The Virtual Vette
This project started because I was looking for a way to
encourage and reward my son, Daniel, for earning his Eagle Scout rank. Daniel had purchased a steering wheel, gear
shift and pedal set-up to play games on his computer and had made some sketches
of sim-rigs he wanted to build. His
designs were very similar to the ones you find online in that they are just
frames with a seat and mounting brackets for the components. I don’t recall which one of us actually said
it, but one of said, “What if we built this into an actual car?” Thus, our journey began and it turned out to
be one of the best father son projects ever.
I should note at this point that in order to keep this guide
manageable and fun, we will skip over many sub-process that are not
particularly unique to this project.
Explaining how to build a gaming computer, how to upholster automotive
seats, lay fiberglass, welding, paint and body work are complete tutorials all
their own and there are plenty of them out there.
Our first task was to select a car. Daniel’s first suggestion was a Lamborghini
Countach but we figured the parts would be hard to find and probably a little
on the expensive side. Our next
discussion centered around the Mazda Miata.
They are certainly not rare and they are compact little convertibles
which on the surface seems pretty ideal, however they are not particularly
distinctive cars. We knew the main part
of the car you would see is the door the Miata door is somewhat generic in its
shape. After some deliberation, we had narrowed it
down multiple generations of Ford Mustangs and the third generation Chevrolet Corvettes (AKA C3 Corvettes). Both have parts readily available not only in
salvage yards but also in aftermarket reproductions. Both also have very distinctive doors and
taillights. The Mustang has the scalloped
vent impression in the door and the three vertical bar taillights. The corvette has the flowing curves and hips
leading to the classic double round taillights.
Though we both love the Mustang and it would have been a fine choice, we
ultimately settled on the Corvette.
Finding a suitable donor car turned out to be one of the
most rewarding parts of the project. All
we really needed as the foundation of this project was the driver compartment
of the car which in a Corvette is commonly called the birdcage. In addition to keeping the cost down, we
wanted to find a donor car that was in good enough condition for our purposes,
but one that was not likely to ever become roadworthy again. We were fortunate to find two old school
Corvette specialists within driving distance that possessed significant
boneyards. Both were absolutely more
than accommodating when they found out we had a father-son project that
involved the beloved American sports car, even though I’m not sure they really
understood what we were building at the time.
Williams Corvette in Sumpter, SC is where we found the original birdcage
from a wrecked 1980 L-82 Chevrolet Corvette that was originally a 3 speed
automatic, dark blue metallic car. We
found this and truck full of other parts including a drivers door with a
cracked interior metal frame which made it unsuitable for the vibrations of a
running car. We found a hood with broken
hinge mounts, a remnant piece of a front fender and almost all the interior
plastic trim pieces including the section of carpet we needed. We found a rear bumper cover that was damaged
on the passenger side, a drivers seat and some other parts at Corvette
Specialists in Raeford, NC. (fig. 1
& 2)
GENERAL NOTE: There are several plans referenced within
these instructions as well as some 3D printed items. We will be happy to provide full size 11x17
pdf files of the plans and .skb 3D printer files upon request if you want to
attempt this or build something similar.
Material List:
NOTES:
·
We are including in the parts list the parts for
a 78-82 Corvette. If a different car was
chosen, the parts list, as well as many of the structural dimensions, could
change significanty.
·
We are not including a parts list for building a
gaming computer other than to state that we used a Thermaltake S100 Tempered
Glass Black Edition Micro-ATX Mini-Tower Computer Case with outside dimensions
of 16.18” x 8.66” x 17.36”. Building a
gaming computer is a project in its own right and the case size of this unit is
pretty much the largest we would try to use in this project.
·
We used a Thrustmaster T300 RS racing wheel and
pedals, aikeec B0BWN95QS6 gear shift, and a CNRAQR B08PP8MVRC hand brake. We are not going into any greater detail on
the gaming components, substitute components to suit your preferences and
adjust the build accordingly.
·
Since many of the parts were sourced used,
through junkyards, or gathered from materials we had leftover from other
projects, it is difficult and potentially misleading to put a price on this
build. Besides, I really don’t want to
know.
