[Project Log] Haf XB Codenamed "Harley"

tastegw

Inspired by Art
Messages
1,400
Location
PA
Case Chassis: Cooler Master HAF XB
Case Theme: Harley Davidson

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So I finally got back home and found some packages waiting to be unboxed

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Sadly, not everything came yet, but I did get some goodies.
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1x Cooler Master HAF XB case
2x Overkill Grills from MNPC
3x 140mm COUGAR Vortex Silent fans (orange)
2x 80mm Cooler Master standard fans
2x 80mm Link Depot standard fans
10x Inferno Nut Covers
1x 2'x2' Black Aluminum Diamond Plate

Items purchased today:

some new dremel bits
self etching primer
orange glossy
clear coat
various glue/tape/tools and stuff

Still awaiting:

2'x4' Brushed aluminum slab
2x 18"L 3"OD exhaust pipes
1x Transparent Amber Acrylic (enough for both sides)
1x Transparent Clear Acrylic (spare for top)
1x Laser Etched Clear Acrylic /w logo at top of post
1x Decal pack

edit: forgot to mention what the specs will look like after hardware is purchased (though nothing is set in stone just yet)

LGA 2011 Platform X79
Intel Core i-7 3820 (to be replaced with 22nm 6 core in Q3
Undecided on motherboard, but i really wanted a Gigabyte GA-X79-UD7 board (its got orange on it lol)
Zotac 660ti (to be replaced by 780's dual or tri sli Q2)
AIO cpu cooler (all in one)
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1300w PSU
16/32GB quad chan kit, undecided on details
Western Digital WD VelociRaptor 1TB HD
 
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Unboxing the case was a treat, this little thing had some real weight to it.

The panels are fairly thick and overall quality is very good.]
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I wanted to start by removing the front panel mesh, to my surprising the mesh that I had read was non removable was actually removable

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even the filter was removable
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this was all easier than getting the front panel off the case on its on. Next step was to remove the plastic grid from the front panel, and I got delayed, so that will wait until tomorrow, but I did get 2 of 2 nut covers reduced in length and ready for sanding before calling it a day today.
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so to tease you with what these are for, here is a mock up using the actual items:
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will have more ready for you hopefully tomorrow.
 
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Before I continue, I wanted to show detailed images of these COUGAR fans, they seem to be of really good quality, though, I have not tested them out just yet.

boxed
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front
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rear
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top
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sleeving
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accessories (screws / 3 pin to molex / toolless push pins)
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side by side with the basic cooler master fans that came with case (120mm)
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enjoy.
 
I began some cutting today on the top panel.

Tools used:

Standard Corded Dremel
EZ Lock 456 Metal cutting blades
number 438 sanding bits

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first thing to do was to mask the sections that needed cutting, I cut from the inside today for 2 reasons: 1) the outside will not even be seen once mod is finished , 2) it was easier lol with the way the panel was set up.

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once I had my lines drawn with a 90, I began to cut (my dremel skills are not very good, but i do my best)
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cut completed after about an hour and a half
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this case has the thickest panels I have ever cut before
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next step was to sand the edges so its smooth and safe to work around, no pics of that sorry. but I did use both the dremel and manual sanding methods.

part 2 of the work was to continue with the nut covers, I had cut them last night, but they needed some sanding.
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one is not finished, the other is, can you tell?

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different angle


thats it for now, will update later tonight or tomorrow with more work done, next thing to do is start on the front panel grid, that has to go!
 
What RPM setting did you have the Dremel on? Every time I try to cut with a Dremel I wind up messing something up or it doesn't work right because my settings are off.
 
max speed, reason is I used to use a cordless dremel in my previous mods, and its power was so bad, slower = more bits used up in my experience.

I didnt even use but a fraction of the bit I used today on max setting, and I bought 10...
you can actually see the one i used in the top tip sitting on top of a unused one.
 
Yea I had a corded as well. I was going to get a wireless but my friend always had issues with it like you said with power. Guess I'll get another one that is corded so I can finally finish my Scorpio.
 
Front Panel work:

unsure on what the tool was called that was used to cut this, but it did a pretty good job. it did need some heavy sanding afterwards.


before:
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after (front)
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back
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trash left over
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mounted back to the empty case (still not finished yet)
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more images of my vision (note that the grills will not be mounted as the photo shows, they will be turned 45 degrees once the diamond plate has been cut and mounted)
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I was really happy with the new height of the nut covers
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next job is to cut the diamond plate to proper sizing, and get some nice round holes in it.
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I also need a light sanding done on the front panel, then prime it and paint it harley orange (not officially harley orange, but as close as i can get) and then clear coat it.
as you can see from the above photos, I may need to putty up some "opps" on the front panel near the right edge and another spot, not sure how ima do that just yet.

enjoy for now, will update prolly tomorrow with more
 
Small Update for tonight:

Masking and measuring the diamond plate for cutting tomorrow:

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I over thunk that one,......when I was trying to figure out what half of the width was.....I was using the height's figure and kept wondering why the math didnt seem right lol.

anyhoot, I messed around with the diamond plate, and I will have more left than I would have used, so I tried to see what it would look like on the top instead of brushed aluminum:

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the picture really doesnt do it justice, it looked very nice, I am contemplating whether or not to do both the top and the side panels with the diamond plate also, if i do, ill need to order more of it.

one thing holds true, I cant paint a pattern or strait lines on the diamond plate, so if i go with diamond plate on the rest of the case, its prolly going to stay unpainted, except for clear coats, but then again, I dont think I had any plans to paint the brushed aluminum either, I went away with that idea,.
 
Hi, so I got back at it this morning, some cutting and some accessory painting.

This is where I left off last night:
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Now some cutting was ready to be had
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was able to get a pretty solid line today, I was pleased with the results
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as you can see, it fits pretty snug in there
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another shot
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after some sanding, it will need some touch up black on those edges.

now for the holes
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I also cut to size a top panel to see if I like it instead of brushed aluminum (which hasnt came yet :( )
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this one still needs some work around the edges, either my case isnt strait, or they sent me a bad cut, cause their 90 doesnt match up with the cases 90, my cut was 90 on the other sides.
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some painting and priming:
front panel prime
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front panel orange (clear coat not shown in this pic)
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these look really nice in the case
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thats it for now, im watching paint dry as we speak, tonight I will try and get the nut covers mounted on the fans, a painful task thats going to be.

enjoy
 
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