WMD Part II by G-gnome

Mounting The Radiator

I originally had an idea to suspend the radiator in the end of the case on stainless steel springs. I bought some of these but they weren't strong enough to support the weight and I found a better alternative....



...in the shape of some stainless steel fittings that are normally used in architecture, for tensioning the wires in stainless steel railings.
I had to drill the mounting holes a little larger....



...and ran a screw through to attach each fitting, whilst still allowing them to pivot (important).




The radiator was centered, with the fittings equally angled. The outside of this part of the case was marked in line with the fittings, and at the correct distance in to allow the shroud to sit tight against the inside end if the case. The case was then drilled, threaded inserts placed through and screwed onto the fittings. The threaded ends of the fittings stuck out a bit so were marked, then removed and cut down to sit flush.



It's a bit hard to explain fully, but the pivoting fittings enabled me to adjust the radiator and allowed for the change in angle of the fittings as they were tightened up. The completed radiator has Innovatek G1/4 metal compression fittings (for 8x1 tube) and two Panaflo Hi-speed 120 fans, attached directly into the threaded holes on the fan shroud with long, stainless steel, socket head cap screws. The Panaflos are high-quality and very quiet considering the amount of air they move. I later added chrome wire fan guards. The whole assembly made for a pretty chunky package, and completely filled the end section of the case.

Air Intake Grill

In WMD Part I, I covered the building of the end of the case and the air intake. I wanted to add a mesh grille to this to jazz it up a little and conceal the radiator and shroud.



The grille turned out better than I'd expected, mainly thanks to the nice pattern in the mesh I used. This is the Modders Mesh that has been made famous by various projects and is sold by mnpctech. Bill Owen sent me several sheets, and a handy guide for bending and protecting it.



I cut the mesh into two strips, polished it to 280 grit and carefully bent it into a curve by hand. Before joining the pieces with screws, I washed them in hot water and detergent to get rid of any oils, and then lacquered them. The mesh is mild steel, not stainless, so could eventually rust if unprotected. The grille fits tightly into the end cap and won't move or rotate.