§
1978-1982 Chevrolet Corvette ‘birdcage’
§
1978-1982 Parts as follows:
o
Drivers side door
o
Drivers side interior and exterior door handle
with latch mechanism
o
Drivers side door hinges
o
Interior door panel
o
Door arm rest
o
Interior door handle bezel
o
Rear bumper cover
o
2 tail lenses, housings, sockets, LED bulbs
o
LED license plate light
o
2 LED taillight bulbs
o
Front drivers side fender
o
Hood
o
Interior front drivers side carpet section
o
Seat shell
o
Seat coushon
o
seat cover kit
o
Power seat mount and mechanism
o
Sill plate and rain diverter
o
Dashboard
o
Radio and instrument cluster bezel
o
Shifter console upper trim plate
o
Parking Brake Console and arm rest
o
Parking brake handle
o
Heater and A/C Distribution box
o
2 center air vent deflectors
o
1 drivers side lower air vent deflector
o
Drivers side kick panel
o
Center console kick panels
o
Drivers side windshield post trim
o
Windshield header trim
o
T-Top interior trim
o
Interior quarter panel trim
o
Dome light with lens
o
T-Top center bar alignment bushings and top
mounting plate
o
Body mount bushings
o
Exterior chrome t-top trim
o
Rear corvette and front L-82 hood emblem
o
Lower rocker panel trim
§
Aluminum stock for base frame
o
12’ - 3”x1 ¾” x 1/8” Wall Aluminum U Channel
o
32’ - 3”x2” x 1/8” Wall Aluminum Box Channel
o
6’ - 1 ½” x 1/8” Wall Aluminum Square Channel
§
Metal Stock
o
16’ – 1” x 1/16” Wall Aluminum Square tube
o
20’ – 1” x 1/16” Wall Steel Square tube
o
8’ – 1/8” x 1” bar stock
o
8’ – ¾” leg aluminum right angle stock
o
6’ – ¼” steel rod
o
3’ 1 ½” base x ½” legs x 1/8” thickness
C-Channel
o
6’ ½” x ½” x 1/16” square tube
o
1 - 2’x3’ 1/16” steel plate
o
2 – 2’x3’ 16 gauge aluminum diamond plate
o
2 – 2-x3- 1/8” aluminum plate
§
2 - 3/16” thick 4’x8’ hardboard
§
1 - ½” thick 4x8 appearance grade plywood
§
1 – ½” x 2’x4’ MDF
§
2 – 4’ pieces of gutter cover expanded steel
§
1 – roll aluminum gutter cover screen
§
1 - Can Great Stuff expanding foam
§
1 - Can Krylon Stone Granite textured spray
paint
§
1 – leather hand brake boot
§
1 – roll 2” foam batting
§
3 – yards black faux leather vinyl
§
1 – can 3M Super 77 Spray adhesive
§
1 - 1” x ½” neodymium magnet with inset screw
hole
§
1 – 30x22 mm metal strike plate
§
1 – 6” x ½” hinge
§
1 – Articulating monitor mount
§
1 – 12 volt mini vacuum pump
§
1 - .5 gallon, air horn tank kit.
§
1 – 60cm Threaded tire inflator extension hose
§
1 - 3” in line 12V air blower
§
1 – 75-115 mm shock for RC vehicle
§
1 – Universal power door lock actuator
§
4 – 2 1/16” gauges – voltmeter, vacuum, turbo
boost, rear differential temperature
§
1 – ACDelco D1415B Ignition switch
§
1 – ACDelco GM Genuine D1400B Coded ignition
lock cylinder with key
§
1 – Auto Direct W-219 Ignition Bezel Nut.
§
1 – Pyle PFA560BT 100W 5.1 Chanel home theater
receiver / amplifier
§
2 –4”x6” three way speakers
§
2 – 6.5” three way speakers
§
1 – 6.5” mid base woofer
§
1 – illuminated steel toggle switch with
aircraft safety cover
§
1 – illuminated plastic on/off toggle switch
§
1 – low voltage DC motor speed controller
§
1 – 16mm latching push button on/off push button
switch
§
1 – SDS Mouse Holder
§
1 – Universal car shift knob boot dust cover
§
1 – Frienda knob for heater / air conditioner
§
1 – 6 way power seat switch
§
1 – 12 volt wireless momentary switch 1 channel
relay transmitter / receiver
§
1 – 12 volt 20 amp power supply
§
1 – 12 way fuse box
§
1 – 6 way fuse relay block
§
1 – Universal 1M car USB 3.5 mm AUX extension
cable male jack
§
1 – Dual USB 3.0 flush mount cable 2M extension
panel/dash mount
§
1 – Square Type C 3.1 Car Flush Mount USB 3ft
extension
§
1 – 49” curved monitor
§
1 - wireless mouse
§
1 – wireless keyboard
Step 1. Base Frame
To keep the weight down, we chose to use box channel and
c-channel aluminum stock. Weld together
the frame according to plan 1. Grind down the welds and rough edges. We did a light brushed finish by cleaning it
with acetone and going over it with a polishing burnishing wheel. (fig. 3)
Step 2. Prepare the Birdcage
Clean and de-grease the birdcage. Remove the windshield and back glass. We used a combination of a scraper blade on
an oscillating tool and sawing back and forth with 80lb fishing wire tied to
handles on either side. (fig. 4)
We used some scrap steel to weld in some temporary support
beams to prevent damaging the remaining portion of the birdcage after we cut
away the passenger side of the structure.
