R-Pod MkII Driving Simulator

[ericleroi]

Cheers ziggy It helps having a wife who doesn't want to use the dining room

The 4 side pieces have been cloned. Time for some food ...

[ericleroi]

Panels attached together (double width like everything else) and beveled:

Close-up:

[ziggy]

Yeah i'm hoping the new house we're looking for will have a dining room or even a garage to turn into a man cave. Then i can start on mine.

Honestly tho, yours is looking great.

[ericleroi]

I hope you manage to get the space you need ziggy, I couldn't be without mine now!

Finished cutting all the pieces and have screwed the frame together. The blanking panes are just stuck on with tape for now:

[sucramjd]

I know this as been asked before but how do you get that beautiful black finish? I see your from the uk wanna build my cab

[ericleroi]

Some instructions I had prepared earlier. The technique does change from time to time depending on the project but this is what I used for this build:

1. For exposed MDF edges, seal with car body filler or similar.

2. Sand back until smooth (lower grit fist going fairly gently to get rid of the 'lumps', then a higher grit e.g. 380), trying to ensure that there are no fluffy bits. I use a sanding block and circular motion to sand.

3. Prime with standard water based primer/undercoat using a brush

4. Inspect for imperfections and mark them out

5. Apply more filler and sand as required

6. Apply second coat of primer / undercoat and lightly sand back.

7. Inspect for imperfections and inconsistencies and repeat filling if necessary

8. Apply water based blackboard paint using a small foam roller

9. Sand back lightly.

10. Repeat 9 and 10 (twice, if necessary)

11. Apply water based polyurethane with a foam roller ensuring there are no bubbles.

12. Repeat 12 upo to 4 more times, no sanding in between. Typically, I apply 3 coats.

The difficult bit to get right is the application of the polyurethane. This needs to be 'worked'. The secret is not to load too much onto the roller andto work with the initial coverage fairly quicky. I apply it much like a brush in the sense that I don't use one continuous movement. A continuous motion will likely streak, giving an uneven finish. Once covered, repeat the process very lightly, without any more polyurethane on the roller, to get rid of any bubbles. Make sure the area and wood is as free as possible from dust and fluff.

The polyurethane is very durable and dries very quickly so all these coats shouldn't take too long.

[ericleroi]

Did some more work on the hood - filling and sanding to get the edges straight:

Covered in vinyl:

Real carbon fibre arrived:

As did some heat shrink tubing to cover the wire hangers for the wall rack:

[ericleroi]

Started on the wall rack. Cut the backing board:

Put the heat shrink tubing on:

Bent it using pliers and craft foam to protect the tubing:

One headphone hanger:

[HazzardActual]

At this point everyone is on the edge of their seat just waiting for the final pics and youtube demo video. i know i am

[ericleroi]

Just charging the video camera HazzardActual! It's my wife's and I don't know how to use it yet. It'll likely be another couple of weeks before I post something.

Filled, primed and applied 2 coats of flat black to the monitor sides:

Also fitted an aluminium bar to the lower section of the hood:

[richie_jones]

Excellant...

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[maxxsinner]

At this point everyone is on the edge of their seat just waiting for the final pics and youtube demo video. i know i am

I am as well! This entire build has been a display of precision.

[mikekim]

Eric,

Your attention to detail makes mine look like a poor cousin.

Stunning work

[ericleroi]

Thanks very much for your kind and encouraging words

I'm making panel with - yes you guessed it, an aluminium insert to sit under the wheel base:

The wood will be vinyl'd

[ericleroi]

The Wood strips have been sanded on the edges so they are round. This makes the vinyl much easier to apply and ensures it doesn't bubble.

Vinyl attached:

Now to expoxy ...

[ericleroi]

The pieces have been expoxy'd and are being held firmly in place with tape whilst it all dries:

This is what it will look like (I'll take a better photo when it's all dried and I'm not as concerned about dropping it):

[ericleroi]

Cut some more dash panels - I'll likely modify the layout at some point in the future (Symprojects instrument gauges):

[ericleroi]

Guess what this is:

[ericleroi]

Here's the dashboard strip I made earlier now in-place:

The last piece is under the wheel shelf, waiting patiently to be sanded down. My wife likes the last piece because that means I can start clearing the house ...

[zomboided]

More photos of the Batman pictures please

[ericleroi]

Monitor hood sides are varnished and ready to attach:

Here you go:

[rfancella]

I sense a bitter/sweet moment coming.

Can't wait to see it finished (as are you, i'm sure), but I will miss this thread when it's done.

Thanks,

Ron

[ericleroi]

Thanks Ron. Yes, I guess it is bitter/sweet I've really enjoyed putting the log together and attempting to implement all the ideas. I'm happy it's coming to a conclusion now though and am very pleased with the results.

[ericleroi]

The back of the monitor hood is complete, just a blanking plate visible from the front to cover. Also just finished up with the initial prep for the dash panels. I've filled, sanded and painted the outer edges so everything is clean. These are covered with vinyl but will have the carbon fibre set in from the edge to make the effect more interesting (besides which, the sheet of carbon fibre is 1/2 cm too short to cover both panels):

A couple of bad pictures due to the lighting:

Front view of the monitor hood/blanking plate:

[vaad]

looking through the photos again... makes me realise I " hate " you where did you get the batman AC prints