Build: G25ARC - G25 Aluminum Racing Cockpit: Launch Day Update!!! - 11/24/10

[2JZFAN]

I've been planning on building an aluminum extrusion based cockpit for some time but never pulled the trigger. With our beloved GT5 being so close to release I've decided to finally pull the trigger and finally get this thing going. I was originally planning on a collapsible cockpit but it just isn't in the budget at this time. A simpler design will be more cost effective, which will leave us room for more nice components.

G25ARC
By: 2JZFAN

Updates
11/07/10 - chilicoke G25 components ordered.
11/08/10 - G25ARC thread started. The search for a seat begins!
11/09/10 - G25ARC base sketch added. Trying to choose a 350mm wheel.
11/10/10 - MOMO Mod 88 350mm steering wheel & '05 GD7 STI Seat purchased.
11/10/10 - The first components arrived!
11/12/10 - The used 2005 GD7 STI seat has arrived!
11/16/10 - MOMO Mod 88 350mm wheel arrived!
11/18/10 - Cockpit Design (5th Revision) Submitted to 80/20, currently pending approval!
11/14/10 - GT5 Launch Day Update, Shifter Mods Completed, and 80/20 second drawing upcoming.
​

Gaming Hardware
Logitech G25 Racing Wheel | http://www.logitech.com/en-us/gaming/wheels
MOMO Mod 88 350mm Steering Wheel | http://crowderscustomizing.com/cata..._mm_13.78_inch_-_black_suede_leather-500.html
Universal Billet Aluminum Shift Knob | http://motors.shop.ebay.com/__?_from=R40&_trksid=m39&_nkw=Universal+MT+Billet+Aluminum+Shift+Knob
chilicoke Aluminum Aftermarket Steering Wheel Adapter (70mm PCD)| http://chilicoke.com/logitechwheel/g25adapter.htm
chilicoke Over-sized Aluminum Shifter Paddles | (http://chilicoke.com/logitechwheel/paddles.htm)
Andy Pastore (AP electrix) G25 Brake Load Sensor | (http://www.apelectrix.com)

Gaming Hardware Modifications
chilicoke Replace G25 Steering Wheel | http://chilicoke.com/mods/replacewheel.htm
G25 Shifter Resistance Mod | http://chilicoke.com/mods/shifterresistance.htm
Reverse Mount Your Logitech G25 Pedals | http://chilicoke.com/mods/reversepedal.htm
How to Install Your AP electrix Load Sensor| http://www.apelectrix.com/install_N.html

Cockpit Hardware
Used GD7 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Passenger Seat
Extrusion/Profile TBD

Vendors
80/20 Inc. | chilicoke | Crowder's Customizing | ZeroTek Motorsports

 

[2JZFAN]

Reserved.

 

[2JZFAN]

What I know so far is I'm going with a 350mm wheel as I've had a chance to SIM with one, great experience. Late yesterday evening I ordered my wheel adapter and shifter paddles from chilicoke. Almost instantly was contacted by chilicoke and received both a USPS confirmation and details from him. Amazing customer service chilicoke, thanks for the quick response, prompt shipping, and everything you've done for this community. What I don't know is which wheel I'll be going with.. I originally wanted something inexpensive but I've fallen for a MOMO Mod 88 .. More on the wheel itself soon.

 

[Jav]

Ok, I'm in for thisone as I'm on the same stage as you right now on mine...

 

[Cheshyrkat]

Andy Pastore (AP electrix) G25 Brake Load Sensor | (http://www.apelectrix.com)

Have you been able to get a hold of him? From his site, orders have been suspended since April and the emails I have sent have gone unanswered. I have since decided that instead of spending the money on the Perfect pedal mod I ended up selling my G27 and ordering the Fantec GT3rs v2 with the club sport pedals for the load cell brake.

 

[2JZFAN]

Ok, I'm in for thisone as I'm on the same stage as you right now on mine...

Awesome! What type of design are you thinking? I'm going to try and get a seat today so I can begin my dimensions.. Used OE seats have different mounting styles so I decided to wait unit I could find a seat. I'm looking for a factory bucket.. WRX, EVO, RSX, S2000, Viper.. etc etc.

Andy Pastore (AP electrix) G25 Brake Load Sensor | (http://www.apelectrix.com)

Have you been able to get a hold of him? From his site, orders have been suspended since April and the emails I have sent have gone unanswered. I have since decided that instead of spending the money on the Perfect pedal mod I ended up selling my G27 and ordering the Fantec GT3rs v2 with the club sport pedals for the load cell brake.