(fig. 5 & 6)
We cut the car down in several iterations. Trimming it
closer to the final dimensions as we went along. The final cut along the back was cut using a
laser level to cast the cut line and mark it with masking tape. Then we used a fine blade on a reciprocating
saw to cut the back in line with the back of the hoop and to the right of the
transmission tunnel using the right side of the right dashboard mounting tab. (fig. 7, 8, & 9)
Step 3 – Mounting the Birdcage on the Base Frame
The frame is designed to use the rocker channel under the
driver side door to support the car and the transmission tunnel on the other
side. We discovered that some trimming
was necessary to get rid of some mounting surfaces from the original steel
floor stamping so it would sit flat on the frame we constructed. (fig 10) Then we placed the car on the frame
stabilizing it with clamps when necessary as the mounting bolts will be
installed later. (fig 11)
Step 4. Prepare the Door
The door we found was from a
different car and not only was the fiberglass cracked in several places, but
the metal inner structure had a significant crack. Since our simulator does not have to endure
the stress of the road and the possibility of a crash, we set out to eliminate
as much weight as possible. We started
by cutting out as much of the metal inner panel as we could. The key was to leave the surfaces that the
door panel, hinges and latches mount to on the door. We also removed the side impact beam by
cutting it into several small pieces with a combination of a die grinder,
Dremel cutoff wheel and oscillating saw, being careful not to cut into the
fiberglass outer panel. (fig 12)
Once we lightened up the door, we
repaired the cracks in the fiberglass.
Since there is no use for the rear view mirror or door lock in a
simulator, we covered those holes with fiberglass too. After some test fitting, it was ready for prep
and paint. (fig 13)
Step 5. Body Panels
With the door prepped, we moved on
to the other major body panels. We had
found a portion of a driver’s side front fender that had been cut off in the
front wheel well, probably leftover from a front end graft repair on another
car. There is a body support in front of
the firewall and after test fitting it with the hood and door, we cut it 1” in
front of the body support making sure to keep a recognizable portion of that
trademark C3 Corvette gill (side vent). (fig.
14) We bolted a small piece of ¾” right
angle aluminum to the top of the frame channel and ran a screw inside the gill
cutout because it would be covered later.
A second screw was used on the tab at the back of the fender where the
rocker panel would cover it later as well.
The two final attachment screws were run through the cowl where they
would be concealed by the hood.
The hinge mounts were broken in the
hood we found rendering it useless for anything roadworthy, but since we just
needed to cut a section out of the other end, it worked great for us. We cut it
to match the length of the fender and the width we had determined. The hood simply sits on the top of the front
of the car and is not secured down. The
fender side is designed to fit the hood and a bolt was used as an adjustment
point to align the height of the hood.
On the passenger side of the hood, we installed a 3/8” U-bolt for the
hood to rest on. The threaded U-Bolt
also allowed us to fine tune the height and position of the hood.
Step 6. New Support Frame
Using 1” square steel tubing, the
next objective was to build the support frame of the car. All of the pieces were fitted and welded into
place before the temporary supports were removed and the right side of the
birdcage trimmed to its final dimension at ¾” beyond the support frame. We determined the position of the frame by
using a plumb bob and a laser level to square up the frame position relative to
a point on the right of the center dashboard console.
The main upper beam was arched to
mimic the bodyline of the corvette door.
The beam across the back behind the window was arched to match the arc
in the rear bumper cover and the vertical support at the back was arched to
mount flat against the back of the floor pan and meets the other 2 beams where
they intersect. An important note here
was to make sure the vertical tube went all the way to the top of the roof and
the side and rear beams terminated into it since the roof will be cut off
later. (fig. 15 & 16)
The side beam is welded into cowl
below the dashboard mount. The rear beam
is welded into the thick structure of the roof hoop and the vertical support
was welded to the back of the floor pan.
