Mac Pro Custom case mods?

[Bigjohncfl]

Has anyone fully disassembled a Mac Pro case for customizing? I am tearing down a 3,1 case to try and repair a bent rear loop "foot" and there are a number of fasteners that I'm having trouble removing due to their location behind other components. If I can get it apart and successfully repair the dent, I'm considering painting or powder coating the parts before reassembly. Do any of you have pictures of modded cases or hints on how to get this thing apart?

 

[mooblie]

You might have found this forum already:

https://www.tonymacx86.com/forums/mac-pro-mods.140/

 

[Bigjohncfl]

You might have found this forum already:

https://www.tonymacx86.com/forums/mac-pro-mods.140/

I had not, thanks! Doesn't seem like many people are willing to fully disassemble the case though.

 

[ActionableMango]

I'm considering painting or powder coating the parts before reassembly.

I think flat black anodizing would look phenomenal on a cheesegrater Mac Pro.

 

[Bigjohncfl]

I think flat black anodizing would look phenomenal on a cheesegrater Mac Pro.

I was thinking flat black paint for the "Cheese Grater" center band then going back with a counter boring bit and taking all of the holes from 90 degree shoulders to a 45 degree cone to bring the silver back. The side wrap, which has the feet, back, and handles plus the door I was think something like a gunmetal grey powder coat.

I took a while but I finally got the thing fully disassembled. I had to drill out the pop rivets that hold the Wi-Fi antenna into the bottom of the case to get to one of the screws, but i should be able to use counter sunk screws in place of the rivets when re-assembling.

This is nothing like the custom cases that I did for my original Mac Plus and Mac SE, they were much easier to disassemble once a technician taught me how to drain the residual voltage from the picture tube so I could remove it without shocking the bejesus out of myself. The first case I did was Plasti-Kote Fleck Stone coated in a granite grey. The second was a replica of Eddie Van Halen's guitar. That was 40 something years ago, my how time flies.

 

[nigelbb]

Has anyone fully disassembled a Mac Pro case for customizing? I am tearing down a 3,1 case to try and repair a bent rear loop "foot" and there are a number of fasteners that I'm having trouble removing due to their location behind other components. If I can get it apart and successfully repair the dent, I'm considering painting or powder coating the parts before reassembly. Do any of you have pictures of modded cases or hints on how to get this thing apart?

How do you propose straightening the case? I have a 3,1 that I dropped while moving house a few years ago & the wonky "foot" always irritates me. It was only dropped about 12-18 inches but the fully loaded weight & the angle it hit the concrete floor was enough to bend the "foot"