Part 5 - CD-RW
The part of the drive bracket support that rested on the IIcx/ci motherboard would have to be removed, as it did not line up with any of the Yosemite motherboard mounting points. This was cut away using a Japanese dovetail saw. Any cutting tool would have worked, but this made short work of accurately cutting throught the thick plastic. Then, using the dovetail saw again, I cut away both walls of the hard drive support, flush with the top of the drive bracket. This was a mistake. There is a small square riser in the center of the drive bracket. I could have cut it away as well, but decided to use shims under the CD-RW drive instead. I then measured, marked, and drilled out the mounting holes on the left side of the bracket. The right side of the CD-RW drive (facing the inside front of the case) would over-hang the drive bracket and not be secured to it. I mounted the CD-RW drive to the bracket and installed it in the case.

Even with the plastic drive facia removed, I had to trim down reinforcing ribs on the inside front of the case to let the front of the CD-RW butt evenly against the case. I measured, marked, and drilled out two more mounting holes on the left side of the case as well for extra support. These would show on the outside, so I used flat-head screws and recessed them in the plastic. I assembled more spacers from super-glued washers for a tight fit between the case side and the drive left side. I noticed the right side of the drive had a tendency to lift up when test installed, so I fitted a piece of brass rectangular rod to the inside front of the case that lined up with a slot in the front of the CD-RW drive housing. Everything looked good, so I measured and marked the slot opening on the front of the case and very carefully cut out the drive tray slot with a razor saw.

   
  Stealth CD-RW drive tray slot.  

The piece I had cut out from the front of the case would then be used as the CD-RW drive slot cover. I intended to attach it using plastic solvent. Unfortunately, it was in no state to be used as-is. The long edges were fine, but the ends were not straight and just wouldn't do. So, I square up the opening in the front of the case and squared up the ends of the cutout piece using a razor saw and a miter box. Now, of course, the cutout piece no longer fit tightly in the opening. The remedy was to glue plastic sheet to each end, wait for the solvent to set, then file and sand the ends to profile.

A test fitting showed the fit wasn't perfect. The end gaps were still visible, but satisfactory. A coat of paint would improve that even more.

« PREVIOUS « HOME » NEXT »
 
 •  Introduction  •  Planning  •  Patterns and Templates  •  Case Preparation  •  SuperDisk  •  CD-RW  •  Drive Activity Lights  •  Rear Panel  •  Switches  •  Test Fit  •  Cable Management  •  Painting  •  Final Assembly  •  Gallery  •