To complete the roof structure. The
original metal frame inside the roof hoop was cut away so a short piece of
square tubing could be inserted to meet another piece of vertical tube
extending back down to the top beam. The
roof portion was welded securely, but the middle vertical beam that meets the
side beam was just tacked into place so it could be cut away later.
Additional support was added with a
piece of square tubing fitted and welded 7” back from the cowl mount and welded
to the side of the transmission tunnel.
Finally, 2 reinforcing gussets were
cut and welded into place at the top structure only. The lower parts were drilled for 5mm bolts
with insert nuts imbedded into the top beam.
This will allow the roof to be removed later. The first plate is 8” long and cut to match
the lines in the frame where it comes together at the cowl. The second was
welded in as a “Monte Carlo style side window” below the roof hoop. (fig. 17)
After all the frame parts were in
place, the temporary bracing was removed and the right side of the roof hoop
and floor pan were trimmed back flush to the support structure.
Step 7. Building the Computer Pan
The computer, along with most of
the electronics, is concealed in a compartment between the seat and the bumper
cover. It is necessary to add some
additional support to the frame to hold up the computer pan. First, we cut a piece of 1/16” steel plate to
the same contour as the side of the bumper cover and welded it to the left side
of the rear beam. From that piece we
welded a piece of 1/8” x 1” bar stock to extend below the rear floor pan. On the right side of the rear beam, we welded
another piece of 1/8” x 1” steel bar stock making sure it was plumb and
extended below the bottom of the rear floor pan. Then we cut a piece of 1” square tube to fit
between the 2 pieces of bar stock, welded them into place and cut off the
excess. (fig. 18)
Using a piece of 2’x3’ 16 gauge
aluminum diamond plate we bent it at 90ׄ° at 22” and 9” to give us a 13”
floor. Additional trimming and forming will
come into play later once the plywood backing is in. (fig. 19)
We then cut a 10”x15” section of the same material and notched 2 corners
1” at 90°. We then bent the edges 1”
back to 90° to form a lip. We installed the side we just formed with 1/8” rivets to
secure it into place.
The computer will need a
significant amount of ventilation so we cute out two 5” x 7 ½” oval holes in
the back of the plate and 1 in the side.
We did this by cutting an oval shape ¼” larger in a piece of 3/16” hardboard. We made sure to keep the cutout for later
use. We then used that template to cut
the holes in the aluminum diamond plate with a nibbler. (fig. 20)
To finish the holes, we flattened
out some expanded steel gutter screen. We
trimmed the leftover cutout from the hardboard to produce about a 3/8” gap
between the 2 pieces of hardboard. We
placed the cutout on a flat surface, then the gutter screen and the outer part
of the template on top. With the gutter
screen sandwiched between the 2 pieces of hardboard, we hit the template with a
mallet to form an impression. (fig. 21)
These were later trimmed metal and painted
to match the car. We secured into the
diamond plate with 1/8” rivets.
Step 8. Sectioning the Rear
Part of talking my wife into
letting us put a chunk of a cut up junkyard car into the bonus room in our
house was the loose description that it would only be about the size of a
loveseat. In keeping with that spirit,
it was necessary to cut 22 inches out of the rear end. Getting the back of the car to mate up with
the bumper cover and look somewhat plausible turned out to be one of the
biggest design challenges of the project.
(fig. 22)
The rear bumper cover had been hit
on the right side, but the left was in good shape so we cut the section we
needed just to the right of the license plate lip. (fig. 23)
After a lot of head scratching and
a few failed attempts to reconfigure pieces of the removed section, we ended up
welding in a framework with 1/16” steel plate cut to the curvature of the body
panels and ¼” steel rod arched to an
approximate shape. We covered it with
sections of metal gutter cover screen and applied 3 layers of fiberglass. We finished it with several coats of
fiberglass reinforced bondo with a lot of sanding between coats. This was a lot more art than science so we do
not have any specific dimensions to offer. (fig. 24)
Step 9 – Steering Wheel Framework
The steering wheel needed a rigid support
structure. We started by rough cutting
the dashboard just along the left side of the glove compartment opening. (fig. 25)
This was in order to temporarily install the dashboard so we could
position the steering wheel.
The framework consists of a main 1
½” base x ½” legs x 1/8” thickness C-Channel backbone cut to 21”. A 6” piece of 1”x1” right angle steel was
welded perpendicular to the front and bolted through the firewall. ½” square steel tubing was cut and welded to
form a frame that matched the bolt spacing of the built-in mounting nuts on the
bottom of the wheel. Finally, a piece of
1” x 1/8” steel was bent in a “U” shape to clear the steering wheel and then 1
½” was bent back at roughly 90° at the top in order to bolt into the lower cowl
using some spacers to tailor the final position. (fig. 26)
Step 10 – Modifying the Floor Pan
for the Pedals
The floor pan needed to be modified
in order to install the electronic pedals.
