That would be cool...

[Monoman]

Originally posted by Kurtis
Can you actually get 500 people to go? That would be cool...


now thats an entirely different story ;)

[Kurtis]

damnit.... it's raining today, really heavy too... so much for doing anything that has anything to do with painting today... :(

[SKiTLz]

Originally posted by Kurtis
damnit.... it's raining today, really heavy too... so much for doing anything that has anything to do with painting today... :(

you own a G35 in a nice sunny place with occasional rain.. Im living in a frozen over hell hole with -40 8months the year driving a focus...

I dont want to hear it... :D

EDIT: Ohh and the case is looking snazy.

[Kurtis]

lmao, I don't own the G35, my mom does :p although I do get to drive it :D

i just wanna finish my mod... stupid texas weather is crazy...

[Shinare]

You live in Texas? Yah I feel sorry for you too... cept not too bad since I live in Oklahoma. :)

[CrimandEvil]

Originally posted by Shinare
You live in Texas? Yah I feel sorry for you too... cept not too bad since I live in Oklahoma. :)
I grew up in Oklahoma! Hot as hell there now I live in Colorado and it's a bitch during winter. Weird things is is that I have a phobia about ice. :( LOL

[Kurtis]

lol ice phobia? do you always drink hot beverages? :D

[CrimandEvil]

lol :D
Ice as in the stuff that you can slip on then again you live in Texas so you might not be to familiar with the stuff. lol:D

[BIGG_RAY]

what kinda of CC is in that thing? ive been wanting to to that to mine too! hehe

[Kurtis]

in the psu there is just a UV led fan..

to light up the antec lettering i am using two blue meteor lights from www.atacom.com

this damn rain needs to go away so i can finish my mod!!! :(

[rogue_jedi]

nice looking case. keep us posted (like you weren't going to already...) as for painting, the garage works good. just make sure you close the door after you finish painting, so dirt doesn't blow on to the case. it sucks when that happens:(

good luck.

[Kurtis]

Originally posted by rogue_jedi
nice looking case. keep us posted (like you weren't going to already...) as for painting, the garage works good. just make sure you close the door after you finish painting, so dirt doesn't blow on to the case. it sucks when that happens:(

good luck.

thanks... i've been using the garage to paint everything but the shell, which is already done... unfortunately it's raining a lot last few days, so it's been too humid to paint :(

[malMethod]

hey kurtis, i feel ya on the weather today man, im in San Antonio as well. nice job on the sonata so far!

[Kurtis]

hopefully the weather doesn't suck this weekend... all I need to do is clear coats on the innards of the case now... And then I can bring it back inside, wire her up, etc etc... :)

I love TX but damnit the weather is so random :D

[Smititty]

Originally posted by Kurtis
hopefully the weather doesn't suck this weekend... all I need to do is clear coats on the innards of the case now... And then I can bring it back inside, wire her up, etc etc... :)

I love TX but damnit the weather is so random :D

hahaha.........screw mother nature........at the end of last month it was snowing......next day it was 65 or so......next day it snowed again......gotta love this lake effect............oh yea, still lovin the mods........i gotta get off my ass and do something to my sonata!

[Kurtis]

k today i did a quick clear coat on the innards...

Next step is going to be making the front panel look nice with the fan duct installed (using automotive filler similar to bondo... then vinyl dye spray i guess...)

Good thing about the inside paint job is that it doesn't have to be perfect for my purposes. Especially considering I have no window in my case, and don't want one :p As long as it is black it should look really nice. I just hope its durable and doesn't all get accidentally scraped off during normal hardware installation etc :p

[Rakinos]

remember not to make the inside coat too thick, otherwise you will scrape it off when putting stuff in.

[Kurtis]

its not that thick, i just did a quick double-pass criss cross style on all the innards with the clear

[ForeverUnknown]

where are those handles from?

[Kurtis]

www.mnpctech.com

I'm going to post pictures in a minute... I got everything painted and riveted back together now...

