Hey All, here is my cockpit.
If you have any questions please ask!
Plans
I got my plans for cockpit and seat base from Ericleroi here:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=105033
I built the rig in 3 separate pieces. 1)The footwell/wheel support 2) The Seat Base w/seat 3) The side console.
I kept the seat base separate from the footwell because a)Ericleroi suggested that in his plans, and b) I needed to be able to move the seat out of the way when cleaning, etc.
If I could do it again, then the seatbase would have some method of temporarily attaching to the footwell, because of the movement experienced under braking with the Nixim v2 mod installed.
SIDE CONSOLE
For Side Console Plans, scroll down in this post or click here: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=6785168#post6785168
Button Box
I saw Hwangm's button box and loved the idea of not having to fumble with a DS3 while racing in order to pause, etc. So I took his plans from here:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=236170
and I used a ps3 controller & soldered Ethernet/Cat-5 cable instead of a Cthulu board.
An account of the soldering process (not my own) can be found here:
http://altoguitar.com/buttonbox/
E-Brake
I will be hooking up an e-brake shortly, (mine will be tied into my button box) I took the idea from Chilicoke here:
http://chilicoke.com/mods/ebrake.htm
Inverted Pedal Mount (G27)
I also took the instructions on how to reverse pedal mount from Chilicoke :
http://chilicoke.com/mods/reversepedal.htm
I'VE TAKEN THE REST OF THIS POST FROM FURTHER REPLIES TO MY THREAD (FOR EASY READING), SO THERE MAY BE SOME REPEATS IF YOU READ BEYOND MY FIRST POST
In order to invert the pedals on my cockpit, I moved panel 2 from erics plan. I figured that it would get in the way of an inverted pedal system, so i used that to attach the pedals to, as it was the same width.
I screwed that board directly to the composite strip that was mounted to panel #1. (front panel) so it was a sandwich. I had to lower the pedals as they were originally too high, all i had to do was unscrew the sides from panel 1 (6 screws each side). I can then remove the panel 1 and 2 sandwich. I glued most of the assembly together for strength but not these panels just in case.
to allow enough room to mount it you can just cut the inside side boards narrower to compensate. i used 3/4" MDF so it was plenty strong.
i recommend mounting the pedals as low and as forward as possible, or making the wheel mount higher to compensate for your knees getting in the way.
I drew and cut the outer side pieces as close as possible to ericleroi's design. The pedals are mounted to Panel #2, which is screwed to the strip on the back of panel #1. Therefore, the pedals are on the same angle as panel #1, which follows the same line as the front of the side panels.
They seem okay to me, I didnt know what to expect and I wasn't trying to match the angle of an IRL car or anything, I didn't even know how high my seat was going to be when I built the front half. I find it fairly realistic of an angle though, and LOADS better than non-inverted.
If the angle is really bugging you it wouldn't be too hard to change anyways, just pop the pedals off (after removing panels 1/2 of course) and put some spacers between the bottom or top of the pedal and the board.
the way that it is attached together makes that impossible to do. The inner side pieces are almost flush with panel #2 (there is a 0.5cm gap) so I would not be able to get at the screw heads to undo them without pulling the Panel #1/#2 sandwich out together. A small inconvenience considering that once you are comfortable with the pedals, you don't really need to move them!
I made the seat base independent of the front half, so there is no attachment between the two. The fit is pretty tight, and I have carpet in my room, so it's not easy to move it even when I want it to. That being said, sometimes when I'm driving I'm convinced that my seat moves back just a bit if I brake hard. Not enough so I notice that I'm further away from the pedals, but enough for me to (at least imagine that I) feel it. Normally it doesn't bother me, but if I was in a serious iRacing division or had hardwood/tile floors, I would probably attempt to make it more secure like EricleRois Key/Hole design
EDIT: I installed the Nixim v2 Brake and clutch mod a couple of days ago, and now my rig moves forward when I brake hard. I like the feeling of the mod, so I'm just going to have to hurry up and put my rig in the corner with the tv so it doesn't skootch forward any more.
