Project: Mach 1

[AmdBoy]

so, Is tarted working on my case mod today. I'm using two cases I liberated from work that they were going to throw and and I'm putting them together. I'm going to have my prometeia mach 1 cooler on one side of the case, and on the other side i'll have my motherboard and all that stuff. This is the work I've done so far. This is my first ever mod

Suggestions are welcome

here is what Is tarted out with

and now a different angle

witht he shell taken off ( the motherboard isn't what i'm gonna use)

the internals stripped

my prometeia next to the case. I'm going ot gut the prometei and mount it inside the case

a shot of how I riveted the cases together, I wanted to weld it together, but I don't have access to one

edit : gave my project a name, will change if its been done before.
edit2: changed picture host

 

[AmdBoy]

some more rivet shots

front of the case with both cases attached finally

back of the case

side shot

I realized I made a mistake at this point, I put the cases on the opposite sides they were supposed to be. I have to transplant the cage back into the other side now. I'm an idiot

with the shell back on for a test fit

another angle

and finally the top. I'm going to do some bracing to make the top stronger and have it connected. It hi nk I'm going ot have to bring this somewhere ot get welded togehter.

 

[AlexStenka]

what are you gone do with 2 case frames?

 

[EnderW]

what are you gone do with 2 case frames?

that's what I was thinking


I'd rather have 1 nice case than 2 shitty ones welded together, no offense

 

[bobsaget]

Cool idea...

Now lets make that contraption look better!

 

[AmdBoy]

what are you gone do with 2 case frames?

that's what I was thinking


I'd rather have 1 nice case than 2 shitty ones welded together, no offense

perhaps if you read the writing instead of jsut looking at the pictures you would know

I'm using two cases becuase I'm going to have my prometei mach 1 cooler in one of the cases and my motherboard and all that on the other side.

 

[aleckz]

that's what I was thinking


I'd rather have 1 nice case than 2 shitty ones welded together, no offense

im sorry i thought it was hilarious.

 

[SarverSystems]

Instead of lame comments, I'm gonna offer soem advice.

Instead of welding the 2 top panels together, why not have a new one made that covers the top of both cases? A simple metal brake, a few measurements, and a piece of sheetmetal the correct size, and you'd have a MUCH nicer looking top.

How do you plan to do the fronts of the cases?

I really like the idea of riveting them together like that. I never really thought of that.

 

[SarverSystems]

Just thought of soemthing.

You got 2 extra side doors now. Why not use one to make the top out of?

 

[sdk]

my prometeia next to the case. I'm going ot gut the prometei and mount it inside the case


hes putting his promet in one of them

 

[AmdBoy]

Just thought of soemthing.

You got 2 extra side doors now. Why not use one to make the top out of?

I never thoughtof that. only problem will be securing the side panels then, becuase they won't be able to slide into the top.

 

[3N1GM4]

maybe this belongs in the project logs section

 

[Timmee]

I thought about doing something like this, and am looking forward to see how this turns out..

 

[dj_2004]

shouldnt look that bad after its painted

 

[ShaolinDragon]

I too would prefer 1 roomy case than 2 cheap cases, but it is still a good idea. If you can, you could go anywhere where they do car repairs and ask them to weld it for you. Shouldn't take too long.

 

[scottatwittenberg]

i have stack of those same cases at work..

 

[1st Sgt. Burke]

Nice idea. As a fellow noob Im looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

[DR_K13]

cools like a cool idea

 

[XeRo_Dark]

dood if you TIG weld it or if you mig weld it then sand it down it will look good, just as long as you know how to weld just make sure in anycase if you weld it to grind your welds down so they lay flush with the rest of the surface. if your concidering doing that, after you weld them togather bondo that sucker up and get it to lay flat and give u a good finish after you paint it

 

[thevampirelord66]

i think this case will be awesome to be honest. All it needs is a little TLC to shine it up and maybe make one hugh door that covers both cases rather than putting 2 on there.

 

[Deadlierchair]

What about some of that JB Weld stuff all around there where the connections are made between the case? If you did that you could then sand it and make it look pretty again.

One question...how do those drives go in? If they slide in and then need to be screwed in from both side you may have a little bit of a problem.

 

[MikeP]

Bah...you can just screw one side in. We do it at work all the time.

I like it so far. Could turn out really nice. K eep the pics coming. We will be watching.

 

[apHytHiaTe]

This is a pretty inspiring case mod idea. Sure, its been done many times before, but it is gonna be awesome. Most of the ones I have seen never finish it... Git-R-Done, AMDBoy!

I really think there is a problem in some of you guys' thinking... telling him to get a nice computer case instead of making his own! Taking utter crap and making it look awesome and new is the essence of modding. LianLi's and the like are great, but cutting out a couple of fans and making a window is not exactly a crazy mod idea. I though modding was for the poor guy, who couldn't afford all the fancy sh!t, so he made his own, and made it better.

/me steps down from soapbox

Good luck with the mod, man! (or woman, I dunno)

 

[Sobek]

How do you plan to do the fronts of the cases?

I was thinking the same thing. You need to put the front panels back on and see if you are going to have to cut out a small section where they connect and then Bondo them later on.

 

[AmdBoy]

updated pictures


Prometeia stripped out of its frame

prometeia in the case for a test fit

edit: I'm not keeping the prometeia in there like that, I need to cut some holes and stuff yet.

 

[mr.dearthian]

Since the gap is so narrow on the top, how about Bondo, sand, and paint?