Cutting was basically a trial and error process cutting back a little at
a time until we achieved proper clearance.
Once we had enough room, we cut and bent a piece of 16 gauge diamond
plate to cover the hole and provide a new mounting surface for the pedals. Since it needed to be structurally sound to
support the weight of someone stomping on the gas, clutch or brake, we secured
it to the front firewall with ¼” x 1” bolts and to the floor with M6 flat head
hex socket cap screws. Both sides were
bent up at a 90° angle to create a minimum ¾” lip for added rigidity. (fig. 27)
Step 11 - Shifter and Hand Brake Framework
There are 3 mounting structures on
top of the transmission tunnel that we were careful to preserve because they
are the original mounts for the armrest and center console. Since we are going to reconfigure the center
console, we could mount the shifter where it felt most comfortable. We wanted to use the armrest so we
temporarily installed the armrest and its support plate to ensure the handle
would function without hitting anything.
(fig. 28)
Once those positions had been
determined, we cut 1/16” steel plates to cover the holes we cut in the
transmission tunnel earlier and provide a base to mount our controls on. Since the bottom of the transmission tunnel
would be inaccessible once it was placed on the frame, we marked and drilled
for the mounting bolts. We then welded
the bolt heads to the bottom side of the plates and then welded the plates into
position. (fig. 29)
Step 12 – Modifying the Dashboard
The dashboard was out of the
original 1980 Corvette and it was in bad shape.
However, we were going to significantly reshape the dashboard, so it
served as a good base for us. The first
thing we did was sand out the cracked parts of the dash and hot glue aluminum
gutter screen into the speaker and vent holes on top of the dash. Since the front of the dash was going to be
visible, which would not be the case if the car had a windshield, we used some more
of the expanded aluminum gutter screen to create a front apron structure. (fig.
30)
The opening in the dash for the
instrument cluster was square in the 1980 Corvette. We needed to tailor this to fit the round
steering wheel housing. While the
steering wheel support structure was in place, we mounted the dashboard and
wrapped the steering wheel housing in a plastic trash bag. We then crafted an aluminum gutter screen
structure in the opening with hot glue.
We left the lower vent opening, center instrument cluster opening and the
headlight switch opening unchanged for later use.
Using masking tape to protect the
areas we did not want to coat, we used Great Stuff expanding foam to fill in
the areas that needed to be changed or repaired. (fig. 31)
The excess foam was trimmed back
with a bread knife. A coat of body
filler was applied, sanded, and this process repeated to arrive at a final
shape. (fig. 32) The dash was then primed and painted with
Krylon stone granite spray paint to give it texture. Finally, a few coats of satin black were
applied. (fig. 33)
Step 13 – Creating the Center
Console.
The center console consists of 3
sections. The armrest, the middle gear
shift bezel and the instrument cluster.
The original mounting points were preserved when we added the gear shift
and hand brake mounting plates so the stock components could be used as a
modified base, allowing us to use the stock center console side panels and
largely preserving the original look of the C3 Corvette interior.
The armrest and armrest support
were restored stock Corvette parts.
Though it took some effort and a little violence, we removed the stock
hand brake handle from the hand brake mechanism. To fit the electronic e-brake, we had to use
a file to widen the opening slightly. We
were able to bolt the handle to the electronic hand brake. The handle was restored and we used a
universal leather hand brake boot to cover the connection and finish the
assembly. (fig. 34)
The gear shift bezel and the
instrument cluster were handled in a very similar fashion. We took the stock parts and cut out the
centers which preserved the stock mounting points while providing clearance for
the new components we were going to install.
(fig. 35) We took care to
preserve the vent locations on the instrument cluster and the coin tray on the
shift bezel.