I used Matte Black (or is it Matt Black ? ) to paint it with, so I wasn't super worried as I figured it would kinda turn out regardless. I bought 3 cans of Hunting Camouflage spray paint (black) and gave everything 2 coats plus some touch up is spots which resulted in some areas needing 3 coats.
I sanded 100% of the visible area of the the cockpit, and 40% of the visible area of the shifter/button box. I gotta say, there isn't much of a difference at all. Sand the edges, as they can be sharp and leave jagged, painful cuts (personal testimony, more than once). The rest of it, would depend on your paint colour (certain paints with different finishes reflect light differently and therefore would show gouges, scratches, dings etc more or less.
and to hook up an e-brake (mine will be tied into my button box):
http://chilicoke.com/mods/ebrake.htm
SIDE CONSOLE
sure, I never actually made any formal plans, just a few sketches that have since been trashed, however i took the time to draw this up for you and others
^^that^^ gives the dimensions youll need to cut. you'll also need to cut these holes in panels 5 and 6 to allow the shifter to fit in nicely:
I never wrote down the final measurements for the cutouts in 5 and 6, so I cant give them to you. I had to adjust the hole size several times after glueing and screwing it all together, so i never got a definitive size. just measure your shifter and it shouldnt be too hard to figure out (other than all the curves and angles and stuff ) I recommend doing a test fit before glueing and screwing panel #5 if possible. would have made it much easier had I done that.
Construction techniques were the same as the cockpit (and ericlerois design):
1) cut out MDF
2) attach composite strips to edges of MDF with contractors glue
3) once glue is dry (4-24 hrs dependign on my patience lol) drill pilot holes and then counter sink holes, and then attach MDF to composite with screws (10x1 1/4")
**I attached the strips to Panels 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7, only along the sides that will come into contact with panel #1**
4) If you have a helper, the next part will be fast and easy, because they can hold everything together while you screw it down. I was by myself so it took a little while while the glue dried enough to support itself while i screwed it down.
I started by attaching panel #3 to one of the #1 panels. I glued, dried and then screwed the #1 into the composite strip of #3. This gave me enough support to stand the side panel (#1) up while I was attaching panel #2.
Panel #7 can be attached the same way as panel #3.
5) once panels 2, 3 and 7 are attached, it was easy enough to put the other side (#1) on to complete the rough shape of the console.
6) after that, its just a matter of fitting in panels 4, 5, and 6. best if you get all your holes cut FIRST.
As for the Side console and movement, it does move around a bit when shifting. It's a pretty heavy unit, but there can be a lot of force applied to the shifter (by over-enthusiastic friends) and thus it wiggles a bit in play. I don't notice it at all when I'm driving, only when I'm watching someone else drive. And I figure once I get the tactile installed on everything (one of these days) then everything will be wiggling and jiggling anyways lol.
Thats pretty much it for the plans. One more thing to add would be that I held up both Panel #1s to the sides of my cockpit to be sure that they were the same height as the cockpit itself. I then traced the shape of the cockpit side onto the soon to be cut piece. This was to ensure an exact match.
I also just put a USB slot into the Side Console so I will be able to save/reload on SD cards/USB sticks way easier, and I also put in 2 AUX jacks so I can either a) pop my ipod onto the stereo when I drive!
or b) use it as a headphone jack for my 'team race radio' (or just playing at night lol)
and for some pictures
NIGHT RACE MODE
Shift Box on left side for JDM/Brit cars
USB Slot in use
Cable Management - USB Splitter inside powering button box and USB slot.
If you have any questions please ask!
Plans
I got my plans for cockpit and seat base from Ericleroi here:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=105033
I built the rig in 3 separate pieces. 1)The footwell/wheel support 2) The Seat Base w/seat 3) The side console.
I kept the seat base separate from the footwell because a)Ericleroi suggested that in his plans, and b) I needed to be able to move the seat out of the way when cleaning, etc.
If I could do it again, then the seatbase would have some method of temporarily attaching to the footwell, because of the movement experienced under braking with the Nixim v2 mod installed.
