Case Mod

Making an old computer look cool again

Here is my first attempt at modding a computer case. Although I had done metalwork before, I'd never done a serious case mod, so a practice run was in order.

The victim was an old Gateway 2000 Pentium 60. I figured if I munged this old soldier, I wouldn't be out any important hardware.

The Plan:
Of course, before embarking on any computing, artistic, or other project, a guy needs a plan. There are tons of case mod kits out there, and a fair number of websites showing off both these kits and custom work done by other modders. I decided I didn't feel like actually buying a kit, since doing a custom job would give me greater control of the finished product (that and I'm cheap).

The Stuff:
I wanted something that looked nice, was made from easily-found materials, and would go together easily. I decided to keep things simple: a paint job, a window, and some neon to light up the insides.

At Walmart I bought a can of Plasti-kote light green pearl metallic spray paint. One can was not quite enough for three coats of the full-tower case. I also picked up a compact purple neon light tube, complete with 12VDC auto adapter.

Off to Menards home improvement store for a sheet of lexan and a cutting tool.

Finally, I went to Checker Auto and picked up some self-adhesive chrome wheel well molding.

The Mod:
I had free reign in terms of the design of the window I wanted to build. Although you see them everywhere, I decided I liked the look of the rectangular window with rounded edges. I popped off the case from the PC, looked over the inside, and decided where I wanted the window. I took some care to make sure the window wouldn't hinder installation or removal of the cover, and would show off everything I wanted. Since the case would be repainted, I laid out the design on the side of the cover in pencil (so I could change things later if I wanted to). The rectangle was measured off and drawn, then I used a roll of masking tape as a pattern to put the rounding on the edges.

Now it was time to take the all-important "there's-no-going-back-now" step: cutting the window. Some case mod pages I found all recommended using a Dremel tool with a cut-off disc to cut the window. I started out with that, then decided I had better things to do than sit and wait for the little tool to cut the steel. So, I drilled a 3/8" hole inside the cutout pattern, and used a sabersaw to cut it out. One bit of advice: if you buy cheap tools, at least invest in quality blades/bits for it. My Ryobi saw with a DeWalt metal-cutting blade made short work of the window. I did use the Dremel with a grinding bit to smooth out the edges left by the saw.

To prep for painting, I sanded the outside of the case cover using 200 grit 3M sandpaper. You don't need to remove the original paint completely, but you do need to smooth it out and give the new paint a clean surface to adhere to.

With the cover ready for paint, I removed the bezel and baseplate from the chassis. Labeling LED wires with masking tape is a good idea. I also gave the plastic a wipe with acetone to remove any grease or oil and slightly dissolve the surface, which gives the paint something to grab. I also sanded off the annoying Gateway logo at the top of the bezel.

I applied three coats of paint, and would have done four if I hadn't run out. Never the less, the results turned out nicely.

While the paint dried, I measured and cut the window. Using the scoring knife made for the job is a good idea too: just use a straight edge, score the lexan deeply with a few strokes, and bend it at the score line. It snaps off nicely if done correctly.

After the case was dry I ran a bead of adhesive caulk on the inside of the window cutout, and put in the window. The lexan is about 2" larger than the hole, but I could have gotten away with less.

For the neon, I first found a place to mount it, and put the tube in with the adhesive squares that came with it. I took apart the cigarette lighter adapter plug, extracted the circuit board that ups the voltage, and solderd on an old molex power connector from a siezed CPU fan. Finally, I wrapped the board with tape to prevent shorts, and zip-tied the board and cable in to the chassis.

I put the case back together and turned it on. Pretty cool, for an old computer. The final step was to add the chrome molding around the window. I also put a spare chunk on the top of the bezel, just for kicks.

The Results:

The completed case

A closer look at the guts

The purple neon
(my digital camera didn't do a very good job with this, sorry)

The Cost:
This project cost me about $40 total. The paint was $5, the neon $15, $15 for the trim, and $5 for the lexan. I already had the tools, molex plug, adhesive caulk, and general shop supplies. All in all, a very cheap and cool project. Now that I've done my proof-of-concept, I'll have to give some thought to modding my main computers...