I personally have not but I read a post on another site that he is going to be selling the product again before the holidays this year. I've since sent him an e-mail (yesterday), but unfortunately have not heard anything back yet. I let you know if I do, and I hope you'll do the same.

 

[Cheshyrkat]

Will do. Ive read up on a lot of other load cell mods but his seems like the perfect, most cost effective solution. My electrical skills are pretty minimal so the more advanced custom load cell mods were out of my league and the only other plug and play alternative was the Perfect pedal which looks incredible but just a bit too pricey. If this product does come up for sale again I may need to pick up a cheap G27 so I can go back to my original plans.

 

[Jav]

Awesome! What type of design are you thinking? I'm going to try and get a seat today so I can begin my dimensions.. Used OE seats have different mounting styles so I decided to wait unit I could find a seat. I'm looking for a factory bucket.. WRX, EVO, RSX, S2000, Viper.. etc etc.

I'm doing a tubular desing, heavily inspired by the VR3, I went with a set of mint Prelude buckets I found on Craigslist for $30, one of the main goals is not to go over the $150 mark for the rig. I'll start my own build thread this weekend once I've seddled on a final design...

 

[the_greeze]

Anyone going to post any plans/sketches/CAD or designs?

 

[kikie]

I personally have not but I read a post on another site that he is going to be selling the product again before the holidays this year. I've since sent him an e-mail (yesterday), but unfortunately have not heard anything back yet. I let you know if I do, and I hope you'll do the same.

I had contact with him a few days ago and he is opening shop again at the end of November.

 

[2JZFAN]

I went with a set of mint Prelude buckets I found on Craigslist for $30, one of the main goals is not to go over the $150 mark for the rig

WOW! I wish I could find a seat none the less a set for $30! There is something about South Florida, everything is MUCH more expensive here.. I've search salvage yards online and S.FL is always 2x the price compared to those in N.FL. Beyond that there are no seats on craigslist down here, and the few I've seen are asking more then I'm willing to pay.

Anyone going to post any plans/sketches/CAD or designs?

I'll need the seat to determine the rear sections dimensions.. The rub there is that the width in the front is determined by the rear . I've got a general layout based on my collection of rig pictures BUT I can't determine dimensions until I have a seat. If you have suggestions on an easy program I'd give it a try.. I looked into Sketchup but it's a little too simple IMO.

I had contact with him a few days ago and he is opening shop again at the end of November.

That's similar to what I read, thanks for sharing that info with us. Andy's product fills a huge void in the market, it's kind of him to once again fill that void. Please keep us posted if you hear or read anything further. 👍

 

[the_greeze]

Well, I'd still recommend Sketchup. 👍 It's easy to use and powerful too. There's a Pro version available as well...

I used it for my cockpit and found it very helpful.

 

[Jav]

WOW! I wish I could find a seat none the less a set for $30! There is something about South Florida, everything is MUCH more expensive here.. I've search salvage yards online and S.FL is always 2x the price compared to those in N.FL. Beyond that there are no seats on craigslist down here, and the few I've seen are asking more then I'm willing to pay.

It was'nt a easy find man, my first search came up with a 1000 hits and none of them containing actual seats! Took me about 3 days of searching and typing seat, racing seat, bucket seat, racing bucket, xmodel seat, xseat, till I finally started typing seats, and filtered through al the bs(ricers putting every fraking tag on their crap) that I came across these....
So keep on trying and you'll eventually find something that fits the bill! I've been on this plannin/designin stage for a month now and still need the wheel dimensions to finsh the design and start putting everything together.
Good luck with finding those seats man!

 

[2JZFAN]

What are your opinions on a suede steering wheel? I really have my sights set on a MOMO Mod 88.. There's just something about that d-shape that gets me.

Well, I'd still recommend Sketchup. 👍 It's easy to use and powerful too. There's a Pro version available as well...

I used it for my cockpit and found it very helpful.

I updated the OP with my first sketch of the base.. My abilities are very limited, but I'll continue to work on it. Any advice would be great, the tutorials on YouTube were a big help. 👍

Good luck with finding those seats man!

Thanks for the advice and words of encouragement, you got me searching again, and I've got a few leads now. For some reason NONE of the craigslist e-mails are working so I'm going to be on the phone tomorrow trying to track down a seat.

 

[the_greeze]

I wouldn't say I'm a Sketchup expert but if you need any help, you're welcome to PM me and I'll try my best!

 

[Jav]

I'd definitely use that wheel! I like the look!