SIDE CONSOLE
For Side Console Plans, scroll down in this post or click here: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=6785168#post6785168
Button Box
I saw Hwangm's button box and loved the idea of not having to fumble with a DS3 while racing in order to pause, etc. So I took his plans from here:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=236170
and I used a ps3 controller & soldered Ethernet/Cat-5 cable instead of a Cthulu board.
An account of the soldering process (not my own) can be found here:
http://altoguitar.com/buttonbox/
E-Brake
I will be hooking up an e-brake shortly, (mine will be tied into my button box) I took the idea from Chilicoke here:
http://chilicoke.com/mods/ebrake.htm
Inverted Pedal Mount (G27)
I also took the instructions on how to reverse pedal mount from Chilicoke :
http://chilicoke.com/mods/reversepedal.htm
I'VE TAKEN THE REST OF THIS POST FROM FURTHER REPLIES TO MY THREAD (FOR EASY READING), SO THERE MAY BE SOME REPEATS IF YOU READ BEYOND MY FIRST POST
In order to invert the pedals on my cockpit, I moved panel 2 from erics plan. I figured that it would get in the way of an inverted pedal system, so i used that to attach the pedals to, as it was the same width.
I screwed that board directly to the composite strip that was mounted to panel #1. (front panel) so it was a sandwich. I had to lower the pedals as they were originally too high, all i had to do was unscrew the sides from panel 1 (6 screws each side). I can then remove the panel 1 and 2 sandwich. I glued most of the assembly together for strength but not these panels just in case.
to allow enough room to mount it you can just cut the inside side boards narrower to compensate. i used 3/4" MDF so it was plenty strong.
i recommend mounting the pedals as low and as forward as possible, or making the wheel mount higher to compensate for your knees getting in the way.
I drew and cut the outer side pieces as close as possible to ericleroi's design. The pedals are mounted to Panel #2, which is screwed to the strip on the back of panel #1. Therefore, the pedals are on the same angle as panel #1, which follows the same line as the front of the side panels.
They seem okay to me, I didnt know what to expect and I wasn't trying to match the angle of an IRL car or anything, I didn't even know how high my seat was going to be when I built the front half. I find it fairly realistic of an angle though, and LOADS better than non-inverted.
If the angle is really bugging you it wouldn't be too hard to change anyways, just pop the pedals off (after removing panels 1/2 of course) and put some spacers between the bottom or top of the pedal and the board.
the way that it is attached together makes that impossible to do. The inner side pieces are almost flush with panel #2 (there is a 0.5cm gap) so I would not be able to get at the screw heads to undo them without pulling the Panel #1/#2 sandwich out together. A small inconvenience considering that once you are comfortable with the pedals, you don't really need to move them!
I made the seat base independent of the front half, so there is no attachment between the two. The fit is pretty tight, and I have carpet in my room, so it's not easy to move it even when I want it to. That being said, sometimes when I'm driving I'm convinced that my seat moves back just a bit if I brake hard. Not enough so I notice that I'm further away from the pedals, but enough for me to (at least imagine that I) feel it. Normally it doesn't bother me, but if I was in a serious iRacing division or had hardwood/tile floors, I would probably attempt to make it more secure like EricleRois Key/Hole design
EDIT: I installed the Nixim v2 Brake and clutch mod a couple of days ago, and now my rig moves forward when I brake hard. I like the feeling of the mod, so I'm just going to have to hurry up and put my rig in the corner with the tv so it doesn't skootch forward any more.
I used Matte Black (or is it Matt Black ? ) to paint it with, so I wasn't super worried as I figured it would kinda turn out regardless. I bought 3 cans of Hunting Camouflage spray paint (black) and gave everything 2 coats plus some touch up is spots which resulted in some areas needing 3 coats.
