Cosmos Cruizer - Finally Complete!

[Boddaker]

Well, I didn't get to the primer stage, but I did get the top panel and front bezel to play nice together. So I was able to assemble the entire case and get a shot to see how it looks so far.

A closer up shot of the front bezel featuring the 7" touch screen LCD, Lamptron Touch fan controller, and ignition key switch.

So I guess this week will consist of mainly bodywork and smoothing out the top panel. I may get some time in on the right side door as well.

[Boddaker]

It's time for Bods-Mods Monday Morning Update... The only proven cure to the case of the Mondays!

I was able to get the windowed side panel skinned with fiberglass over the weekend, and the other side scoop attached as well. Before laying down the fiberglass though, I needed to get the window opening dialed in. But before doing that, I had to add pieces to fill in all the open areas on the back side.

I want the inside to be totally smooth, so I began adding thin pieces of ABS scavenged from the other door's webbing. These pieces were the perfect thickness to fill in the depression where the door hinge used to be.

I also cut out a couple pieces to fill in the door handle cavities. Since they are on the bottom now, there is no reason to keep them.

I cut the pieces from the other door, just above the holes, so they had the same bends. I beveled the edges so they sat right in.

...and glued them down.

Another section around the window had to be filled in as well.

Once these pieces were glued in place, I could fill in the in-between areas with more foam.

Once I started thinking about the side scoop positioning and where the hole would be, I realized I didn't really need to cover up one of the handle cavities, as it would be cut away. Oh well.

Cut out the hole with my trusty jig saw.

The front side, after filling in all the remaining voids with more foam. I also rounded the window edges with my router, using a 3/8" round-over bit.

I then cut out a piece of fiberglass cloth to fit.

Couldn't pause to get any pics during the lay-up process, so here is the result. I mixed up a batch of resin and used a thickener so it wouldn't run down into the foam too much (spray foam isn't very dense and leaves some bubbles). I taped a piece of cardboard in the window area to give myself an edge to later place the clear window up against.

After laying down the cloth, I used the remaining thickened resin to saturate all areas, then Mixed up a smaller batch of resin with a curing agent as a top coat. Once that was on, I set the scoop in place, added more thickener to the remaining resin and used it to reinforce the joint.

After about an hour, I came back to the door and shaved off all the excess around the edges with a utility knife. The resin hadn't cured fully, so it was relatively easy to trim at this point.

I hung the door on the case to see how it looked. It's hard to tell in pics since the resin is transparent, but it's pretty flat, There are a couple ripples here and there, but that will be taken care of with sanding and adding a bit of filler to flatten it all out.

And with that, I think that is the last bit of fiberglassing I will have to do on this case. I still have one more panel to fabricate, but I will be using aluminum sheet for that (the back panel). Getting closer to starting work on the internals. Can't wait!

[Boddaker]

Smallish update, just doing a lil bodywork on the suicide door panel...

Smoothing it all out on the inside as well..

[Boddaker]

Dang, another two months have just flown by again. Can't seem to stay consistent on this project, as other things keep taking precedence. Just gotta continue pluggin away at it as time allows, and it will get done eventually.

Anyway, I finally accumulated enough pics to warrant an update. I've been working on this wc manifold since like February, and it's gone through numerous re-designs to get to it's current state. What started out as a simple laminated piece is now a multi-section, multi-directional part incorporating rigid acrylic tubing and stainless steel braided lines!

But let's start with the rigid tubing. Primochill recently came out with a whole line of rigid acrylic tubing, and I just had to work it into this build somehow. So I got some of the amber tubes with the special 1/2" rigid fittings.

They also included a piece of the silicone rubber hose that fits into the tube to aid in the heat bending process. I made a quick and dirty bending jig that enabled me to get any 90° radius I need, using whatever pipe or cylinder I may have on hand.

For the tighter bends, I made a helper mold to keep the tube from flattening out.

About a week after getting the regular fittings, Primochill announced their new badass Revolver style fittings, so I had to grab them..

Getting the hang of heat-bending.

