:::How To Build Your Own GT4 Arcade Style Racing Cockpit:::
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:::How To Build Your Own GT4 Arcade Style Racing Cockpit:::
This is a FAQ / DIY on how to build your own arcade style GT4 Racing cockpit.
What I have taken pics of is a working prototype. Price will depend on what materials you need etc. But it should be about $50 = $150 depending on what you go with and what you need.
<U>Materials Needed:</U>
1. Racing Steering wheel and pedals. Preferably Locitec Pro 900 Degree Official GT4 steering wheel.
2. 4 pieces of 4' x 4' MDF wood. 5/8" thick minimum (the thicker the better for sturdyness.
3. Box of wood screws minimum 20 count.
4. 4 13mm 1" bolts
5. Sandpaper
6. Seat
7. Sliders for seat if not already attached.
8. 4 13mm 3" self tapping bolts.
9. New jigsaw blades for cutting wood.
10. Cardboard
<U>Tools Needed:</U>
1. Jigsaw
2. Table saw
3. Radial Arm Saw
4. Electric Drill (2 is better so you can have 1 for drilling and 1 for screwing)
5. Dremmel
6. Presision screwdriver set or just really long and tiny Phillips head screwdriver (X)
7. Drill bits for wood.
8. Depending on the head of your screws a matching drill bit to screw in that screw.
9. Clamps
10. Sawhorses
11. Sandpaper
12. Time patience and the ablility to be calm.
13. Screw Recess Bit for Wood
14. Sharpie Permanent Marker
15. Carpenter's Square / A Right angle
<U>Measurements of Cockpit Components:</U>
Seat Height off Ground = 5"
Steering Wheel Platform = 25" Wide X 9" Long
Bottom Front Arm / Pedal Support = 25" Wide X 9" Long
Side Arms = 32" Long x 18.5" High
Pedal Platform = 25" Wide X 13" High
Seat Base = 19.25" Wide X 24" Long
Sliding Rail Mounts for Seat = Specific Width depending to your own seat X 5"
Front Unit Platform =
<U>Step 1:</U>
The first thing to do is mount the seat to your platform. So what you need to do is cut that platform out. Tkae your MDF and cut a piene out that is 19.25" Wide X 24" Long. Use your table saw if you have one it will be faster. When you have that cut out its time to mount your seat to the platform. Since you dont want to bolt right into the platform because then it would be like you are sitting on the floor, you will need to make some spacers to raise the seat off the ground enough to be comfortable.
<U>Step 2:</U>
You need to but a pice of MDF that is 5" high by whatever width your seat rails are. The Honda Prelude ones that I used were 12.5" wide but I dont know what yours will be so make sure you measure. Also it is a lot easier if you take the tabs on the rails and bend them over at a 90 degree angle. So that when you mount the wood to them they will be sturdier than if you mounted to the top. So bend those tabs in and then measure the gap in the middle. Then cut a piece that is that wide and 5" high.
<U>Step 3:</U>
Now you will have to mount that to your seat. Its really simple. Drill some holes in the wood where the seats will attach to the wood you just cut. Make sure that the holes are just a bit thinner than your self tapping bolt. Also make sure that the bolt will cover the hole for the sliders, if it wont then you will need a washer. So with that hole predrilled just attach the seat to the wood with your self tapping bolts.
<U>Step 4:</U>
When that is all attached and set up take it apart. The point of that is just to make sure that it all fits. Now take those seat mount pieces of wood and put them on the seat platform. Line them up with the back of the platform and leave 5/8" gap between them and the side of the platform. Turn the platform on its side and screw in the seat mounting wood to the platform with your wood screws. 3 screws should be sufficient. Also you should use a recess bit to recess the head of the screw into the MDF so that it is flush with the bottom of the platform. This will make sure that there is no scratching on the floor if you move it.
<U>Step 5:</U>
When you have both the seat mounts attached to the platform 5/8" away from the sides you will now need to brace it. Take some wood, preferably the same height and mount them on the outside edge of the seat mounts. They should be flush with the outside edge of the seat platform. Screw the seat mounts and the supports together and then the supports into the platform from the bottom. Note that you have to leave room for the seat rails to bolt into the seat mounts so dont screw the mounts to the supports through the already drilled holes.