The new inserts were 3D printed and
bolted to the modified components with M-5 socket cap screws. The instrument cluster was designed with
openings to accommodate four 2 1/16” gauges, the ACDelco ignition switch
assembly and a momentary illuminated toggle switch with cover. The lower section of the instrument cluster
was designed to accept the Pyle PFA560BT amplifier receiver. We chose this unit because it is a home audio
component that resembles an automotive stereo. (fig. 36)
The gear shift bezel inserts were
split into 2 pieces, partially to preserve the mounting location in the center
of the original bezel and partially to minimize the chance of the print
warping. The lower section only needed
an opening for the gear shift. The space
below that was not particularly useful and we filled it with a Virtual Vette
badge. The upper section left cutouts
for the 6-way power seat switch, the on/off toggle switch for the fan and the
speed knob for the fan controller with 2 additional openings for LEDs to
illuminate the knob. We also utilized
this section to install 3 - USB 3.0 extensions, 1 - 3.5 mm AUX extension for
headphones, and 1 – USB-C extension. (fig. 37)
Step 14 – Removing the Roof
Even disassembled, this thing was
not going through the 30” doorway leading into our game room. Though this may have been an opportunity to
for a convertible conversion, we elected to keep the T-Top and make the roof
removable. The side where we had built
the new framework was already set with bolt on reinforcement plates and we
welded in a 4” inner square tube at the rear to slide into the lower 1” tube
for extra rigidity. On the windshield
frame, we simply cut above the cowl and welded on a 4” piece of right angle
steel that would be concealed by the windshield trim and bolt inside the
existing framework below with a M5 flat head socket cap screw. At the rear, we used an oscillating saw with
a carbide blade to cut the top above the shoulder of the rear fender. The oscillating saw gave us a very clean cut
with a thin kerf. We then cut through
the metal support structure and bolted in a piece of 1” steel square tube
inside the top section of the structure and secured it with additional M5
screws inside the bottom section. (fig.
38)
Step 15 – Rear Bumper Cover
The rear bumper cover was the last
major body panel to be dealt with. The
part we found was a reproduction cover that had been hit on the passenger
side. We cut off the damaged side just
to the left of the license plate nook.
Since it would be a removable cover to access the computer and the
wiring, we wanted to keep it light weight.
Therefore, we elected to use an aluminum support structure. We cut a piece of 1/8” aluminum plate to
match the curvature of the cover where it meets the body. On the side we cut off, we cut another piece
of aluminum plate to match the sectioned curve of the bumper cover and left it
1” proud in the front of the cover to be able to attach to the side of the 1”
steel framework with at threaded knob.
1” square aluminum tube was arched to match the curve of the top of the
cover / back of the steel frame and a second piece was arched to match the
curve of the back of the bumper cover.
These were welded into place and attached with flat head screws along
the inner lip of the cover where it attaches to the car. With the exception of two visible screws to
the right of the license plate niche, the rest is held in place with tension
and screws hidden in the lip. (fig. 39)
To make the bumper removable, we
welded 2 right angle steel “hooks” to the top of the rear steel frame on the
back of the car. (fig. 40). We then used 2 threaded knobs to secure the
cover. One at the far left below the
back portion of the bumper cover and one on the bottom right side where the
aluminum plate meets the frame.
Step 16 - Wood Panels
Three wood panels needed to be made
to complete the structure. The front
panel is made of 3/16” hardboard. We
just held it in place and traced the shape of the front of the car onto the
hardboard and cut it out. (fig. 41) The right side outer panel is made in a
similar way scribing along the top frame rail, squaring off the front to meet
the other piece of hardboard and the back to align with the vertical frame
support. (fig. 42)
To create a mounting structure for
the panels, we cut 2 pieces of 1” square aluminum tubing and bolted one to the
front of the firewall above the original steering column port and the second to
the side of the cowl. (fig. 43) Along bottom of the right side we welded on
two right angle brackets to bolt the side into and bolted a third onto the
front fender just below the opening for the gill. A piece of ¾” leg right angle aluminum was
bolted along the vertical seam where the 2 pieces of 3/16” hardboard meet at
the front right of the car and M5 rivet nuts were installed in the tubing to
provide connector points for socket cap screws, securing the hardboard. (fig.
44)
To finish the interior and provide
a mounting structure for the electronics, mouse pad, speakers and upholstery, we
made cardboard templates and cut out 2 pieces of ½” plywood to form the side
and rear cab panel behind the seat. The
side panel was mounted to the frame structure and the rear was mounted to the
rear frame structure and the back of the seat pan. It is important to cut out two hand holes at
the top of the panel, 1 ½” x 4”, so you can reach through the rear of the panel
and push up on the bumper cover frame to release it from the car to access the
computer after final assembly. (fig. 45).
An 8” wide x 7” tall square hole was cut into the side interior panel 4”
back from the front and 1 ¾” down form the top.
This will accommodate the fold down mouse pad. Additionally, along the bottom edge of the
interior side panel a narrow strip of wood was attached perpendicular to the
panel to cover the gap between the center console and the side panel.