After a few bends, it became apparent that I would have to finish gluing the manifold together so I could get more accurate measurements between it and the motherboard blocks. So I turned my attention onto that.

The manifold accommodates two separate loops.. One for the motherboard blocks, and one for the video cards. The manifold will replace the SLI adapters from EVGA's Hydro Copper blocks, so I took measurements from them and transferred the holes.

Here are the two pieces, after much alterations and revisions. The smaller section on top will mount directly to the hydro copper blocks and will fit into a notch in the larger part, which will be mounted vertically next to the first video card.

They fit together like so...

The steel braided lines are the main feeds to and from the pump, rads, etc... via quick disconnects that will pass through the fiberglass panel.

As a final shot, I fitted the rigid tubing into the manifold.

Once I finalize the rigid tubing and everything fits perfectly, I will mount the quick disconnects into the fiberglass panel. Then I can cut the steel braid to length and finish them off with the same chrome hose ends. Hoping to tackle that this week, and then I can start plumbing out the back side.

[Boddaker]

Crap, another month gone by! I've been making progress here and there, but mainly on the back side and mounting things like the lower radiator and pumps. So let's get to it!

First thing I needed to do was make a sub-floor. This cleans up the area and allows for some stealthy cable management.

I cut the floor to fit, then added various holes for mounting and cable access.

I also installed a pass-through fitting from Koolance, to serve as a drain for the WC system.

Here's a shot from below. I added a 45º elbow to clear the side bezel.

A close-up shot of the floor with drain hole.

Now that the floor was done, I could move onto the mounting system for the lower radiator. I wanted something simple, yet stealthy. So I fabricated some aluminum posts that make use of the fan's mounting screws.

A closer up view shows the 3/16" tube that runs through the aluminum post. It's a pretty tight fit, so it doesn't float.

With the radiator in place, you can't really see the posts at first glance.

The posts go through the floor and fasten to the bottom panel with standard 6-32 case screws.

I made sure to include some cable access holes in between the fans on each side of the rad.

They travel under the floor to the front corner, where the cables will come up to the Lamptron Touch fan controller. I'll need to get (or make) a 3pin 4-way splitter to complete the connection.

Next up will be the pump mounting, and some pipe bending. Stay tuned!

[Boddaker]

Ok, time to mount the EK pump top and D5 pumps, however, I did not want to use conventional bracketry. Keeping with the automotive theme, I looked at various oil system setups and noticed how there was a striking resemblance to a dual oil filter system. So I devised a mounting method that replicates that look.

Of course I had to incorporate the requisite amount of chrome, so I found the perfect donor item for the pump covers: a 2 1/2" chrome exhaust tip! I wasted no time cutting it up into two equal lengths.

For the actual mounting, I used a piece of left-over 3/8" acrylic, cut it in half and drilled/tapped some holes.

They fit snuggly inside the covers. Some tiny flush-mount screws hold them in place.

The covers fit loosely over the pumps, so I had to add some o-rings to take up the extra space.

I cut slots into the sub-floor so the acrylic mounts would slide right in. They're secured to the bottom panel with a couple case screws.

So with the lower rad and pumps mounted, I could finally start running some stainless steel tubing! Using the bender is a bit tricky, but after a few practice bends, I got the hang of it.

A pipe cutter is way better than a hack saw or dremel for cutting tubing. Well worth the money!

This is the lower drain pipe going from rad to drain.

Pipe in place. I'm not tightening anything down just yet, since I still have much to do before final assembly.

Next piece was the reservoir-pump feed line, which is just a simple 90º bend.

Another angle showing both pieces. I'm liking the look so far!

The next pieces will be a bit more challenging, with compound bends on the longer runs. Should be fun!

[Boddaker]

Ok, time for another update!  Today I'll show you what I did to this poor power supply lol.  As I mentioned on Facebook, I was not phased by the little sticker covering up one of the screw holes, put there by some dude named Warren T Void. 