<U>Step 6:</U>
Now just tip the whole thing over on it's side and mount it to the rails and that is done. You can set that off to the side.
<U>Step 7:</U>
The actual steering and pedal part of this is more complex and Ill try and explain it to you the best that I can so here goes.
The first thing that you need to do is get your cardboard out and draw a rectangle on it that is 32" long and 18.5" high. When you have that done cut it out. This is going to be your template for your arms up the side of the cockpit. Design them how you want but you have to take into account load bearing and stress etc. My slight arc design seems to work great. Also you have to have at least 1/2 the back and 12" of the bottom of each arm to be flat so that you can mount them to the platforma and bottom front support piece. Also you need a 9" piece at the top that is flat to mount the steering platform to.
When you have that done take it over to a piece of MDF and trace it and cut it out with the jigsaw. When you have that out take the template and trace it again and cut out another side. Then when you have both arms cut out put them side by side and look at them closely. Make sure that any imprefections in one or the other are removed by either sanding, planing, or cutting. You want them to be symetrical so that the unit is stable.
<U>Step 8:</U>
With the arms done its time to work on the platform for that part of the cockpit. Cut a piece of MDF that is 20" long and 26 3/4" wide. This is going to be your plat form.
<U>Step 9:</U>
With your platform done you need to start to put it all together. But first you need to make the steering wheel platform and the back support piece to attach the side arms together for support and mount the pedals to.
All you need to do is cut out 2 25" X 9" piecs. The front support and the steering platform are the same size. When you have those cut take one and mount an arm to each side of it. 3 screws evenly spaced. Then take that piece and the arms that are attached and mount them to the platform. 3 screws in each arm to attach it to the platorm and 4 screws in the bottom of the support piece from the platform.
<U>Step 10:</U>
With all that attached to the platform it should all stand with no problems on its own. Now all you have to do is mount the steering platform to the top of the arms. So take that piece and put it in between the 2 arms. Screw 3 screws into each side of it and you are done with that.
<U>Step 12:</U>
Pedals are a bitch and you'll soon understand why. What you first need to do is remove the back cover of the pedals. The screws for it are minisule for no reason and a bitch to take off so be patient. When you have that apart set it off to the side. Go back to your MDF and cut a piece of wood 25" wide X 13" high. This is going to be your mount for your pedals.
When you have that mount cut draw a line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner and another line across the 2 remaining corners. You should now have an X on there and the middle of the X should be the middle of the wood. Now take your carpenters square and draw a line down the middle of that wood. Take the bottom piece of the pedals you just removed and line that up with the line you drew. Put the pedals all the way back to the top of the pedal platform.
<U>Step 13:</U>
Now we have to mount the pedals to the wood. Take your 4 bolts and fit a drill bit that is just smaller than them and drill 4 holes through the bottom plate of the pedals and into the pedal platform. When you have those done screw in your bolts to mount the pedal piece to the platform.
<U>Step 14:</U>
Now take the pedal platform and drill holes through the back of the wood lining them up with the holes for the screws in the plastic. When you have those drilled take the whole thing over nad reattach it to the rest of the pedals. Now your pedals should be mounted very very firmly onto the pedal platform.
<U>Step 15:</U>
You're almost done all you need to do is mount the pedal platform to the front section of the cockpit. Set up the whole unit so that you were going to use it. Sit in the seat and imagine what angle you prefer the pedals to be at. Try and play with things like a brick or phone book to put under the pedals and see what angle you like. When you have found hte angle you like take your parker and mark down the top of the platform onto the side of the arms.
Remove the platform and drill holes just under the line about halfway down the width of your MDF. Now whn you have both sides done put the pedals back in (remembering to remove the phone book or brick) and line them up wiht the holes that you drilled for a guide. With the platform lines up drill back through the holes into the platform and then screw the platform to the arms with a minimim of 3 screws each side. Then into the front piece screw 4 screws into the back of the pedal platform.
YOUR DONE!
<U>Pictures</U>
My basement after 12 hours of woking in it. Im not cleaning it up anytime soon.
CRX Forum
Modified by crxforum at 11:46 PM 2/27/2005
What I have taken pics of is a working prototype. Price will depend on what materials you need etc. But it should be about $50 = $150 depending on what you go with and what you need.