I personally like the idea of making 2 fugly cases into 1 good looking, functional one. It's the CHALLENGE that makes it worthy.

Keep at it and keep us updated!

Mr.Dearthian

 

[mr.dearthian]

This is a pretty inspiring case mod idea. Sure, its been done many times before, but it is gonna be awesome. Most of the ones I have seen never finish it... Git-R-Done, AMDBoy!

I really think there is a problem in some of you guys' thinking... telling him to get a nice computer case instead of making his own! Taking utter crap and making it look awesome and new is the essence of modding. LianLi's and the like are great, but cutting out a couple of fans and making a window is not exactly a crazy mod idea. I though modding was for the poor guy, who couldn't afford all the fancy sh!t, so he made his own, and made it better.

/me steps down from soapbox

Good luck with the mod, man! (or woman, I dunno)

Can I get an, "Amen" brother?!

Mr.Dearthian

 

[palindrome]

This is an awsome mod!

 

[BuBBa]

Just a thought, but you might think of putting one of the side pannels back on to seal the promie in away from your componants or else you might run into a problem with a massive ambient case temp...

Could use a sheet of acrylic between the two cases if you are putting a window on the side to see though to your system...


I don't know how much heat the promie throws off, but I'm sure it's enough to cause you problems if it's getting dumped into the system part of your case...

 

[apHytHiaTe]

If you want to have a window showing your mobo and stuff, why dont you put the prommie on the right case and run the hose up under the left case's mobo tray... do u get what im saying. well whatever u do, it will rock. Good luck.

 

[AggroJosh]

2 cases + bondo * Sandpaper = teh win

Ive always liked teh idea of these, but have never seen one pulled off right. it shouldnt look like 2 cases :-/

bondo the top and make a new bezel and it would look 100x than the others

 

[dropper]

My thought on the two halves, is to get a piano hinge and put it between the two, maybe make it so that the sides can "gull-wing" to open up.

Keith

 

[eViL_M@LuM]

My thought on the two halves, is to get a piano hinge and put it between the two, maybe make it so that the sides can "gull-wing" to open up.

Keith

I know a guy that did this. He took two antec cases and made a really nice setup. If I can get pics off him. I will post em

 

[itx]

What area are you in AmdBoy? If you're anywhere near the Detroit area I could weld it up for ya pretty easy.... Once the weld is ground flat to match it would look pretty good....

Although I like the idea of the gullwing as well

 

[brutimus]

dangit....yeah i had just thought of that 'gull wing' idea, and was scrolling to the bottom to suggest that...then saw the previous comments......anywho, yeah i agree as well..i think that would be a cool idea...especially if somehow you could put a couple cross braces on the inside of each side panal to sturdy then up a bit..and then maybe get yourself ahold of some little hydraulic type things (like the things that are on the flip up type rear gate/door style on vans and suvs)....that way...you can unlatch the bottom..and it would slowly swing up...im not sure what you call those but they are just like a little hydraulic ram. anywho....if you did that...then you could consider on your top center section...where the piano hinge section is...somehow mount the hinges to a bracket...that would then mount to the case...that way you could flip both sides up..and then if need be...take a couple thumbscrews out on the inside..and then just completely take the 'gull wing' setup off.

then for the front....maybe put those fronts on..and then somehow merge them together...make the front completely rounded over...maybe some type of curved plastic or something??...i dont know exactly...then bondo it all smooth...<shrugs>..i come up with idea...not methods... maybe someone else can figure this out...

 

[dj_spanmaster]

AmdBoy, do you plan on any weight balancing or distribution? With a footprint like that I don't think it would ever fall over, but are the cases strong enough to handle it? And what about handles to carry that bad boy once it's done?

 

[Tripper]

I'd go with the gullwing idea first....weld second. If none of those are feasible I'd use fiberglass. Bondo will not hold up--It's for filling holes and smoothing out dents. Fiberglass could be used to do the fronts also....other threads here show how to make a template and you can always rely on the skills of the forum members for help (one already volunteered to weld it for ya....awesome peeps!!)

Keep up the good work...don't get discouraged and take your time. I love the idea

 

[drizzt81]

My thought on the two halves, is to get a piano hinge and put it between the two, maybe make it so that the sides can "gull-wing" to open up.

Keith

I second that.. would look very neat indeed!

 

[AmdBoy]

What area are you in AmdBoy? If you're anywhere near the Detroit area I could weld it up for ya pretty easy.... Once the weld is ground flat to match it would look pretty good....

Although I like the idea of the gullwing as well

unfortunatly I live in Manitoba, I think I'm just going to buy a little hobby welder, 200 dollars or so. it would be good enough to do the job.

I don't have any more pics currently, I'm trying ot get hte funds so Ic na do a few things, thinking about a swinging door like some peopel have suggested, but we'll see.I've been too busy to work becuase Iw as ogne to mexico for a while for my brothers wedding, thank god thats over. anywyas, I'll post more when I get more done.

 

[itx]

You may want to check around and see if a local automotive body shop can weld it for you. If not, I'd recommend getting a flux core wire welder or gas mig welder over a cheap AC arc welder. It can be very easy to burn straight through thin sheet metal with an arc welder if you don't have very much practice. MIGs are fairly easy to learn, just grab some scrap from cutting up the cases and practice stitch welding... Rapidly toggling the trigger on and off while moving forward to push the weld, keeps the temps down so you don't burn through. Trying to run a continuous bead on the 18 to 20 gauge steel cases are made of is tough, and would probably result in more grinding to get it smooth....

Although I still really like the idea of the gullwing Good luck!