Upon removing the cover, I proceeded to cut pretty much the whole top and end away.  Since the case has rounded corners, I needed to do the same to the PSU cover in order for it to fit as close as possible.  I'm also replacing the stock 130mm fan with a 140mm NZXT orange led fan, which will be mounted directly to the back panel.


The power switch and plug will be relocated to a custom IO panel, so I cut the main wires and extended them.


Here's the power switch/plug cluster that I de-soldered from the main wires.


It will be re-soldered to the extensions once I know how long they need to be.  I won't know that until I get the switch and plug mounted to the new IO panel.


I routed the extension wires through the top of the PSU, insulating the hole with a rubber grommet.


Now that the cover has been thoroughly transmorgrified, I placed it back onto the psu.  (Warren is going to be soooo pissed!)


To secure the PSU vertically in place, I whipped up a couple aluminum brackets.  The PSU will rest on this one across the bottom.


A shot of the bottom bracket from underneath...


... and with the PSU mounted..


Here's the top bracket, mounted for a test fit.  You can also see how the PSU matches the rounded corners.


In order for the 140mm fan to fit, I had to notch the top bracket just a little.


I've also been working constantly on the back panel for the last couple months.  It's taken a while, but it's finally starting to come together.  If all goes well, I will be able to show that progress right after the new year. 

[Boddaker]

Hey guys, I'm back again with some progress on the back panel.  Originally I wasn't going to do much to it, but it quickly became clear it would be easier to just create a whole new panel, rather than trying to modify the stock one.

Here's a pic I took a while ago, cutting the stock rear panel away.  I think I did this just prior to working on the suicide door and hinges.


Using 1/8" acrylic sheet, I made the center piece along with two vertical pieces, a top mounting piece, and a curved piece on the bottom.  Here I'm gluing the two vertical pieces at an angle to match up with the side panels.


I made a couple fan mounts out of 1/4" acrylic that also serve as cross braces to give the panel some rigidity.


Trying the panel on the case, checking for fit and marking positions for fans, fillport, and the new IO panel.


Back panel trimmed, glued, reinforced, and fans mounted.


For the fillport, I was going to do something like those flip-up fuel doors on Dodge Daytonas, but I thought a hide-away system would be more appropriate for a custom rod theme.  So I drew up a quick model in Sketchup...


The lid will continue the design of the top panel, with the aluminum bars ending in a half circle.  Custom hinges will allow the lid to raise up over the bars on the top panel, revealing the fillport underneath.


I grabbed some pieces of acrylic from my scrap bin and started making the pieces for the base.


When assembled, they will stack up like this:


And top view:


Using acrylic cement, I started gluing the pieces up.


While that was setting up, I proceeded to make the lid, cutting the mesh, trim ring, and bending the aluminum bars.


I'm thinking I will use my alumiweld brazing rods to solder the bars to the mesh, rather than tapping/screwing them from underneath.  Either way, they will look like this when done:




Preparing the back panel for the fillport...


Fillport set in place for a test fit..


..and with lid.


Now I have to tackle the hinges next.  Looks like I'll have to modify the design a bit to accommodate the mesh, but that shouldn't take too long.

Thanks for reading, 'til next time!

[CM Michelle]

Very nice work and lot of details in it.

Looking forward to seeing your update   

[Boddaker]

Got more progress done on the fillport area of the back panel..

I made the hinge for the fillport cover, first designing it in Sketchup, then printing it out 1:1, taping it onto the aluminum piece, scoring the cut lines, and cutting it out.


Then I proceeded to bend the ends and the center 90º.


The result:


I then tack-welded it to the mesh cover.


The outer trim piece got some flush-mount alan screws.  

Holes drilled and chamfered..


Subsequent holes drilled and tapped into the acrylic..


Screws in...



Then I decided to do the same circular bar treatment to the PSU fan grill.  So after drawing it out and taking measurements between bars, I found/made up some circles with the specified diameters.


Bending the alu bar around the wood blocks..


All bars bent..


Next will be bending the bottoms of the bars to follow the curve of the back panel, so they travel down and under the case.