WeldZilla 2 "A New Beginning" Mod!!

W

WeldZilla

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 24, 2004
Messages
275
it was a cold and dreary January morning. there was a knock at my door, hmm? So I looked and saw it was the fedex man with my new Enermax CS-181-B Case!! This was great! I was off work for another few weeks and I wanted to do some case modifying. Actually I wanted to redesign a case to fit my needs. you see my case sits on my desk right to the right of me at about a 45 degreee angle which faces the rom drives away from me. Well I wanted them to look right at me!! So I stripped my new case down and set it up on my bar between the kitchen and dining room. I drank some coffee and just stared at it. Do a little cyphering. I did not like the cheesey blue plastic pci and agp locking device, I did not like the blue plastic 2 x 80mm side fan holder. I hated the handy blue plastic fan clips. The freakin non-removable mobo tray ran the length of the case with about 30 rivets holding it in!! I loved the overall size of the case and the plain look of it. but, I could see it had an attitude problem!! I swear it smirked at me when I was pouring coffee. My back was turned to it. I turned around fast. I told it, "If you got something to say to me, say it to my face" That's when I picked it up and headed to my secret lab, a regular chamber of horrors for a computer case!! I knew I had to cut it,to put it in it's place and to make me feel better. I looked around trying to decide, Do I use an axe?Chainsaw? (No it's a steel case) cutting torch? hacksaw? dremel? Then I saw it. My Skil-saw with fiber metal cutting blade installed and ready to go. So I drew a few straight lines around this biatch case. I held it down tight and i cut it and I cut it good!! Now it was time to Mod!!! I live for this stuff!!

Here is a pictorial history of all that happened that cold January morning.

New Case
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Stripped down new case
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Cypering, look at that miserable mobo tray!!
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Chop chop!!
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Fully removable mobo tray, smaller too.
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Time for a little glow
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the shape og things to come
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had to cut side cover down to make it shorter. it is now the front of the case!!
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More to come.

Weldzilla
 
Well it was time to cut a piece out of the right panel to us for what is now the right panel.
you see the left side of case is now the front. Where the front would normally be is now the right side of case.
the original rear of case is now the left side. And yes that means the right side is now the rear!! Are we confused yet!! Stay tuned!! well it was time to cut a window opening into what is now the front of the case.
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you know I did not like the hole I put in the top. So I made a new one out of some very light guage steel
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the new top fit nicely. When I welded the pieces of case back together. The off set of the new front left me an area of 2 in.x 8 1/2in. to fill. I used some spare metal from all the cutting to fill the void. I did a mod job on some bar stools for a guy and the leg braces I cut down were just the right size to put the side cover holders back in my case.
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I am pleased with me at this point!!
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it was time to cut some holes, 1 in the bottom of case to blow in from the bottom. 1 in the plexi-window to blow in fresh aitr over vid card and northbridge. 1 blow hole fan on top All 3 hole are 120mm
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Well that was quick and easy!!
pic of the bottom corner finished out too.
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I built legs for case using 1/2 in. pipe I tapped them for 1/2in. bolts. I built leg mounts,cut the heads off the bolts and welded them to the mounts so I could just screw the legs on
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cut them with a chop saw
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It was time to clean up the case frame and start painting the inside of this case!
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I let that dry and got back tto the cover on the rear. It was now too short to cover the rear cuz I had to cut a piece of it for the new right panel. So I split it so there would be metal at both ends. I decided to use plexi to bridge the 2 pieces.
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you will notice one side is wider than the other. There is a reason for it.
Now it was time to shoot the outside and attach the legs and put this thing together so I could see where I was at!!
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the legs do not do it for me. Continue assembly.
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Tommorrow rad box and beyond!!

WeldZilla
 
That is one sweet-azz mod job, I salute you. I wish I had a welder. :) I really dig the whole sideways thing, very original and refreshing. Can't wait to see the finished product and hear about the cooling properties. I'm currently in the planning stages of a mod that involves two bottom panel 120mm blow holes so I'd like to hear how it works for you. Again, great work.
 
interesting - very original!

I would be interested to see where you are locating fans (I can see the cut outs on the window and the top of the case - but are you putting fans in to blow across the hard drives, etc) -- air flow in the case could be a little strange but probably isn't that big a deal

very cool looking - good job!
 
I appreciate you looking in on this. Hey captain, I put bottom fans in all my mods. It is kinda my trademark now. My case temps always match room temp. Thee will be 2 x 80mm fans for hdd cooling. Again thanks.