[133]

on that site i was looking at that desert camo comp mod, and i would like to know if you did that work?

if so, how did u make that vent on the side by the drive bays, it looks really nice and i might want to do something like that. (make a vent)

[ForeverUnknown]

thanks kurtis

[Kurtis]

Originally posted by 133
on that site i was looking at that desert camo comp mod, and i would like to know if you did that work?

if so, how did u make that vent on the side by the drive bays, it looks really nice and i might want to do something like that. (make a vent)

no no no, that is Bill Owen's work. That is just where I got the handles. You can get fan ducts from him, modders mesh, handles, some switches... Or you can just tell him what you want and give him money to mod for you :p

[133]

ah sry, i should have read the posts above.

[codeflux]

Originally posted by Kurtis
lmao, I don't own the G35, my mom does :p although I do get to drive it :D
hehehe... i own mine. :)

[Kurtis]

lol feel free to rub it in ;)

[Kurtis]

okay, TODAY i am going to post pictures... i promise :)

[LyL18]

You better.

[Kurtis]

As promised, here are some more pictures :)

Front of case (even though you will never see it) now matches exterior as you can see:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/85.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/86.jpg

oo, the back of the case matches too now :)
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/87.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/88.jpg

[Kurtis]

This is what the case handles look like minus the painters tape:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/89.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/90.jpg

Left panel:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/91.jpg

Case interior:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/92.jpg
(no, that isn't bare metal in the more whitish areas, it just needs to be cleaned a little)

Feedback is appreciated as always :)

[Mikesta]

Originally posted by Kurtis
This is what the case handles look like minus the painters tape:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/89.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/90.jpg

Left panel:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/91.jpg

Case interior:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/92.jpg
(no, that isn't bare metal in the more whitish areas, it just needs to be cleaned a little)

Feedback is appreciated as always :)

Where do you buy those case handles from, I've been looking for them for almost forever....

[Kurtis]

u guys don't like to read do ya... like five of you have asked me that lol... and i've answered every time.

www.mnpctech.com sells them, and some other nifty stuff

[Mikesta]

er, sorry about that man.. ;)

[CrimandEvil]

Very nice! What are you modding next? Did you finish the new HD cage? I guess I'm going to have to paint the inside of my case Satin Black.

[Kurtis]

i think next i will be building a totally custom case out of aluminum, but i'm still not done with this one :p

[IYIENACE]

Stealth! Looking good.

Where's the front and when can I borrow it? ;) :D

[Kurtis]

i haven't completed the duct yet. Still gotta fashion it into place, then prime/paint the front panel if necessary.

sure you can borrow it, when i die ;)

[IYIENACE]

Originally posted by Kurtis
sure you can borrow it, when i die ;)

:eek:

Hmmm "when I die"....
I guess it depends on how good it turns out. ;)








What part of San Antonio do you live btw? :p

[Kurtis]

ehhh.

/me takes screenshot of last few posts, prints, puts in safety deposit box....

don't even think about it mister!

[Kurtis]

sorry i haven't updated in a while guys... i've been tinkering inside with water cooling etc, and i have decided to watercool my video card as well. i will work on the duct this weekend, and im waiting for some various stuff to get here (sleeving etc)

[rogue_jedi]

don't worry... take your time and don't screw it up. my impatience gets me on just about every single one of my mods, except for the 5 minute ones. don't let it get you!

looks good so far tho. nice paint job - i have to paint my lianli my brother gave me (w00t for me, he's getting a clear case sometime in the future) and i think i'll paint the inside as well as the outside, mainly due to how cool this mod looks:D

gj

[Kurtis]

i'll be getting some more stuff i need for the mod on monday from the UPS man...

[carlson]

take your time, i'm still looking at myself in the reflection of your paintjob, even though its an image that doesnt reflect, its that good of a paintjob

[Kurtis]

i got the flange of the duct attached to the front of the case now, just waiting for it to cure so i can work on the rest of the duct (bondo, etc...) ill have pics by this weekend :)

[freakycody]

By chance could we get a pick of the handle setup(bottom side). Did u end up adding more support for those handles to take the weight of it all or did u just bolt them to the top panel? I am a little worried that it may not be able to hold the wieght if they are bolted just to the panel. A pic would be great, cause i plan to do the same to my case. Sorry for the stupid questions, just curious. Thanks

[Kurtis]

its just bolted to the top panel. As long as you do it close enough to the edges, the panel will be plenty strong. If you do a case handle in the middle of the top panel, that's where you have to start worrying.