<U>Materials Needed:</U>
1. Racing Steering wheel and pedals. Preferably Locitec Pro 900 Degree Official GT4 steering wheel.
2. 4 pieces of 4' x 4' MDF wood. 5/8" thick minimum (the thicker the better for sturdyness.
3. Box of wood screws minimum 20 count.
4. 4 13mm 1" bolts
5. Sandpaper
6. Seat
7. Sliders for seat if not already attached.
8. 4 13mm 3" self tapping bolts.
9. New jigsaw blades for cutting wood.
10. Cardboard
<U>Tools Needed:</U>
1. Jigsaw
2. Table saw
3. Radial Arm Saw
4. Electric Drill (2 is better so you can have 1 for drilling and 1 for screwing)
5. Dremmel
6. Presision screwdriver set or just really long and tiny Phillips head screwdriver (X)
7. Drill bits for wood.
8. Depending on the head of your screws a matching drill bit to screw in that screw.
9. Clamps
10. Sawhorses
11. Sandpaper
12. Time patience and the ablility to be calm.
13. Screw Recess Bit for Wood
14. Sharpie Permanent Marker
15. Carpenter's Square / A Right angle
<U>Measurements of Cockpit Components:</U>
Seat Height off Ground = 5"
Steering Wheel Platform = 25" Wide X 9" Long
Bottom Front Arm / Pedal Support = 25" Wide X 9" Long
Side Arms = 32" Long x 18.5" High
Pedal Platform = 25" Wide X 13" High
Seat Base = 19.25" Wide X 24" Long
Sliding Rail Mounts for Seat = Specific Width depending to your own seat X 5"
Front Unit Platform =
<U>Step 1:</U>
The first thing to do is mount the seat to your platform. So what you need to do is cut that platform out. Tkae your MDF and cut a piene out that is 19.25" Wide X 24" Long. Use your table saw if you have one it will be faster. When you have that cut out its time to mount your seat to the platform. Since you dont want to bolt right into the platform because then it would be like you are sitting on the floor, you will need to make some spacers to raise the seat off the ground enough to be comfortable.
<U>Step 2:</U>
You need to but a pice of MDF that is 5" high by whatever width your seat rails are. The Honda Prelude ones that I used were 12.5" wide but I dont know what yours will be so make sure you measure. Also it is a lot easier if you take the tabs on the rails and bend them over at a 90 degree angle. So that when you mount the wood to them they will be sturdier than if you mounted to the top. So bend those tabs in and then measure the gap in the middle. Then cut a piece that is that wide and 5" high.
<U>Step 3:</U>
Now you will have to mount that to your seat. Its really simple. Drill some holes in the wood where the seats will attach to the wood you just cut. Make sure that the holes are just a bit thinner than your self tapping bolt. Also make sure that the bolt will cover the hole for the sliders, if it wont then you will need a washer. So with that hole predrilled just attach the seat to the wood with your self tapping bolts.
<U>Step 4:</U>
When that is all attached and set up take it apart. The point of that is just to make sure that it all fits. Now take those seat mount pieces of wood and put them on the seat platform. Line them up with the back of the platform and leave 5/8" gap between them and the side of the platform. Turn the platform on its side and screw in the seat mounting wood to the platform with your wood screws. 3 screws should be sufficient. Also you should use a recess bit to recess the head of the screw into the MDF so that it is flush with the bottom of the platform. This will make sure that there is no scratching on the floor if you move it.
<U>Step 5:</U>
When you have both the seat mounts attached to the platform 5/8" away from the sides you will now need to brace it. Take some wood, preferably the same height and mount them on the outside edge of the seat mounts. They should be flush with the outside edge of the seat platform. Screw the seat mounts and the supports together and then the supports into the platform from the bottom. Note that you have to leave room for the seat rails to bolt into the seat mounts so dont screw the mounts to the supports through the already drilled holes.
<U>Step 6:</U>
Now just tip the whole thing over on it's side and mount it to the rails and that is done. You can set that off to the side.
<U>Step 7:</U>
The actual steering and pedal part of this is more complex and Ill try and explain it to you the best that I can so here goes.