WeldZilla
 
I was looking for a radiator. I wanted one that would accomodate 2 x 120mm fans. All the ones I saw on the net for computers were a little expensive for me. So I looked up sizes of heater cores online and ended up getting a heater core for a 1976 Buick Electra
Limited. Any large model late 70's early 80's GM big car had this core. Well brand new it is $ 21.00
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here it is with 2x120mm fans
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You need only cut the plumbing back to get rid of those large diameter ends.
Then if you heat your 1/2 hose in very hot water it will slide over and makes a really tight fit!! on to the rad box and case placement of rad!
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The rad box is made of plexi and the rad fits like a glove!!
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That panel there is a part of what is now the rear panel I left wider that the other
It has 2x120 mm holes cut in it. Then I drew lines from hole to hole to join them assures good air-flow and looks good too.
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Time to mount this Rad box externally.
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mean while hanging around outside were these!!
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We'll get to it again after a short recess

WZ
 
It was time to come up with a res. for the cooling system. I went down to the local Lowes
and purchased an 8 ft. piece of 2in. pvc pipe and a couple caps and some pvc glue. I cut off a piece the to length i needed drilled the hole for the plumbing clean it out then glued on the ends. Now I wanted this external so it was time to build some mounts. I had some 2 1/2 in pipe lying about so I sliced off a couple pieces for the rings. It was to large so I took the torch and cut about 5/8 in. out of the rings, squeezed them shut it my vice and welded them back together. Now they fit just right!!
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then I took a piece of light steel and tacked the bottom ring to it and bolted the assembly on the case on the underside. For the top I took a 1/4 in. bolt and cut the head off and welded the bolt to the top ring. I riveted a bracket to the top side of case that was drilled for the bolt to slide through. I used nuts on either side of the bracket for adjustment.
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I was pleased with the outcome of this.
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this res cost $9 and there is enough left over to build at least 5 more in the future.
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I slipped off the res, took the setup back into the house to start assembly.
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You will soon see the true genius of WeldZilla 2 !!!!!!!!!!!

WZ
 
that little pan you see welded on the is for the pump itself to sit on.
What is going in this thing?? Good Question!!
Antec true power 550 watt psu
Epox 4PDA2+ Ver.2 mobo
2.4C SL6Z3 prossy
1gig OCZ pc3700 mem 2 X 512 chips This is there original DDR 466 mem long before dual channel but it works fine with it.
e-VGA 5900fx vid card, Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card
Lite-on Dvd-Rom, Pioneer AO6 DVD Writer, Generic floppy drive
Vantec Fan controller, Old 40 gig hdd, ( Going out to get 2 hdd's this week for raid setup)
Too many things came up to keep me from getting this til now!!
Swiftech 5002-P Waterblock, Eheim 1250 pump. GM heater core radiator,
Homemade water res. And a whole lotta love. ahhhhhh. There is also a small unit I got that blocks a pci slot, you plug in a molex connector, 110v power from wall outlet, then run a short 110v cord to your pump when the puter fires the pump starts. Nice

WZ
 
you know on every mod I have done managing all the wires is a real pain in the Ass!!!!
The design of WeldZilla 2 not only makes it fit my needs on my desk but is inherently stealthy by design!! No more wire mess to fight Here are the pics that will tell you the true story of STEALTH. You See I also built what I call the board of stealth. It is a piece of plexi that is painted to match the inside of case it hinges at the front and has a lock at the back to nold it still. you need only to lift it up and swing it outward to remove it. See how it compertmentalizes the case separating the drives and all their wiring from the mobo area!! Keeping it all ver neat!!
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I knew this would be good when i thought it out, it has exceeded my expectations!!!!
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This was a brand new psu so I did not want to mod it out til I knew it was good. So I built another stealth board for it too!!
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Wait til you see it lit up!!

WZ
 
Well after the leak test was complete it was time to green up the cooling system and fir this mother up!! All the cards are in,everything is ready. Time to Kick the Tires and Light the Fires!!
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Life on the desk as you can see it fits my desk roms facing me.
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Got to tell you I was already burning out on the color i chose for the case. I could see a new exterior color coming fast!!
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the inside however looked great!! to me
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This is what you see when you look through my window
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That 120mm bottom fan reall swirls the air up through the case
My mem chips are cool to the touch!!
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Case and processor temps are great!! Not to thrilled with the voltage readings off this antec 550 however.
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Got to tell you it is nice to look through the window and NOT see a wiring mess!!
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That color has to go!! and my desk needs some sprucing up too!!!
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The back of my case, pic was taken from patio looking through the sliding glass door at night
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just because!!
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Ok it was shortly after this I drug the case outside and repainted it. The desk gets a good working over too!!

To Be Continued.........