[freakycody]

awesome, thanks for the feedback

NICE WORK BY THE WAY!!

[Garage81]

Kurtis,

whered you get those handles?

</kidding>

give us some more pics,

[Kurtis]

im working on the duct right now. i might have some pics tonight, if not ill have some tomorrow.

[Kurtis]

okay... this is what i've been up to...

i was messing with my water cooling stuff, and decided to watercool my fx5950u. So I installed the GPU block as you can see here. I also ordered some tweakmonster ramsinks for it (i have them now, but not installed yet...)

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/93.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/94.jpg

I used some plumber's goop to attach the duct flange to the front of the case... I let it cure for 24 hours before proceeding to the next step.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/95.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/98.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/100.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/102.jpg

here's the rest of the duct, after being cut to necessary length, sanded nice and smooth, and cleaned with soap and water...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/103.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/104.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/108.jpg

[Kurtis]

Next I used some more Plumber's Goop to attach the duct to the flange. I will be using some bondo next, but i needed it to be attached (at least i think i needed it to be :D)

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/110.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/111.jpg

I'm letting that cure overnight and maybe I'll mess with it some tomorrow, but probably I will wait until Thursday to do anything else to the duct, as it is supposed to cure for 24-72 hours.

[133]

Dude! that mod is looking badass.

What kinda fan are you going to mount behind that duct?

NICE work !

[CrimandEvil]

Dude! Thats some great work! Makes me want to go back and mod my case right now. Everything looks stock too!

[BMCreider]

Ya like he said, that inspires me to mod my case more lol but I dunno what to do...

[CrimandEvil]

Mmmmm..fan duct <drool>

[ErrOnReq]

Originally posted by 133
Dude! that mod is looking badass.

What kinda fan are you going to mount behind that duct?

NICE work !

It will be a UV Blue 120mm fan... Not sure of the exact model.

[DRJ1014]

hey where do you live :D jk

WONDERFUL. im gunna be painting my case pretty soon. what type of paint did you use. i was going to use car paint.

[Kurtis]

it is a Galaxy UV Blue 120MM fan. The color theme for this case is blue. I was thinking of doing all green to match with our logo (see www.thetechlounge.com), but i don't think most green cathodes and stuff look very nice :P I would have needed more limish green color cathodes and stuff to be happy with it :)

So yeah, uv blue 120mm fan :)

the paint I used was black krylon. I just used semi-flat, because i didn't want the inside to be reflective. I know pretty much zippo about painting though, so use whatever you think will work I guess as long as it is name brand quality stuff :) Oh and of course I used steel primer for the steel parts first.

[DaveX]

Looking better and better. :D

[Kurtis]

Originally posted by DaveX
Looking better and better. :D

thx man. i appreciate all the feedback you guys are giving. :)

[DRJ1014]

Originally posted by DRJ1014
hey where do you live :D jk

WONDERFUL. im gunna be painting my case pretty soon. what type of paint did you use. i was going to use car paint.

[Kurtis]

Originally posted by Kurtis
the paint I used was black krylon. I just used semi-flat, because i didn't want the inside to be reflective. I know pretty much zippo about painting though, so use whatever you think will work I guess as long as it is name brand quality stuff :) Oh and of course I used steel primer for the steel parts first.

[DRJ1014]

oh gotcha

[Kurtis]

okay i just looked at the duct, and it looks good so far :) The plumber's goop is holding very well, so the duct is already firmly attached. Now I just need to sand down the plumbers goop (hopefully it can be sanded), and then start working with the bondo... :D

[Kurtis]

k today i primed/painted the pci slots, pci brackets for sound card / video card, and power supply... I just hated having everything black, and then some ugly gray stuff in the back... Now everything on the back of the case will pretty much be black, and inside the case the PSU will also be black. :)

I probably won't paint my cd drive (the shell that u can see from inside case), but we'll see :)

[Kurtis]

quick update... the PSU is painted, PSI brackets are all painted (even the ones for the video card and sound card), got most of the stuff i need to finish the mod... now i just need to finish it.