I sanded 100% of the visible area of the the cockpit, and 40% of the visible area of the shifter/button box. I gotta say, there isn't much of a difference at all. Sand the edges, as they can be sharp and leave jagged, painful cuts (personal testimony, more than once). The rest of it, would depend on your paint colour (certain paints with different finishes reflect light differently and therefore would show gouges, scratches, dings etc more or less.
and to hook up an e-brake (mine will be tied into my button box):
http://chilicoke.com/mods/ebrake.htm
SIDE CONSOLE
Any chance of "giving back" to the community and posting the plans for that side console, to further complement Ericelroi's design? I want to build one.
sure, I never actually made any formal plans, just a few sketches that have since been trashed, however i took the time to draw this up for you and others
^^that^^ gives the dimensions youll need to cut. you'll also need to cut these holes in panels 5 and 6 to allow the shifter to fit in nicely:
I never wrote down the final measurements for the cutouts in 5 and 6, so I cant give them to you. I had to adjust the hole size several times after glueing and screwing it all together, so i never got a definitive size. just measure your shifter and it shouldnt be too hard to figure out (other than all the curves and angles and stuff ) I recommend doing a test fit before glueing and screwing panel #5 if possible. would have made it much easier had I done that.
Construction techniques were the same as the cockpit (and ericlerois design):
1) cut out MDF
2) attach composite strips to edges of MDF with contractors glue
3) once glue is dry (4-24 hrs dependign on my patience lol) drill pilot holes and then counter sink holes, and then attach MDF to composite with screws (10x1 1/4")
**I attached the strips to Panels 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7, only along the sides that will come into contact with panel #1**
4) If you have a helper, the next part will be fast and easy, because they can hold everything together while you screw it down. I was by myself so it took a little while while the glue dried enough to support itself while i screwed it down.
I started by attaching panel #3 to one of the #1 panels. I glued, dried and then screwed the #1 into the composite strip of #3. This gave me enough support to stand the side panel (#1) up while I was attaching panel #2.
Panel #7 can be attached the same way as panel #3.
5) once panels 2, 3 and 7 are attached, it was easy enough to put the other side (#1) on to complete the rough shape of the console.
6) after that, its just a matter of fitting in panels 4, 5, and 6. best if you get all your holes cut FIRST.
As for the Side console and movement, it does move around a bit when shifting. It's a pretty heavy unit, but there can be a lot of force applied to the shifter (by over-enthusiastic friends) and thus it wiggles a bit in play. I don't notice it at all when I'm driving, only when I'm watching someone else drive. And I figure once I get the tactile installed on everything (one of these days) then everything will be wiggling and jiggling anyways lol.
Thats pretty much it for the plans. One more thing to add would be that I held up both Panel #1s to the sides of my cockpit to be sure that they were the same height as the cockpit itself. I then traced the shape of the cockpit side onto the soon to be cut piece. This was to ensure an exact match.
I also just put a USB slot into the Side Console so I will be able to save/reload on SD cards/USB sticks way easier, and I also put in 2 AUX jacks so I can either a) pop my ipod onto the stereo when I drive!
or b) use it as a headphone jack for my 'team race radio' (or just playing at night lol)
and for some pictures
NIGHT RACE MODE
Shift Box on left side for JDM/Brit cars
USB Slot in use
Cable Management - USB Splitter inside powering button box and USB slot.
Last edited:
) and I have carpet in my room, so it's not easy to move it even when I want it to. That being said, sometimes when I'm driving I'm convinced that my seat moves back just a bit if I brake hard. Not enough so I notice that I'm further away from the pedals, but enough for me to (at least imagine that I) feel it. Normally it doesn't bother me, but if I was in a serious iRacing division or had hardwood/tile floors, I would probably attempt to make it more secure like EricleRois Key/Hole design
I had to adjust the hole size several times after glueing and screwing it all together, so i never got a definitive size. just measure your shifter and it shouldnt be too hard to figure out (other than all the curves and angles and stuff 
) I recommend doing a test fit before glueing and screwing panel #5 if possible. would have made it much easier had I done that.
) 
not bad with socks on but with shoes it can get a touch cluttered. Something to get used to I believe, I'm a bit new to driving standard anyways, having only ever driven automatics IRL. 
