The Project - Breathing new life into an older case

schw32m · 10-16-2009, 02:45 AM

Finally got a chance to do some more work on the case today. Figured out that the HD bays didn't need any additional work since the face plate has enough clearance from the bay port and with the front fan opened up I should get a nice cross draw along the inside of the face plate. So with that in mind I headed out to give the chassis a coat of flat black.

Results of first coat:

Didn't turn out too bad for a first coat with a rattle can. I'll have to do some second coating to the visible surfaces to make sure I didn't miss any spots (these things are difficult to hit all the nooks and crannies in). Would have been nicer if I could have set up the compressor and sprayed it that way but alas I don't have proper ventilation to do that here. When I get to the finish coats on the outer panels I may have to rig something up or wait until a nice day to do the paint outside.

ganzey · 10-16-2009, 02:51 AM

lookin good

FairDoos · 10-16-2009, 04:00 AM

Are you planning on changing the buttons? In my opinion those buttons are Ew. xD

schw32m · 10-16-2009, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairDoos

Are you planning on changing the buttons? In my opinion those buttons are Ew. xD

Don't know as yet.. Putting off machining the front panel until last. The plastic is an ABS or PVC type stuff and is a bit difficult to machine. Plus the switches are actually mounted on the silver piece. So to make it work I have to find a button that would cover the area of the oval button and fit the post on the switch. Will have to look in the parts box for some buttons I took of a couple other old cases and see what I can do..

schw32m · 10-16-2009, 05:35 AM

Diagram of the targeted airflow. The top fan has not been decided yet. I have a couple of pics of approximate position and sizes for the top exhaust fan. I was going after using a 120mm for the top but I might have to settle for a 90mm. The case itself is billed as a mid tower but it seems a little on the small side comparatively. Space planning is going to be a little on the tight side with the top fan.

gamblingman · 10-16-2009, 04:31 PM

I love watching projects like this! I wish I could do one too now, but I cant be doing that stuff in the dorm. Oh well, next year.

Have you thought about keeping the 3.5 slot? I know plenty of people who still need that drive.

Or you could convert it into a really cool cup holder (lol)

bluecity · 10-16-2009, 09:45 PM

Would it be possible to Dremel out the floppy opening so you could install a internal card reader. and it still be centered on the cover?

Ramomar · 10-16-2009, 10:00 PM

^ It'd be possible but it would need some bondo work, the card reader has a flat front cover, the front bezel is curved.

BTW, looking nice OP!

schw32m · 10-16-2009, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluecity

Would it be possible to Dremel out the floppy opening so you could install a internal card reader. and it still be centered on the cover?

Wouldn't be centered no matter what I did. 3.5 mounts are off center from the 5.25 bays and without shifting the sheet metal to center the box there would be no way. Better bet would be to put a multi-function card reader/controller in one of the 5.25 bays.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramomar

^ It'd be possible but it would need some bondo work, the card reader has a flat front cover, the front bezel is curved.

BTW, looking nice OP!

I could machine it out and provide a flat mount (though off centered). Worst problem, aside from making sure I had adhesives that would bond it all together, would be a look similar to this on a Dell I have in the shop:

Going to try and keep the smooth curved lines of the bezel. Best I can hope for so far is to construct a curved piece that I can bond in there and make the lower front smooth. Since that part of the bezel if I do that will get painted, filling seam lines isn't too difficult. Or to just leave it alone and retain the functional floppy. Have plenty of faceless drives so even though it might be dated tech wise at least it would work and not be an open hole.

ScOuT · 10-16-2009, 10:59 PM

Looks good...

Keep it going, I have to see this.

****EDIT****

Is it just me or is there enough room for a 120mm fan in the front?

