CM 690 Side window

[Theblackmages]

Well I just started my project about doing a side window for my case, It can be a little guide if you want too.

Today I just cut the rectangular hole on the side.

Tools I used :
-800rpm electric drill paired up with a cut off wheel
-Dremel to make the cuts straighter

the reason I used a cut off wheel was because it's faster than using a dremel and the drill is stronger.I also had no cut off wheels for my dremel so...

First of all : you really want to measure twice before you cut because you really don't want to not cut right.
I used a pencil and a ruler to draw my lines on the other side,I then put masking tape over it so it would be easier to follow the lines when cutting.

I did not protect the paint on it because I was going to repaint it anyway, you could be extra carefull, but trust me on this one it's hard not to scratch it.

on the next pic you can see that its scratched at some places, I will repaint the sidepanel this week. the bottom is a bit wavy, I might trim it a bit again.
It doesn't have to be perfect, I will add some chrome trim around it.

stay tuned for updates, I still have a lot to do :

-repaint the side panel
-put a chromed trim
-put a plexiglass and do a 92mm or 120mm hole for a fan


further mods will be :

-cuts for better wire managemnt
-polish the top of the AC freezer 7 pro
-paint the inside of a case

 

[Theblackmages]

So today , due to the small imperfections I did to the case I decided it straigten up the rectangle a bit followed by some sanding and a small coat of primer:

what I used:
-Dremel again to make it look straigter
-500Grit sandpaper for the imperfections and for the paintjob that cooler master did
-Red metal primer

so here's the result:

for sanding it down you want to use different grit sandpapers for optimal surface, but if the surface you're painting is good , you don't need to sand it. You normally start off with some more rugged sand paper and go up to some higher grit which is less rugged. say a 500 is more rugged than a 1500 grit one.

The red you see is the Primer, My case will be black. You want to sand between the primer and basecoat with a high grit sand paper for optimal grip.after sanding ,I used some dry paper towels to dry the surface, i do not recommend cleaning with water.

Stay tuned for the black coat tomorrow.

 

[enaberif]

You gonna repaint your whole case? Because painting that side panel won't match the rest of your case.

 

[Theblackmages]

I'm going to see how it looks when the sidepanel is done. The rest of the case is pretty much some mesh grill ,some plastic and another side panel. So if the sidepanels don't match well I'll paint it too when It will be time to paint the interior too.
Note that the sidepanel will be black, the red is just the primer.

Keep them comments going, if you like it or not, and suggestions are always nice. thanks.

 

[Theblackmages]

Well I've almost finished it, the window is in place, the chrome trim and the black paint. the final step will be to add 1 or 2 92mm fans on the bottom of it. It looks really great. More lights will be nice too. so here are the pics.

another shot:

so let me know what you guys think about my mod and all.

and for people with not much experience, I didn't think it was hard at all and this is pretty much my first work with metal besides that I did some paint before.

 

[low351]

Nice Job, I've been thinking about adding a window to my Elite 330 but now I might have a chance to get
the CM690 and I was worried that the top fan mount on the panel was too close to cut out.

 

[kcksteve]

nice i like the chrome:thumb: the only reason i wouldnt do this is cuz i love the 2 fans on the side