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Preparing for Elite 361 case mod - hoping I can get a lot of my questions answered

post #1 of 4
6/2/12 at 1:08pm
Thread Starter 
I intend to perform some surgery on my recently acquired CM Elite 361 case. I have a plan of action outlined, but considering that this is my first true case mod, I would like as much advice as possible before I even begin getting equipment. smile.gif

For reference: Case with side removed and various components visible. (Click to show)
Eiyqx.jpg
Case with all panels and bezel removed. (Click to show)
yZiTQ.jpg
Bezel (exterior). (Click to show)
BjIEv.jpg
Bezel (interior). (Click to show)
f6Sj2.jpg
Front I/O PCB. (Click to show)
VUP2P.jpg
Airflow design possibility. (Click to show)
I made an error: the XClio Greatpower X14S8P4 PSU I have doesn't have an 80mm fan, contrary to what the image shows - only a 120mm fan.

N6OQW.png

Goals:
  1. Remove the present front I/O, fill in resulting empty holes with bondo (following this tutorial here), and pop this USB 3.0 2x panel into the 3.5" bay at the top of the case. I'm content with losing the 3.5mm audio jacks as I don't and won't need them (already have an audio interface with lots of I/O along with a small external hardware mixer). I should note I will paint that USB panel as part of goal 6.
  2. Directly to the right of the open 5.25" bay is where the power supply mounts (two fake 5.25" covers are in front of it), which means the PSU switch isn't accessible without removing the bezel. I would like to add another switch to the back of the case (next to the male plug and above the two 80mm fans), but I'm not sure of the best way to implement it so that it can work for any future PSU I put into the case without voiding its warranty.
  3. Make the internal (bottom) and external (top) 3.5" cages detachable. I hope I can simply remove the rivets (which I know how to do) and put screws in their place. Already did it, just need washers now. Never mind this one.
  4. Make the back panel and motherboard panel slide out of the case on tracks. I don't think this is entirely feasible, but if it is, I'm all for it. While it's easy enough to remove the back since it's connected to the rest of the case using only rivets, the metal plane that the MB attaches to is one large piece; I would have to take out the power tools and make a vertical split somewhere. I'll pass on this one.
  5. You can see in the photo with the front bezel removed that there's a recessed, open area in front of the HDD cage; I want to modify that area to accept a 120mm fan to act as an intake. This is possible provided that I carry out the first goal. The only caveat is fixing the hole where the front I/O component fits into (looks like an overly-wide 3.5" bay) so that a fan can be mounted with all four screws instead of just the bottom two. Replacing the area of the bezel - where the Cooler Master badge normally goes - with a grille would be required as well.
  6. I plan to paint most of the front bezel white and its sides blue. The left, right, top, and bottom of the case will be blue. Most of the back will be blue, with the recessed area (where the motherboard I/O and expansion slots are) white. The interior will be painted black, with the drive cages painted blue as an exception. The three paints I plan to use are gloss white, gloss black, and "metal specks" ocean blue. I'm not sure how to best go about the bezel considering its complexity. For the chassis itself, I could just remove all of the rivets and paint the parts separately. I'm not sure if this is complete overkill with better options available though. I'm also unsure of what primer(s) and base coat(s) would be best to use for the job, so I'm still researching those).


That's pretty much the extent of the modding I would do to the case. Cooling components I'm considering include two Noctua NF-P12 120mm fans (top, not sure if it should be intake or exhaust \ side, not sure either), one Noctua NF-F12 120mm fan (front, intake), two Noctua NF-R8 80mm fans (both rear, not sure if it should be intake or exhaust), a Noctua NH-L12 fan+heatsink for the CPU, and fan filters. I'm slightly wary of the high prices on Noctua stuff, so hopefully it's worth it.

All advice is appreciated.

Cheers. smile.gif
Edited by Fauxrrite - 6/11/12 at 5:55am
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post #2 of 4
6/2/12 at 8:22pm
Hello fellow Arkansan, welcome to OCN

On that bezel its plastic so the paint for it need to be approved for that.

Mounting a 120 fan in the front should be fairly easy. Your may want to use epoxy (the two-part kind that you knead) instead of bondo.

I will study your pics and see what else I can help with.
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post #3 of 4
6/3/12 at 2:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlderonnX View Post

Hello fellow Arkansan, welcome to OCN
On that bezel its plastic so the paint for it need to be approved for that.
Mounting a 120 fan in the front should be fairly easy. Your may want to use epoxy (the two-part kind that you knead) instead of bondo.
I will study your pics and see what else I can help with.
Ah, thank you!

I found a box of Trisodium Phosphate in our garage (previously used for cleaning a floor) and a small can of Bondo. Would the former be acceptable as a wax/grease remover for use prior to painting? Should I use the latter or an epoxy? Also, is a clear coat really necessary?

I'm not sure how to go about painting the bezel as I want to use the same three paints throughout the case. Will it work if I follow these instructions?
Quote:
3) Plastic parts - Here is the general procedure in the auto paint industry. For all the plastic, You clean it first with SEM Plastic/Leather Prep several times and then you wash it with warm water and scuff it with plastic cleaning paste using a gray Scothbrite™. I used SEM Scuff and Clean for the paste. Rinse it off and make sure it does not dry on the surface. You repeat the steps until it is dull and no water beads up on the surface. It is crucial to clean the surface to get good adhesion. You need to use care when sanding or scuffing plastic parts. There is a possibility the plastic parts might be damaged during the scuffing/sanding process.To prepare the surface and make the primer stick you can use an Adhesion Promoter and use one light coat, you apply it a couple mintues after cleaning the surface. You allow the adhesion promoter to dry for 25 min. You then applied the high build primer/surfacer allowed a 5 min flash time between coats and used two coats. Allow the primer to dry for 1 ½ hours, then sand it with 400 grit to start with and finished it with 600 grit to make it smooth. Or just stop at 400 grit for a decent good finsh.

One last question: what specific paint thinner/remover products should I use for the metal and plastic parts of the case - or should I sand the metal and use the paint thinner only on the plastic?

Small update: I decided yesterday to go the entire mile and remove all of the rivets, which should make painting easier (plus I can replace them with screws). Case completely disassembled (Click to show)
FsSSO.jpg
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post #4 of 4
8/11/12 at 8:32pm
Hello, I looking to get this case for an ATX motherboard and ATX-sized powersupply. Are you using those sizes? How do you find it? Also, seems like the NH-L12 is the best cooler out there for this case, although I'm thinking of getting an NH-C14. What can you say about the case's cooling options for C-type heatsinks? What's the best set up you came up with? Your insights is greatly appreciated. Thank you and happy modding/OC.
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