WZ
 
What color are you painting it? I would actually want to see it repainted silver, but a nice quality silver like a Lian-Li. Black would work too :)

PS: You are one fast worker, keep the amazing mod coming.
 
you know after all that has gone into this mod. Coming up with this new case design. It really is almost a factory looking case. That has been modded a bit.

WZ
 
HOLY CHRISTMAS!

That is the perfect mod. Like building a whole new case.


DAMN!
 
Amazing and very unique. Looks like you put a lot of work into it and it came out great! I love how short the cables are :p

Good job!
 
I was going to put a patent on this design and setup. Only to find out that since i posted up pics before I had a patent pending. It became public domain!! Bitch!! Oh well to tell you the truth I would like to see a company like Lian Li mass produce this design anyway. I would always know where it came from.

WZ
 
I thought I would like the pewter gray paint I used on this case. However, it wore on me fast. I needed something different. So I drug it outside, masked it off and here it is!!
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it is now bahama sea, yes that's a color!
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I did the tank and trim in regal blue the same as inside the case.
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Yes I painted the pump too.
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Mean while there was some work going on to the desk too!!

Stay tuned!! It ani't over til it's over!!

WZ
 
The area like up under the rim of the cap on the res got painted too. If you notice there is a ring of gray still around the top. I sprayed some of the paint into the can cap and used a brush for the small areas to prevent runs in the paint. I like the look of the new paint. It isn't so drab.


WZ
 
that is an incredible case mod. looks like you put a lot of hours into it.

WeldZilla said:
Not to thrilled with the voltage readings off this antec 550 however.
Click to expand...

this is pretty common with the Antec PSUs. i had a True Control 550 and the rails were about the same as yours even after i adjusted them. i ended up with a Fortron 530w unit and PCP&C Turbo-Cool 510w and i'm very happy with both of them.
 
a good hole cut saw for 120mm with arbor will be close to $30, A decent skil-saw around
$50. Those fiber blade blades are only about $6 and really worth it!! The 14in. Dewalt chop saw was $150. Although it is really handy you don't need it put metal in a vice and hack-saw it or saw it carefully with the skil-saw fiber blade combo. you can get a little 110v. welder from around 250 and up. I used solid wire and Co2 for my shield gas. you could use a self shielding wire too and avoid getting a bottle and guages. A dremel is nice to have on hand for around $20 a decent cordless drill/screw gun is handy around $50 I use an old corded 3/8 corded drill a lot too about $20 Drill press I have 2 one a little Cheapy I got for $29 will do the job but it is gutless so you must go slow!! My good one was free!!
you can find good used ones for about $100 I also use a 4 1/2in. grinder with flap discs they will shape plexi faster than anything you've seen!! you can buy a cheapie for around $20 if you plan on using it as I do mine in my welding shop then figure on $55 to $70 for a Craftsman ,dewalt, makita,or a milwaukee. they will last you forever tho' in light use. I keep a good supply of sand paper around from 150 grit to 2000 grit Seem to use a lot of 400 to 600 tho' I just break the glaze on cases inside and out. I never fully sand them to shiny metal. that is a waste of money and time. I always use a primer coat or 3 with a light 600 grit sanding in between if I let the previous coat get too dry first. If not I hit it again and wait til the end to lightly sand it. Really modding is very inexpensive!! It is however very time consuming. What you are seeing hear in a couple days was close to 3 months time. Actual working time about 40 hours. Thinking about it time about 90hours!!
The welder is a bit pricy for most but mine has made several 1000 dollars for me so I am ahead on that score. For anyone interested most any community college offers a one quarter course in wire welding. Evening classes. you can take it as a full course. I do not believe it is necessary for most of you tho'. One quarter of wire class and you will be surprised how well you will do. It will help give you a foundation to build on. I make a really tremendous living wearing a welding hood. Yes I have burn scars all over me but, oh well.
I am kind of a safety nut so I will post a pic of some gear you should have to work with metal to protect you. Do not forget hearing protection!!!!!
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Part of the shop where it all happens
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Still got to get the desk posted up for you too!! So hang on

WZ
 
very nice. quite original, too. i think my grandparents have the drillpress you have shown in your workshop pic in their metal shop:eek: if it's the same one than DUDE. that's a nice drill press.

anywho.

good job. not sure i woulda done the same color, but then again i wouldn't have thought of doing this (nor would i have done such a clean job)

 
Hey my desk looked terrible when matched up to my new case. So it was time to color coordinate!! A little strippage and cleanage and then some painting and Now I am happy!! Have a look. I also fixed up some simple to make CD wall racks!!
the hesk
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trimmed to match the case
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Now for the rom racks. This was easy I used 3/8in. plywood. I took my router and routed a dovetail groove into the wood. Then I made a stop with a reverse dovetail on it so it would slide into the slot on the base and be adjustable. But it won't slide unless you slide it. Here is a look
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I made 2 of them. Then painted them the same color as the interior of case
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on the Wall
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Time to put it all back together!!
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Now this looks good to me
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Yes I realize I need a blue mouse pad and I am going to get to the keyboard, mouse and monitor. I got to tell you I am really happy with how all this has turned out!! his was truly my most rigorous and funnest mod yet. I am sad to see it ending. But I have plans for yet another original case design. So hang in there with me, as soon as the patent pending comes through you will all see it!!