The first thing that you need to do is get your cardboard out and draw a rectangle on it that is 32" long and 18.5" high. When you have that done cut it out. This is going to be your template for your arms up the side of the cockpit. Design them how you want but you have to take into account load bearing and stress etc. My slight arc design seems to work great. Also you have to have at least 1/2 the back and 12" of the bottom of each arm to be flat so that you can mount them to the platforma and bottom front support piece. Also you need a 9" piece at the top that is flat to mount the steering platform to.
When you have that done take it over to a piece of MDF and trace it and cut it out with the jigsaw. When you have that out take the template and trace it again and cut out another side. Then when you have both arms cut out put them side by side and look at them closely. Make sure that any imprefections in one or the other are removed by either sanding, planing, or cutting. You want them to be symetrical so that the unit is stable.
<U>Step 8:</U>
With the arms done its time to work on the platform for that part of the cockpit. Cut a piece of MDF that is 20" long and 26 3/4" wide. This is going to be your plat form.
<U>Step 9:</U>
With your platform done you need to start to put it all together. But first you need to make the steering wheel platform and the back support piece to attach the side arms together for support and mount the pedals to.
All you need to do is cut out 2 25" X 9" piecs. The front support and the steering platform are the same size. When you have those cut take one and mount an arm to each side of it. 3 screws evenly spaced. Then take that piece and the arms that are attached and mount them to the platform. 3 screws in each arm to attach it to the platorm and 4 screws in the bottom of the support piece from the platform.
<U>Step 10:</U>
With all that attached to the platform it should all stand with no problems on its own. Now all you have to do is mount the steering platform to the top of the arms. So take that piece and put it in between the 2 arms. Screw 3 screws into each side of it and you are done with that.
<U>Step 12:</U>
Pedals are a bitch and you'll soon understand why. What you first need to do is remove the back cover of the pedals. The screws for it are minisule for no reason and a bitch to take off so be patient. When you have that apart set it off to the side. Go back to your MDF and cut a piece of wood 25" wide X 13" high. This is going to be your mount for your pedals.
When you have that mount cut draw a line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner and another line across the 2 remaining corners. You should now have an X on there and the middle of the X should be the middle of the wood. Now take your carpenters square and draw a line down the middle of that wood. Take the bottom piece of the pedals you just removed and line that up with the line you drew. Put the pedals all the way back to the top of the pedal platform.
<U>Step 13:</U>
Now we have to mount the pedals to the wood. Take your 4 bolts and fit a drill bit that is just smaller than them and drill 4 holes through the bottom plate of the pedals and into the pedal platform. When you have those done screw in your bolts to mount the pedal piece to the platform.
<U>Step 14:</U>
Now take the pedal platform and drill holes through the back of the wood lining them up with the holes for the screws in the plastic. When you have those drilled take the whole thing over nad reattach it to the rest of the pedals. Now your pedals should be mounted very very firmly onto the pedal platform.
<U>Step 15:</U>
You're almost done all you need to do is mount the pedal platform to the front section of the cockpit. Set up the whole unit so that you were going to use it. Sit in the seat and imagine what angle you prefer the pedals to be at. Try and play with things like a brick or phone book to put under the pedals and see what angle you like. When you have found hte angle you like take your parker and mark down the top of the platform onto the side of the arms.
Remove the platform and drill holes just under the line about halfway down the width of your MDF. Now whn you have both sides done put the pedals back in (remembering to remove the phone book or brick) and line them up wiht the holes that you drilled for a guide. With the platform lines up drill back through the holes into the platform and then screw the platform to the arms with a minimim of 3 screws each side. Then into the front piece screw 4 screws into the back of the pedal platform.
YOUR DONE!
<U>Pictures</U>
My basement after 12 hours of woking in it. Im not cleaning it up anytime soon.
CRX Forum
Modified by crxforum at 11:46 PM 2/27/2005
BadAss! 
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 254
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From: Baton Rouge, LA, US
Re: :::How To Build Your Own GT4 Arcade Style Racing Cockpit::: (JDMish)
thats sweet man...my uncle got one for christmas last year. its like glass and metal and its got a sub woofer and ****, but thats real cool.i never thought of building one 
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,470
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From: shibby, IL, U.S.A.
Re: :::How To Build Your Own GT4 Arcade Style Racing Cockpit::: (PhreeStyleHB)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PhreeStyleHB »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">all you need now is like a 70" plasma tv and surround sound</TD></TR></TABLE>