 

[2JZFAN]

I think my search for a seat has come to an end.. I can't e-mail a single person on Craigslist because of the new rDNS crap SO I went on eBay. I e-mailed a seller who accepted my offer on a GD7 STI passenger seat for $165 shipped. It's more then I wanted to spend on a seat but it is THE seat I wanted.

I'd definitely use that wheel! I like the look!

Ok the MOMO Mod 88 is on the way, I couldn't resist it.

 

[speedyK]

What are your opinions on a suede steering wheel? I really have my sights set on a MOMO Mod 88.. There's just something about that d-shape that gets me.

I've got something similar for my 3rd (modular) cockpit build that is now in progress.
Spare G25, new G27 and OMP Superquadro:

It will be swappable with others, such as this "classic" wood-rimmed one:

Not that I like wooden wheels, but I got it cheap and thought that for some older cars it would be more appropriate I strongly suspect that the OMP will be the main one I use 👍

 

[2JZFAN]

First Components Arrived

I'm starting to really become excited as the first components arrived today. Two good things came out of this surprise today. One, I really can't say enough about chilicoke and how good of an experience it was purchasing from him. The second thing is that I'm very happy with the shift knob I purchased off eBay. It's all about the little things in life!

chilicoke's items were packaged very well and even included some nice sticker. The finish on both items is perfect as you'd expect.

The shift knob is PERFECT, exactly what I wanted. I was a bit worried about buying a universal knob off eBay but I couldn't be happier. This thing doesn't weigh a thing at all. 👍

Tomorrow I plan on tearing down the G25 to install these components and begin the modding process. The seat and wheel should arrive within the next 4-6 business days. Once the seat arrives I will begin taking measurements for the cockpit.

 

[Jav]

Hey great to see the components coming in! How's the seat hunt going?

 

[2JZFAN]

I strongly suspect that the OMP will be the main one I use 👍

I think you're right, that's a great wheel, and OMP makes great products. 👍

Hey great to see the components coming in! How's the seat hunt going?

Thanks, I ordered it today! The best part about it is that it's in Florida so I should receive it pretty quickly. I ended up splurging on a used 2005 (GD7) STI seat like these:

I can't wait for it to get here, I've already started to change my initial design. I think I may make the provision so that I can add an e-brake later on.. I dunno, I'm just really excited!

 

[Jav]

That's awsome man!! I can give you the dimensions of those seats right now if you want them!

 

[2JZFAN]

That's awsome man!! I can give you the dimensions of those seats right now if you want them!

lol it seems you have good taste in vehicles 👍 I don't need much I can wait a few days to get the dimensions on the brackets myself. What is the exterior width from furtherest to furthest up by the shoulders? What I'm trying to figure out is if the seat itself will even fit through a door (roughly 30in. wide). It will determine the rear section of the cockpit and if the seat will need to be removable or not.

 

[Jav]

Ok, let me go and meassure!

 

[Jav]

Ok, shoulder(outside to outside) is 21 inches, and the widest part is actually the lumbar? area wich is 22 inches otside to outside. This is a 2005 so it should'nt be any diferent from yours...

 

[2JZFAN]

Ok, shoulder(outside to outside) is 21 inches, and the widest part is actually the lumbar? area wich is 22 inches otside to outside. This is a 2005 so it should'nt be any diferent from yours...

Thanks! I took that measurement and got a few more from my own car.. I've attached my rough sketch of the base. I'm going to compare it to other plans and see if its within range.

I'm going to have to learn angles or something.. I dunno how I'm going to incorporate swivel components in the sketch. I may have to just use the measurements to sketch around what would be there.. Thoughts so far?

 

[JackoAus]

Looking good so far mate, keep it up !.

 

[2JZFAN]

Looking good so far mate, keep it up !.

Thanks! I just changed it around by making the rear section the outside most loop. I'm free tomorrow so I'll mess with the out connecting pieces as now the rear section needs to be longer. I have no idea how I'm going to connect the rest in sketch, I'll watch some more videos..

I'm expecting a large box from Fedex to arrive tomorrow BTW Oh and I ordered some CA-421 di-noc. I decided against taking the shifter apart until the di-noc arrives because I'd rather doing things once.

 

[Jav]

Sketch is looking good man! Can't wait to see the final product!

 

[MMeglen]

Are you hanging your pedals while in their original case? From the looks of it, you'll want to have them more upright than 45*. I originally designed mine at 45* and found it to not be enough of an angle to be comfortable for my feet. Those seats look amazing.