WZ
 
let me tell you it all runs smooth. I got it to 303 fsb which had my 2.4C running at 3637 mhz!! but it was pure crap!! It booted once, what can I say!! I turned it all down to get the best combination performance from cpu, memory, and tweeked my 5900fx vid card. Til I get my raid0 array setup I will be content with what I got.
I have done all benching at 3201 mhz here are some scores
PCmark_02__WZ_2.jpg

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http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k3=2766859
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http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=7873836
Public Measurement:
DATE: 2004-07-13 14:05:42
CPU: Pentium(R) 4 processor , HT:On CR: 3201 MHz SRAM: 1024 MB OS: Microsoft Windows XP
GFX: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900 CM: 497 / 972 MHz VRAM: 128 MB DRIVER: 6.14.10.5303
# 1 AquaMark Score: 49000 (CPU: 10892, GFX: 6318) FPS: 49.00 TPS: 14749 K Compare
RES: 1024x768 x 32bit AA: Off AF: 4x DETAILS: Very High View

PC Mark04 score
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?pcm04=2377998
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My hdd is holding that score back.
All in all I'm happy with the mod, the build and the performance!!

WeldZilla
 
Very original and very nice work. Way to get out of the paradigm of case design.
 
you know I did need to breakout of the conventional case mode. This liberated me. My next case will, well watch for the hi-lites again thanks for looking

Weldzilla
 
WeldZilla said:
I was going to put a patent on this design and setup. Only to find out that since i posted up pics before I had a patent pending. It became public domain!! Bitch!! Oh well to tell you the truth I would like to see a company like Lian Li mass produce this design anyway. I would always know where it came from.

WZ
Click to expand...

I wouldnt sweat it too much, its a very expensive process
you likely wouldnt have gotten a utility patent, just a design patent
and having a patent and enforcing a patent are entirely different things
unless you where making a mint with these
(read having them churned out of a factory in China cheap and established distribution channels)
it wouldnt even make financial sense to try to enforce a patent infringement

nice mod ;)
 
WeldZilla said:
you know I did need to breakout of the conventional case mode. This liberated me. My next case will, well watch for the hi-lites again thanks for looking

Weldzilla
Click to expand...
You bet, can't wait to see what you do next. I have been contemplating whether or not I should break out the MIG and put a few of my ideas to work on my current project. Feels good using a custom built case.
 
I used 3/4in. x size 6 wood screws. and silicone that would accept paint I carefullty pre-drilled the hole and put on a very thin layer of silicone and screwed it all together. I carefully wiped off the excess silicoone and alowed it all to dry for about 24hrs. then I very lightly sanded the plexi with 800 grit paper. Cleaned it all up, then primed and painted. I would have gone to Tapp plastics or someplace to get some adhesive designed for acrylic but i was nearing the end of my project at that point and I was on a roll and did not want to lose a couple hours Driving down into southeast Portland From where I live. Too much hassle. So I used what I had!! Hey it worked out great.

WZ
 
You Know:

Sometimes people get so caught up in huge lofty ideas. That are not attainable. That they never really do anything but dream. Many have asked me about extreme cooling my rig,or a future rig.
I run an everyday clock of 3200 mhz @1.6 volts @ 30C idle. Why would I think I need more? I am a keep it simple kinda guy. You may think some of what I do is complex, however it is not. I have been working as a fabricator for years. The real key to all of this is patience. Taking on projects that you can afford and that are within reach of your skill levels. I also have noted that many simply lack the confidence and just really do not know how to get started. So they don't start. Too bad, You know if you completely butcher up a mod and are totally disgusted with yourself as long as you learned from the mistakes you made. You are further than you were when you only fantasized about modding. So I encourage all of you to go get a case, any case!! Do not worry about brand. Start with it. I seen some at a Goodwill for $1.50. There are many places that have old used cases lying about. Do not worry about air flow or what have you. That is where you come in. Your job as a modder is to not only change the look of the case but, also to improve on the characteristics of the case. You must start somewhere!! Remember to get anywhere, you must START!!!!!

WZ
 
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