10-16-2009, 02:45 AM	#1 (permalink)
schw32m Silver Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Pacific NW Posts: 142	Finally got a chance to do some more work on the case today. Figured out that the HD bays didn't need any additional work since the face plate has enough clearance from the bay port and with the front fan opened up I should get a nice cross draw along the inside of the face plate. So with that in mind I headed out to give the chassis a coat of flat black. Results of first coat: Didn't turn out too bad for a first coat with a rattle can. I'll have to do some second coating to the visible surfaces to make sure I didn't miss any spots (these things are difficult to hit all the nooks and crannies in). Would have been nicer if I could have set up the compressor and sprayed it that way but alas I don't have proper ventilation to do that here. When I get to the finish coats on the outer panels I may have to rig something up or wait until a nice day to do the paint outside. Last edited by schw32m; 10-16-2009 at 02:48 AM.

10-16-2009, 02:51 AM	#2 (permalink)
ganzey Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: belvidere, Illinois Age: 16 Posts: 666	lookin good __________________ When I walk through the shadow of the valley of death I will fear no evil, cause I'm the biggest son of a b*tch in the Valley

10-16-2009, 04:00 AM	#3 (permalink)
FairDoos Diamond Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Manchester, UK Age: 16 Posts: 1,266	Are you planning on changing the buttons? In my opinion those buttons are Ew. xD __________________ CPU:AMD Phenom II 955 BE X4 @ 3.4GHz GPU: ASUS ATi 4890 HDD: 1TB Seagate Barracuda RAM: 4GB (2 X 2GB) Dominator GT RAM CPU Cooler: Tuniq Tower 120 Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair Formula III

10-16-2009, 04:31 PM	#6 (permalink)
gamblingman Silver Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Huntsville, Texas Age: 31 Posts: 198	project I love watching projects like this! I wish I could do one too now, but I cant be doing that stuff in the dorm. Oh well, next year. Have you thought about keeping the 3.5 slot? I know plenty of people who still need that drive. Or you could convert it into a really cool cup holder (lol) __________________ Why work when you can go fishing!

10-16-2009, 09:45 PM	#7 (permalink)
bluecity Bronze Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Mississippi Posts: 35	Front cover Would it be possible to Dremel out the floppy opening so you could install a internal card reader. and it still be centered on the cover? __________________ MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz @3.6GHz Heatsink:: ZALMAN CNPS9900LED RAM: 8GB. DDR3 CORSAIR XMS3 1333 (PC3 10666) GPU: GIGABYTE GV-R487D5-1GD Radeon HD 4870 1GB HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB PSU: CORSAIR 750W OS: Vista 64 Prem. CASE: XCLIO Coolbox Advanced Case w/Scythe cooling Display: Samsung 22``

10-16-2009, 05:35 AM	#5 (permalink)
schw32m Silver Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Pacific NW Posts: 142	Diagram of the targeted airflow. The top fan has not been decided yet. I have a couple of pics of approximate position and sizes for the top exhaust fan. I was going after using a 120mm for the top but I might have to settle for a 90mm. The case itself is billed as a mid tower but it seems a little on the small side comparatively. Space planning is going to be a little on the tight side with the top fan.

10-16-2009, 10:00 PM	#8 (permalink)
Ramomar VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: There > Age: 17 Posts: 6,849	^ It'd be possible but it would need some bondo work, the card reader has a flat front cover, the front bezel is curved. BTW, looking nice OP! __________________ Pentium E2160 \| AC Freezer 7 Pro \| Gigabyte P35-DS3L \| 2GB BallistiX Tracers PC2-6400 \| Sapphire HD3870 \| Rosewill RD500 500W \| Antec 300 Winner of Photo Tourney: "What Were They Thinking?", "Grass", "Feelings/Emotions" & "Fireworks" My Flickr

10-16-2009, 10:59 PM	#10 (permalink)
ScOuT VIP Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Germany Age: 29 Posts: 2,187	Looks good... Keep it going, I have to see this. **EDIT Is it just me or is there enough room for a 120mm fan in the front? __________________ My Rig Coolermaster 690 / Nvidia Edition Seen Here Antec Neo Power 650w eVGA 780i 2 x 2 GB Dominators Intel Q9300 eVGA GTX260 Vista Home Premium 64bit Team Stats FOLDING FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND :F@H Team 44358**

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