Unfortunately next week is the last week of school before final exams, so I don't think I will be doing much on the mod over the next couple weeks. We'll see though, I don't like studying very much :D

[Finsta]

Kurtis, new pics please...

[Neurotic-Turtle]

That looks pretty badass so far. Good job :)

[Kurtis]

is the forum back up for good now? i've got a couple updates ready to post :)

[DaveX]

Post away :cool:

[Kurtis]

Today I finally got back to work on the mod, after much procrastinating.

So far today I have finished cutting the needed acrylic pieces (for covering ANTEC stampouts), re-primed and painted the front steel plate that the radiator will mount onto (still have to do possibly couple more coats and clear coat then rivet it into place on the case...), and I started using Bondo on the front of the case. I will have pictures up tonight of my progress, but I'm just taking a short break right now :)

[Kurtis]

first layer of bondo... i had to peel off a little bit towards the end as you may be able to tell, because it started setting on me... this stuff sets pretty quick, that or i'm just slow

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/118.jpg


bondo layer # 2, i didn't learn my lesson and the left side started setting while i put it on...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/119.jpg


so with the aid of some sandpaper and my handy dremel with a grinding stone attachment, i smoothed it out pretty well.... not totally done smoothing it out, but getting close...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/120.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/121.jpg


i also decided the door of my case had a horrible paintjob thanks to myself... so i sanded it down, cleaned with soap and water, and primed it today. No, i'm not repainting the outside, just the inside.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/122.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/123.jpg

[Kurtis]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that before doing the bondo on the front of the case, I had to trim away the excess plumbers goop with the aid of my Dremel and a grinding stone

[Kurtis]

and here's some more pics :)

With the front plate (radiator will mount onto it) re-painted, I went ahead and riveted it in place and installed some fan grommets and the fan + a black atomic fan grill

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/124.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/125.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/126.jpg


And then I decided to try on the front of the case just to make sure everything still fits like it is supposed to... Well, it fit perfectly! Obviously the front of the case isn't finished as it is not very pretty right now, but you can get an idea of the overall effect...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/127.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/128.jpg


So what do ya'll think of the front so far? Does the black grill look good/bad? Any suggestions or anything are welcome. :)

[DaveX]

Looking good :cool:

[Kurtis]

more feedback would be good before its too late to consider what any of you suggest :p

[DRJ1014]

i dont quit get what that stuff is around the fan duct.

[sirboxalot]

It's bondo... it'll be painted black, its just to cover up cracks in between his duct and the bezel.

[DRJ1014]

aww got it.

turning out nice (i can picture it now)

[Kurtis]

It's bondo... it'll be painted black, its just to cover up cracks in between his duct and the bezel.

actually, it isn't to cover up cracks, though bondo would be useful in that situation as well...

i didn't like how the lip of the duct looked, and being that i had to cut the flange off my duct and conform it to the front of the case, then attach the duct to the flange from the backside of the front panel, i needed something done about the looks...

bondo is being used to make the front look better. i didn't like how the lip looked before, and the part where the duct meets the flange is not very pretty either, so the bondo is being used to cover up the internal structure basically of the fan duct to create a new, prettier one :)

(by the way, if that is what you meant by 'cracks,' my bad :P )

[ErrOnReq]

yeah, I'm pretty sure he was referring to the drop-off of the lip which isn't perfectly flat against the front of the case. The bondo was used to fill that "drop-off" or "crack."

[Kurtis]

but yeah, i was going to have to use bondo on the inside of the duct anyways, where the duct meets the lip, and i think in reality i had to extend to the area beyond the lip for it to look right on the inside anyways... i duno, but i think it should come out nice, with lots, and lots, and lots of sanding... :p

[sirboxalot]

Crack, lip, whatever. Loving the case, Kurtis :D

[twistedps]

great job kurtis, looking forward to the final product!!
makes me wanna go out and cut apart my case lol

[Kurtis]

great job kurtis, looking forward to the final product!!
makes me wanna go out and cut apart my case lol

well if it makes you feel more comfortable cutting your case up... i have no clue what i am doing. this is my first mod ever, so every single thing i have done pretty much is my 1st time doing it. and it's coming out pretty well i think, so hey if i can do it so can you! :)

[misfitsfiend]

to be honest, that grill kinda looks like the star of david, but i don't know, maybe just my eyes...