Step 17 – Speaker System
Arguably, one of the best features
of the project is the stereo system. It
adds a lot to the driving experience. We
traced the 6.5” sub-woofer onto the rear of the floor pan and cut out a hole
right behind the driver’s seat. We built
an enclosure for this speaker out of MDF to eliminate rattling and provide a
rich bass. (fig. 46)
Cutouts in the rear cab plywood
were made for the 6.5” three-way speakers (Step 16, fig. 45) and they were
screwed into place after the upholstery was complete. A cutout for the front right 4” x 6” three-way
speaker was made in the side panel of the center console, and it was secured
with M4 nuts and bolts. On the left
side, an original 1980 Corvette kick panel was modified to accommodate the 4” x
6” three-way speaker and it was secured in the same way. (fig. 47)
Before the grille covers were
installed over the speakers, we hot glued blue LEDs behind the Pyle logo so the
speakers would have a blue glow to them that matches the rest of the interior.
Step 18 – Upholstery and Interior
Trim
2” foam batting was cut to match
the profiles of the ½” plywood panels.
This was covered with faux leather vinyl fabric and stapled to the back
of the plywood. An additional small
panel was templated with plywood, cut and upholstered to fill in the gap
between the back of the door jamb and the front of the rear cab panel (fig.
48).
An 8” x 7” piece of leftover
shelving was cut out for the mouse pad tray.
It got a fresh coat of black paint and a small metal strike plate with a
pull strap made from a leftover piece of nylon strapping screwed into the front
center. Using a hinge and a stop block
the mouse pad was installed into the side according to figure 49. A 1” x ½” magnet was attached to a piece of
1” bar stock cut 1 ½” long and attached to the back of the plywood with at 1/8”
spacer. (fig. 49) A foam
mouse pad was cut to size and applied to the surface of the mouse pad
tray. Three blue LEDs were placed on the
back of the plywood above the opening to give a back glow to the mouse pad tray
when open.
The transmission tunnel side did
not get any batting and was covered with faux leather vinyl fabric using spray
adhesive. The plastic rear hoop trim,
t-top trim, upper windshield trim, windshield A pillar trim, left kick panel
and seat shell were refurbished and sprayed with black vinyl paint. An original seat was recovered and installed
back into the shell. The inner door
panel was a new reproduction we ordered and simply installed into the door with
the factory hardware. We used a 1980
carpet kit for the drivers side, cut it down to fit our modifications, and
installed with the rear panel, sill plate and center console side overlapping
it. (fig. 50)
Step 19 – Monitor Mast
The monitor mast is made of a 47”
long piece of 2”x3” – 1/8” wall aluminum box channel. It is bolted vertically to the 2 cross
members of the base frame. An
articulating monitor mount was then bolted to the top of the mast. A cap for
the mast and also caps for the end pieces of the box channel in the base frame
were 3D printed. (fig. 51)
Step 20 – Starting the Computer
with a Key
The computer was custom built for
this type of gaming application and utilizes a Thermaltake S100 Tempered Glass
Black Edition Micro-ATX Mini-Tower Computer Case with outside dimensions of
16.18” x 8.66” x 17.36”. Since the
computer itself is inaccessible when you are seated in the car, we needed a way
to start it, and we wanted to use the GM ignition key. We mounted an ACDelco D1415B ignition switch
in the instrument cluster including the ACDelco GM D1400B lock cylinder to give
us that original GM key. An Auto Direct
W-219b bezel nut finished it off.
To start the computer, we built a
plastic finger to push the on/off button on the computer. We did this by 3-D printing the plastic
components to horizontally mount a power door lock actuator. Between the door lock actuator and the
finger, we installed a 75mm shock absorber to prevent stress or damage to the
computer button or the printed structure resulting from any miscalculation or
variance in the stroke of the actuator.
(fig. 52) The CAD files and .skb
files are available upon request.
The first position of the key will start
the monitor, illuminate the lights and activate the gauges, the second
momentary ignition position of the key activates the actuator. I am sure there is a much more elegant
electronic way to turn a computer on and off with a switch, but this was a
simple way to keep everything on a 12-volt circuit and gives us the opportunity
to change out the computer if desired.
