|
The objective of my mod was not only to make my Blue and White G3 better looking, but to do it in a cheap fassion. Also was to make a somewhat precise painting mod guide for B&W G3 cases. I only had $20 to work with, because bills needed to be paid, two of which being completely unexpected. I wanted to do a color change on my machine, and also get some performance out. Though I was planning on air brushing my case, my budget said otherwise. So with my measly skills and budget, I present the Grey and White G3.
Parts:
- 1 Krylon Gloss White - $4.95
- 1 Krylon Rim Paint - $4.95
- 1 Krylon Clear Overcoat - $3.95
Sales Tax: 7%
Total : $14.13
Specifications:
- G3 350MHz
- 416MB RAM
- 16MB Video Card
- 12GB Boot HDD
- 80GB Storage HDD
Step 1: Internal Dissasembly
To take apart the G3
is fairly easy. Remove the board first. Do not remove any
case screws until the board is out. It lifts out fairly easy, and
do not forget that there is a screw on the I/O cover that holds the
board in. After removing the board, place it on a static-free mat
or table.
After removal of the board, remove the hard
drives and optical drive. To remove the internal hard drive,
there is a screw to the right of the drive which will need to be
removed. You will discover this is a removable panel which the
drive is attatched to. Don't bother actually taking the hard
drive off of this panel. It's just extra work. To remove
the optical drive, there are two pressure tabs located on the
inside of the case, in front of the drive if you are looking at it with
the door open. Push these tabs in to reveal the removable
face. Put it to the side. There are two phiilps screws you
will have to remove. The drive slides out, and don't forget to be
careful with the cords behind it.
The speaker, optional, can be
easily removed with a flat (standard) screwdriver. There
rest of the internal components that have to be removed are the fan
housing and power supply. The IDE cables are held in using foam
tape, which can be easily removed with a putty knife. If you are
truly lazy, get Saran Wrap and cover the foam tape to use for
later. I didn't try that, but I bet it would work just
fine. Once everything is removed, you will get this lovely picture:
Step 2: External Dissasembly
There
are four external screws on each side panel, and pressure tabs holding
them in on the inside. You will need a hex (allen) wrench to
remove these screws. After removing the two side panels, the
handles come next. You should now have a top, which slides off
towards the back. The face has three pressure tabs on each long
side. Very easy to pop with just your fingers since internal
obsticals have been removed. The back is where you will
scream. Everything is supported by pressure tabs. Since the
power supply has been removed, the back panel should not have any more
screws in it. Just have patience with the tabs.
[Added 9/16/04] To get the Apple logo's out, use a paper clip. Your best bet is to use a clip that does not have any coating on it, and is fairly strong. It takes a lot of muscle power to pop out the large Apples. You will probably have to slide an object under the apple once it starts to pop up. Slide it over and keep on pushing. Use your sliding device as a lever now, and it should pop right out. Use sticker removal solution or just soak the apple logo's to remove the adhesive. Sand paper can take care of the rest.
Step 3: Painting
I
started off by sanding all of the components with 320 grade sand paper.
It was wet/dry and I did it dry. Just enough to make the surface rough
so paint can stick to it properly. It took all but 10
minutes. It also took the bad scratches out of my machine, giving
my comsmetic damage from the previous owner a "redo". I'm a lazy
guy, but I also know that sanding for an hour can be redundant when a
simple sit down with one kind of sandpaper will do the trick. I
had other grades, but deemed it overkill for my purposes.
I
spend a total of $14.13 on this mod by the way. All of it was for
Krylon spray paint. Had good success with it too. My
suggestions are to use short strokes and periodically do a "hard
spray". A hard spray is when you just depress and aim at a part of your
backdrop to prevent build up on the can. Five second bursts work
very well when painting a case. You want to be careful because
paint can possibly glob up, which I was fortunate enough not to deal
with. If you get some globs, just sand and re-paint. Not too difficult.
The only part you may have issues with is the optical drive cover,
which shuts with a spring. Just simply disengage the spring and
get a toothpick to prop up the door. You can wedge a piece of
paper between the eject button and the back of the face to keep the
apperance of the button intact.
I
used an old ground pad for backpacking as a dropcloth. Also a
poster for a Plymouth Prowler came in handy when painting the other
components. Very effective. After painting the components,
I used a protective overcoat also made by Krylon. If you use an
overcoat, make sure it is non-yellowing. You don't want it too
look bad.
Step 4: The Finished Product
Assembly
was easy. Just follow how you took it apart backwards. If
you did it right, you shall get a nice looking G3, like I did. It was a
good weekend project, and had some fun. You can paint it whatever
color you feel like. Now, if you notice, I didn't bother putting
the rubber handle part back on. I never thought it useful, so I
tossed it when I took it off. Other than that, I believe
everything has been explained, so view my awesome, supercheap mod!
|