[Kurtis]

to be honest, that grill kinda looks like the star of david, but i don't know, maybe just my eyes...

yeah i thought the same thing thats why i asked... couple people on other forums have said the same thing lol. i will probably swap out the grill for a different one, or not use one at all, or something... im not sure... open to suggestions though. i just want to make sure that the blue from the fan is still very visible

[DaveX]

yeah i thought the same thing thats why i asked... couple people on other forums have said the same thing lol. i will probably swap out the grill for a different one, or not use one at all, or something... im not sure... open to suggestions though. i just want to make sure that the blue from the fan is still very visible

I never mentioned it because I assumed you were Jewish...doesn't look bad at all though. You can see the blue light from the fan very visibly.

[Kurtis]

yeah but im not even very religious, let alone jewish, so it's sorta stupid looking to me :p

i duno, ill do some experimenting and see what i like.

[carlson]

yeah but im not even very religious, let alone jewish

what's that 'let alone jewish' mean you got somethin against jews?

I'm just messin with ya.
Take your time I kno this mod is gonna be worth the wait.

[Kurtis]

what's that 'let alone jewish' mean you got somethin against jews?

I'm just messin with ya.
Take your time I kno this mod is gonna be worth the wait.

lol smart ass. :P thx again for the feedback

[DRJ1014]

to be honest, that grill kinda looks like the star of david, but i don't know, maybe just my eyes...

it does. but is there 2 different fan grills? the first couple of pic looks like its a heat with a circle because there rounded and not pointy. may just be the angle

[Kurtis]

its the same grill, but the fan duct covers the outer part of it. it is an atomic fan grill (supposed to look sorta like an atom) but the outer parts are covered. go back and look at the pics and you can see what i mean.

[FX25]

i would go with the whole no fan grill idea, i like the idea of an open space in the front of your case.

[ErrOnReq]

i would go with the whole no fan grill idea, i like the idea of an open space in the front of your case.

same here

[Tanis143]

The open hole idea is cool, just hope you dont have any young kids/pets that can get fingers/paws inside it :)

[Kurtis]

i've got a couple small dogs, but if they stick anything in the fan duct they probably wouldn't do it a second time :p

[CrimandEvil]

Thats some good work, I just started using some Bondo today.

[bored-sarcasm]

that's godly. i was looking at sonatas but decided against it due to the lack of, in my opinon decent cooling.

but you're doing an awesome job.

[Kurtis]

that's godly. i was looking at sonatas but decided against it due to the lack of, in my opinon decent cooling.

but you're doing an awesome job.

well it will have some nice cooling when i'm done with it :)

[Kurtis]

quick update: I started working on mounting the radiator yesterday and it proved to be more difficult than i had initially figured...

I got two CoolWorks black Mini Cool Shrouds, and installing these shrouds on my Innovatek radiator required a little extra work. Firstly, I had to go out and purchase two packs of 2.5" long machine screws with Dia. #10-24 (I'll show pics of them later, I was able to find them at Wal-Mart while picking up some more spray paint). Next, I had to drill the holes in my 120mm fans slightly larger using my Dewalt drill at low speeds with a 3/16" drill bit. The reason I had to do this is that otherwise I would have to screws through the fan (on both sides) and then the radiator fan mount to remove the radiator or fans... That would obviously be extremely difficult to do. By drilling the holes in the fans slightly larger, it allows the machine screws to pass through pretty easily and then you just have to screw into the radiator housing. It's amazing how huge this thing is with the shrouds and fans attached...

anyways, i'll post more later with pics and stuff :)

[Kurtis]

well i hit a little bit of a speedbump the other night... after i got the radiator mounted i went ahead and started installing the cpu water block and vga water block etc... I was getting tired by this time wasn't being very cautious... So while i was uninstalling the vantec aeroflow i had on my processor, I pushed down a little too hard apparently because I heard the motherboard make a slight noise as it flexed. It did not crack, but once I had everything set back up with watercooling installed, one of the ethernet ports stopped working (it has 2), and a couple of the USB ports stopped working, and then my PS2 (mouse) port stopped functioning. I'm not sure if everything else on the board is fine, but since a couple things are damaged, I will be replacing it.

This is not by any means the worst thing in the world, the board I will use in the DFI KT400A's place is Chaintech's SKT600 (i think thats what i will use at least...). Here's a pic of it: http://www.chaintechusa.com/tw/images/Products/Motherboard/SKT600_L.jpg

As you can see, the board is all black and it doesn't have the glowing orange and green connectors on it like the DFI board, so it will actually match my mod better...

Anyways, I haven't stopped working on the mod. So far today I have worked more on the front of the case (bondo work) and I have already sanded down the door of the case again and then did the 2nd coat of black. By the end of this weekend I *hope* to finish the bondo work on the front of the case, and with painting the door of the case. My computer is down for the moment obviously, so I'm not sure if I will post pics sooner rather than later. If there is an overwhelming response then I guess probably i will post them sooner :P

[Falls Included]

sooner

[Kurtis]

another quick update before i go to bed... sine my last update i have done some more bondo work on the front of the case, and I have wetsanded and done a 3rd coat of black on the door of the case. The paintjob is way better this time around, and you can see your reflection in it. Once I wetsand it again and then do some clear coats + sanding between clear coats, it should look really nice. If it comes out as nicely as I am hoping, I will repaint the rest of the case :)

I'm taking pics as I progress, but I won't post them until later. I'll keep ya'll updated... :)

[eL c0L0mb1aNo]

well i hit a little bit of a speedbump the other night... after i got the radiator mounted i went ahead and started installing the cpu water block and vga water block etc... I was getting tired by this time wasn't being very cautious... So while i was uninstalling the vantec aeroflow i had on my processor, I pushed down a little too hard apparently because I heard the motherboard make a slight noise as it flexed. It did not crack, but once I had everything set back up with watercooling installed, one of the ethernet ports stopped working (it has 2), and a couple of the USB ports stopped working, and then my PS2 (mouse) port stopped functioning. I'm not sure if everything else on the board is fine, but since a couple things are damaged, I will be replacing it.

This is not by any means the worst thing in the world, the board I will use in the DFI KT400A's place is Chaintech's SKT600 (i think thats what i will use at least...). Here's a pic of it: http://www.chaintechusa.com/tw/images/Products/Motherboard/SKT600_L.jpg

As you can see, the board is all black and it doesn't have the glowing orange and green connectors on it like the DFI board, so it will actually match my mod better...

Anyways, I haven't stopped working on the mod. So far today I have worked more on the front of the case (bondo work) and I have already sanded down the door of the case again and then did the 2nd coat of black. By the end of this weekend I *hope* to finish the bondo work on the front of the case, and with painting the door of the case. My computer is down for the moment obviously, so I'm not sure if I will post pics sooner rather than later. If there is an overwhelming response then I guess probably i will post them sooner :P

*overwhelming response* ;)

[Kurtis]

okay, well today i wetsanded the door of the case, and little did i know that 320 grit sandpaper wasn't fine enough for a final sanding of the last coat lol... So I had to go ahead and put another coat on it, and then tomorrow I will probably go get some 2000 grit paper or something to sand with before working on the clear coats.

I also put some more bondo on the front of the case, and now it is pretty much done. I just need to sand some more and then get some bondo spot filler, then sand a little more again, then it will be time for priming and painting it.

after i played with the bondo, i emptied everything out of my computer and then took the case outside, drilled out the rivets, and now i need to sand down, soap/water rinse, and then prime the rest of the case.

It is a possibility that this time around I will repaint the outside of the case, as I have nicked it a little here and there over time. But I won't do the outside of the case unless the door of the case comes out amazing, because obviously i don't want to downgrade to a crappier paintjob on the exterior :)

anyways, here are some pics:


you can see in these pics the bondo i put on the fan duct. took me a few hours to sand that down nice and smooth in there...

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/129.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/130.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/131.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/132.jpg


Here you can see where I went and added more bondo to the left side so i can feather out the edge nicely. You can also see that I smoothed out the inner fan duct nicely and even rounded the edge where the duct meets what used to be the flange.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/134.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/135.jpg


And here you can see the door of the case, with four coats of glossy Krylon. I just need to do some clear coats and stuff on it now.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/136.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/137.jpg

These pictures should help you compare to the old paintjob... you cant tell how bad the door is in the pic, but it was worst than the paintjob in the bottom pic...
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/91.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/articles/antec_sonata_mod/worklog/82.jpg

i'd say the paintjob is just a teeny bit better wouldn't you? by the way, any guesses what i had for breakfast today? :D

[rogue_jedi]

not... doughnuts??? :eek:

i wish i'd had some krispy kremes for breakfast. instead, i had nothing. o well, i guess waking up at 11 tends to limit breakfasts.

mod looks good so far.

[Kurtis]

not... doughnuts??? :eek:

i wish i'd had some krispy kremes for breakfast. instead, i had nothing. o well, i guess waking up at 11 tends to limit breakfasts.

mod looks good so far.

make no mistake, i woke up at like 1PM... but then i drove to a local krispy kreme and grabbed a dozen in the drive-thru :)

anyways, i don't want to derail my worklog with rants about yummy donuts, so lets get back on-topic :D

[bored-sarcasm]

/commencethreadjack

so i was at my local 7-11 the other day, and i asked where the krispy kreams were. the lady told me they stopped selling them. :eek:

/terminatethreadjack

[Kurtis]

i guess these progress pics of the bondo are sort of boring, i will try to get some more cool pics soon :)

[jayjaya29]

Wow, this case mod is coming out sweet. I love the black-case theme. Keep up the good work.

[Tanis143]

I myself have come to hate bondo with a passion. After working on my own mods "No pictures yet, will post once finish with paintjob" I now have bondo dust in my nose, eye's, and other places. My hands a pink color *moreso than thier usual pale white color* and now the floppy drive cover popped lose so all the bondo'ing I did to hide it has to be redone :(

So, once I get home tonight I have to rebondo it, dry, and sand, hopefully by Thurs/Fri I will be able to prime/paint my front and top, then start working on my side panels. To get a hint at what Im doing, this is what the front used to look like:

http://www.wildstar.net/~erosbot/casefull/newside05.jpg

The top floppy drive will be fixed and covered over so it wont be visable, same with the small square at the bottom. And the little symbols above the lights and reset switch are sanded off as well.

Anyways, not to thread jack, your mod's comming along great! And for the amount of bondo work you're doing, I feel yer pain :)

[Kurtis]

hm, my hands haven't changed colors or anything like that... ive inhaled a bit of bondo, sure, but nothing too bad :p

i really like working with bondo now... i was scared going into it b/c i hadn't done it before, and that is partly why i took so long to get myself to start doing the bondo, but it is so versatile, you can do anything with it... i love this stuff. :) i hate sanding it, but i love working with it other than that :D

[Jordie]

Bondo is an amazingly useful tool when used properly.

Perhaps you should practice more before using it in such a permenant project.
Here's a hint, don't sand the bondo too much. Make sure you're giving the bondo enough surface area to 'grab' onto.
If you're using bondo on a large area I suggest the type with fiberglass strands.

As for dust in your nose, I suggest a dust mask.
For your hands going pink, latex gloves. This dust on your hands isn't all that great as it acts like talcum powder, drying out your hands and making them very rough. (Trust me, my lady knows. :p )
As for the dust getting other places perhaps you whould wear better clothing.


Cheers and good luck on your future projects!

[Kurtis]

Well, brian thought of a cool name for the mod he's about to start a worklog for, and i decided i should name mine... after a bit of thinking, i decided i wanted to call mine Project Serenity because the whole point of my mod is basically to make it cool better but most importantly to remain silent... I even made a nifty graphic:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/Project%20Serenity%20small.jpg

let me know what ya'll think :)

[CBR]

I've been watching this worklog since you began. I just joined though. Forgetful me forgot to join. :p


Great work on your mod. I've never liked the way a Sonata looked, but you've turned it into a masterpiece. I love the black frame for your case. Makes me wanna tear apart my computer and mod the hell out of it.


Oh and uh, you got any krispy kremes left? :D