Step 21 – The gauges
There are 4 working gauges that are
mostly just for show. The voltmeter
simply reads the output voltage from the power supply. The rear differential temperature gauge reads
the temperature inside the computer. The
sensor was mounted on a blanking plate slot cover to sit just below the
graphics card. Granted, something would
have to go wrong for the needle to move, but in theory, the gauge would show an
indication if there was a problem with the computer. (fig. 53)
The boost gauge is definitely just
for show and reads air pressure. To make
it actually work and not just sit on zero, we installed a half gallon air horn
air tank under the hood with a filler hose extending across the front of the
car and accessible by lifting the hood just in front of the driver’s door. Beside the tank we installed a small 12-volt
mini vacuum pump attaching the hose to the vacuum gauge. To make it operate we installed an
illuminated momentary toggle switch under an aircraft style switch cover so
that when you activate the “Boost” switch, the needle on the gauge moves for a
cool effect. (fig 54 & 55)
Step 22 – Fan
Since the Virtual Vette is inside,
the fan is a lot more for show than practicality and though it is noisy, it allows
us to keep a lot of the original look of the dash with operable vents. We took the original Corvette A/C
distribution box, cut off the right side and patched it with a leftover piece
of plexiglass from another project using epoxy.
After mounting a 3” in line air blower on the front of the firewall with
a bracket cut from a piece of aluminum angle stock, we attached a short 3” hose
to the distribution box and epoxied it into place. (fig. 56)
Having refurbished the stock 1980 Corvette center and driver side vents,
we install the vents, hoses and distribution box in their original locations.
We located a blue illuminated
on/off toggle switch and speed controller in the upper part of the center
console. Two LEDs are mounted below the
knob to illuminate it.
Step 23 – Odds, Ends and Painting
After dissembling almost
everything, the body was blocked, primed, blocked again, primed, painted and
clear coated. The outside of the MDF
panels were primed and rolled. Numerous
other parts, including the outside firewall and bottom of the bird cage were
sprayed satin black. (fig 57, 58 &
59)
We 3-D printed a custom gill design
with an inset piece of gutter screen and blue LEDs to illuminate the
opening. This was applied to the car
with automotive double-sided trim tape (fig. 60)
The original Corvette rear bumper
emblem and L-82 hood emblem were refurbished and applied with automotive double-sided
trim tape. The original chrome exterior
T-Top Trim was straightened, cut to size and polished. The rear taillight lenses were polished and
installed. The original rocker trim was
refurbished, trimmed to size, painted black and installed.
The door hardware was refurbished,
installed and aligned.
The mouse pad holder was installed
beside the fold down mouse pad.
Step 24 - Wiring and Final Assembly
The wiring and final assembly are
largely intertwined. In our case, we
partially wired and reassembled everything at the workshop, took some of it
apart, moved it to our game room and then reassembled and wired the rest of
it. For the sake of simplicity, I am
going to explain it as one process in its final location.
The components of the car were
reassembled as described in previous steps after the car was painted leaving
off the hood, side MDF panel and bumper cover for now. The wiring for the computer is pretty
straightforward. A surge protector was
installed behind the seat in the computer pan.
An extension cord and HDMI cable were run under the armrest and along
the transmission tunnel to the monitor. A
second HDMI cable was run to the audio receiver / amplifier. The cables for the USB, USB C and 3.5mm audio
jack were also run to the back and plugged into the computer. The area under the armrest and along the
transmission tunnel serves as the main wiring conduit and is concealed under
the lip of the interior side panel. (fig. 61)
The basic wiring of the system
outside the computer and components is done much like a 12-volt automotive
wiring system. It utilizes a 12-volt, 20-amp
power supply, a 12-way fuse box and a 6-way fuse relay block.
The first function of the system is
to illuminate the dome light, taillights and license plate light when the door
is opened by way of the factory door jamb switch. Along with this, we installed a push button
on / off switch in the original dashboard headlight switch location to turn the
dome light on and off independently when the key switch is on. One more detail we added, just for fun, was
the momentary wireless transmitter switch to turn on the taillights, dome light
and license plate light when pressed (fig. 62)
When the key is turned to the first
position in the ignition switch, the gauges are powered on and illuminated, the
audio receiver amplifier is powered up, the fan switches are powered on and
illuminated, and the LEDs in the speakers, mouse pad, and exterior gill are
illuminated. When the key is turned all
the way to the start position, just like when you start a car, the actuator
pushes the power button on the computer to start it and the monitor wakes up
via the HDMI connection.
Everything is put together
according to Wiring Diagram 1
Once all the components were in
place, we put them in the computer in the computer pan and connected all the
components. We placed the hood on its
rests, bolted on the MDF side panel and secured the rear bumper cover with the
threaded knobs.
Conclusion:
