CWBETB's Poor mans PVC setup

[cwbetb]

I posted some pics in the cockpit alternative thread but I have been getting a bunch of emails about my setup, so figure might as well start my own thread

First off my house is pretty small, and my "man cave" is limited with room. So from the get go my dreams of using a playseat/race seat had to be dropped. I also didnt want to spend tons of money on the setup.(Final cost about $20-$30) I decided to go the PVC route, using my couch as a seat. The stand itself was made to break in 2parts incase I needed to pack it away.

Parts-

1 1/2" PVC pipes
Rubber coating "Plasti Dip spray"
4 end caps for the pvc pipes
2 U bend PVC connection
2 3 way PVC connection
1 slight bend connector
Sand
Wood block
PVC glue "do not glue middle section"
Carbon Fiber Film
A few nuts and bolts

Almost all the parts came from a Lowes store.

The "sand" was used at the base of the stand to give it more weight/stability. I also have a mount for the PSEye for head tracking.

I cant really give you guys the dimensions since it will be mostly setup to your size/liking.

The stand is solid as a rock, I can drift with it with no issues, Thanks for looking, any questions let me know!

 

[Gunstar]

Nice!

 

[Cheshyrkat]

Very awesome:tup:

 

[bdps3racer]

Can you give rough dimensions? I wanna make sure I get enough straight pipe.

 

[Investor1]

looks good!

 

[Scrapin240]

very nice and I used this as the inspiration for my current build.

i made some minor alterations, and hopefully it will be just as nice as yours.
i just put some weights on top of the far legs, and joined the bottom near the couch, basically framing where the wheel is.

thinking of joining the front and back ends together this way i might be able to get rid of the weights. i'll see how it turns out. many thanks again for making me try this. this saved me a lot of $$. Hopefully my iteration works out

 

[cwbetb]

very nice and I used this as the inspiration for my current build.

i made some minor alterations, and hopefully it will be just as nice as yours.
i just put some weights on top of the far legs, and joined the bottom near the couch, basically framing where the wheel is.

thinking of joining the front and back ends together this way i might be able to get rid of the weights. i'll see how it turns out. many thanks again for making me try this. this saved me a lot of $$. Hopefully my iteration works out

Thanks! Would love to see how your turns out!

 

[bdps3racer]

I just finished roughing mine out. Thanks for the inspiration, I made a couple tweaks to add some stability. I'm still going to partially glue, fill with sand, and bolt some areas(to partially disassemble for storing). As well as paint it black and add some anti-slip to the bottom.

Total cost for PVC parts was less than $20, I believe $18-19.

Here's what I used (1.5" pvc):

6 x 90 degree
2 x T
1 x 45 degree

4 x 12.75in straights
1 x 12.50in straight
2 x 34.50in straights
2 x 20in straights
1 x 29.75in straight

 

[cwbetb]

bdps3racer looks good! I think mine might sit a little lower by the knees, you may need to shorten once wheel is mounted.

Also I suggest some non slip grips they use for rugs so they don't move around, also helps alot on the bottom

 

[bdps3racer]

bdps3racer looks good! I think mine might sit a little lower by the knees, you may need to shorten once wheel is mounted.

Also I suggest some non slip grips they use for rugs so they don't move around, also helps alot on the bottom

Yeah, it's just roughed together right now. I still need to track down someone that can cut a piece of wood for the wheel, and let me borrow a drill to mount the wood plate and make holes in some of the joints to be able to disassemble it. I'm not going to glue anything until I'm happy where it sits with the wheel.

 

[papaspurs]

That's a really elegant ghetto solution. 👍

I'm really pleased your thread was about a wheel stand.

 

[Scrapin240]

Here is my rendition of the PVC steering wheel stand. THANKS goes out to cwbetb for the inspiration. I framed the bottom and the front under goes under my couch. I used screws on a lot of the joints, except where it can come apart. It fits under the couch when not in use.

I will need to get some anti skid something, but it is a lot better than using my step stool and sitting basically on the floor.

Thanks again cwbetb 👍👍

 

[cwbetb]

Scrapin240 looks good! Nice to see different ideas/versions!

I am debating on making mine some how fold able with some snap in joints kinda what you would see on a stroller. I dont want to lose the solidness of it though.

 

[schuey87]

Could I just ask, what have you used on the floor between the carpet and the stand? Is it for grip or just to protect the carpet?

And when you take it apart, do you have to get rid of the sand?

 

[cwbetb]

Could I just ask, what have you used on the floor between the carpet and the stand? Is it for grip or just to protect the carpet?

And when you take it apart, do you have to get rid of the sand?

Yes thats the grip pads you see on the carpet.

Regarding the sand, after I put in the sand I stuffed the top half with towels so it wouldnt spill all over. It breaks in 2 at the mid joint.

 

[schuey87]

PVC glue "do not glue middle section"

What type of PVC glue did you use? I've heard PVC is very difficult to glue because of the material, it doesnt break down well to allow glue to bond so you need a special glue with a primer, how is the glue you used holding?

I used screws on a lot of the joints, except where it can come apart

I'm not a competent DIYer but am thinking that screwing the joints may be a better solution than gluing them with the materials involved here. How do you fit the screws? Do you need to thread the pipe before putting a screw in? What tools do you have to use?

...and bolt some areas

Likewise, how exactly are you planning to fit the screws/bolts?


I have bought all the pipework, some anti slip stuff, have a load of screws and bolts knocking around in the garage. Just need to get some sand and work out the best way of getting it all firmly glued/bolted together and then I'm all set to have a go at one of my own!

 

[iShift]

What is a rough estimate of how much something like that cost. I have been really debating on getting a wheel lately but have been a little reserved about getting it because I have no guaranteed place to set it up. That however would be perfect for my application. Thanks in advance!

 

[schuey87]

Right, I know how to do it, drill a hole for the shank of the screw and use self tapping screws

I spent around £20 for all the materials, would cost me another £12 for carbon fibre effect sticky stuff for the wood, but I think I'm just gonna paint the wood black to match the piping for the time being, may buy some carbon fibre effect stuff in the future.

Cwetb said he spent about $20-$30.

 

[schuey87]

Rubber coating "Plasti Dip spray"

What did you use this for?

 

[cwbetb]

PVC glue sticks really good, it actually melts the PVC and bonds the 2 pipes together. "do this in WELL ventilated area" No primer needed


Plast Dip spray is actually the name of the rubber coating

 

[cwbetb]

Cool, my setup was blogged!

http://helablog.com/2011/01/the-food-stamp-pvc-steering-wheel-rig-for-gran-turismo-5-diy/

 

[cwbetb]

Bumping for all the do it yourselfers