Phase 1: The Genesis

The idea.

Where do I begin? The GTRPC is a classic example of what happens when you put a bunch of guys together and fill them with beer.

I had decided that I wanted to build myself a Shelby Cobra Replica, but lacking the time/money and tools to do it I decided to scale down my project somewhat. I had done mods to my existing PC, the usual lights, windows, paint kind of thing and I wanted to do something totally different. Something that people from all walks of life would look at and think "Wow! That's cool.".

So we defined our project goals:

When switched off, it must not look like a PC
System must be able to play Quake3, Counter-Strike and Age of Kings
System should be respectably overclocked. +310Mhz enough for ya?
All components used should be normal PC parts, that you'd gladly have in your desktop games machine

The reality.

This wasn't going to be easy. That dawned on us very early in the piece.

It took several weeks of research, measuring PC components, sketching layouts before we were able to identify a configuration that would work, and a body shell big enough to hold it all. We settled on the Kyosho Landmax GTR bodyshell by virtue of its dimensions. Along with the GTR shell, we ordered a set of the 1/8th scale tyres/rims.

While we waited for the shell and bits to arrive, we obtained the aluminium sheet metal (2mm thick) to manufacture the chassis. Additionally PC parts, plugs and other bits were obtained.

Once the shell arrived, the job was on.

Phase 2: The Chassis

	After taking to the Aluminium sheet with a jigsaw, the final outline of the shell was traced on using precision measurements (cough)
	To get the chassis shape just right, a belt sander provided a quick and easy way to shed the excess metal.
	The shell sitting on the chassis. A nice fit.
	We're on our way.

Phase 3: How the hell do we fit it all in?

	Once the chassis shape was complete, it was down to trying to figure out how all of the pieces would be arranged internally.
	Whether by good luck or good judgement, there was really only one way the bits could be arranged.

Phase 4: Mounting the Wheels

	Once the internal layout was complete, we added the bits that make the GTR a car. Cuts were made into the chassis where the wheels would go, and a couple of blocks of wood and a clamp were used to bend up the brackets that would hold the wheels.
	Some drilling to mount the axles.
	High tensile bolts were used as axles for the wheels.
	Starting to look like an actual vehicle. Now if only we could mount a motor and gearbox in there too.

Phase 5: Finishing the Chassis

	The nibbler was the most useful tool on this project. The best $21.95 I've ever spent. Slots were cut in the chassis to allow the ports and plugs to be fitted.
	Network, Video and two USB ports. Mounted at an angle so they can pass out the rear of the car. There isn't a lot of clearance underneath.
	The complete set of ports. TV out as well. Note the strengthening bar down the center. This was added to prevent the chassis flexing when it's picked up and bending the motherboard. It's just another length of aluminium riveted to the chassis.
	Time to tidy up the chassis, get the pen marks, scratches and other blemishes off.
	Thirsty work this polishing. A small file was used to tidy up all of the slots and cutouts in the chassis.
	The edge of the chassis was lined with furniture felt to prevent it scratching the inside of the shell and removing the paint.
	Partially assembled. Note the sound card mounted on the PCI riser to make room. You can also see the motherboard jutting into the wheel spaces which necessitated some serious nibbling of the wheel rims. See the FAQ for the MicroATX answer.

Phase 6: Internal Wiring

	This was the most difficult and fiddly part of the whole project. The USB cables were not long enough for example, and needed to be extended. 8 wires that needed extra sections added in. You can also see the cutout in the power supply to dump cool air into the heatsink. This little modification along with the uprated PSU fan took 10C off the idle CPU temp.
	The headlights and indicators. As the indicators are on the 5v standby, there is a 150 ohm resistor inside the blue heatshrink on each of them to make sure we didn't fry them. The first 4 only lasted 30 seconds. :)
	Voiding your video card warranty. This is/was an ASUS v7100 with TV out. The black spiral cable tidy contains some ribbon wire, similar to an IDE cable, which runs the Video signal to the connector at the rear. The yellow CAT5 cable carries the TV out. Note that the RF connector was removed and the Card nibbled away to make room for the shell. The connectors are wired to the back due to space restrictions.
	The sound card was wired to the internal speakers in a similar fashion to the graphics card. The circuit board on top is the remote control unit.
	Overview of how it all hangs together. As you see, it really couldn't have gone together any other way.
	A view of the sound and network card. The LAN connector is a cut down CAT5 connector which sits in the socket. A relief after all of the other soldering jobs.
	Closeup of the front wheel, showing how the tyre and rim were cut away to allow the motherboard to slide in. This is one of the main reasons we couldn't motorise it.

Phase 7: Finishing Touches

License Plates	The license plates were made using a digital photo of some actual Western Australian plates. We printed them out to scale on a colour inkjet and then laminated them. After they were cut to size, they were mounted to the shell using some very small electronics screws.
Painting	Metallic Red. Being a polycarbonate shell, you have to use a specific type of paint. I used Pactra in spray cans, and ended up using about 3 cans. The windows were then tinted with Pactra RC Spray Tint. Just make sure the colour has dried properly first. The tint dissolved paint like you wouldn't believe!
Decals	Naturally the shell came with enough stickers and advertiser logos to make even the most diehard riceboy cringe. A select few were chosen and placed on the shell.