Building your own Game Racer setup

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Playtawin

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I had a peek at the http://www.gameracer.us/default.aspx?Product=3 ... $499 USD for some steel pipes and a foam padded plastic seat? no thanks!

So i thought i'd try making one using some wood and paying a visit to a local junkyard to cop a car seat. how much could this cost me? probably nothing since i can get the materials for free. The only downside is the time required to build it, but its well worth the time when you consider your saving $500! I live in Canada so that works out to $600-$650 plus $20 for shipping, not worth the money. :yuck: Those cheaper models with the hard plastic seats don't look very comfortable either.

Anyone have any other building tips i could benefit from? Perhaps you made one yourself and can post some pics?
 
...there used to be a thread "advice on building a cockpit" where a buncha people showed their setups, some were pretty clever, but i dont know where it went...

anyway, here's mine, i used an old artist's portable easle, costs around $50 bucks, and if you can draw, even better
 

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Here’s a link to the plans on one of the better home built set-up’s I’ve seen any where!

Or, if interested, you can check out my list of sim cockpits you could purcahse! 👍
EDIT: Here is another thread located on GTP that I'm sure you'll find quite interesting regarding what other users have done/created!
 
What I did is first get a $20 car seat off of an eagle talon. Then build the frame using 3/4" EMT tubing (conduit) that you can buy at home depot for next to nothing. I then welded it it together. Total cost about $40 including welding gas. If you don't want to weld, its easy to bolt together also if you use a combination of 3/4 and 1" EMT conduit. A hand tubing cutter (I have a big one from making exhausts) helps a lot, but a hacksaw is sufficient.

mike
 
I just put my DFP on my desk and my TV on a higher thing behind it and my pedals under the desk. I have a big cosy family chair with a small pillow, works for me. Costs: $0.
(I'm allready sitting in a carseat half a day)
 
I tried it at E3 - felt a little flimsy to me. It's great for the space conscious, but I prefer a beefier cockpit.
 
"Here’s a link to the plans on one of the better home built set-up’s I’ve seen any where!"

that better be one of the best! the total price is about 780$ 👎

and you have to do all the work yourself, and buy a seat. You could doing some as good as that for much less.
 
thegreatms
"Here’s a link to the plans on one of the better home built set-up’s I’ve seen any where!"

that better be one of the best! the total price is about 780$ 👎

and you have to do all the work yourself, and buy a seat. You could doing some as good as that for much less.
Click to expand...

You could also use your own head. Then you would come up with alternative materials like PVC tubing. 💡
 
My Mandate:

- cheap to make
- compact for storage
- sturdy and strong
- light and portable

And I came up with this! What do you think?

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Note the crossbar under the chair. The front legs of the chair are actually 1/2 inch off the ground, thus the weight of the driver is holding the setup firmly. I can tilt the chair more if necessary by raising the crossbar.

Note also that the pedals are firmly held with two small pieces of wood under the pedal (can't see this in the pictures) that fits snugly into the bottom of the pedal. The bungee cord is to further secure it.

I used the baseboard to angle the pedals to match a real car, and to hold the pedals firmly. Also, you'll see that the base for the pedals and the chair is detachable for portability.

If you want, you can lower the whole setup by cutting the chair legs and side panels (I didn't do this because I didn't want to waste a perfectly good chair from my kitchen!). You can tilt the chair more and seat low to the ground to simulate a cockpit.

AND... the top is wide enough for me to put my favourite drink! Cup holder is optional 💡

Please tell me what you think. Thanks.
 

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I have made my own, and it's bloody good quality. I got the specs from a website and built a proper frame at school in metal work. I bought a cheap racing seat from the wreckers. I got the GT Force and hooked it up. I jigsawed sideboards for the cockpit and drew car stuff on them and attached them to the sides. I enclosed a 66cm LCD TV inside and hooked up surround sound in it. It took me two months and AU$100 and it works soooo good. It's relatively easy to make your own.
 
thegreatms
that better be one of the best! the total price is about 780$ 👎
Click to expand...

All I said was it was one of the better built ones I've seen before...I never said pricing had anything to do with it! Besides, it's not like one couldn't alternate the parts used in the plan with a cheaper replacement to lower the cost!
 
urmmm, what about how I am going to do, like Martin did:
 

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thanks for the replies guys, some great ideas here! 👍

supergoop, your setup looks sweet and simple to make! i might give that a try but im gonna make it a bit lower, perhaps even spray paint it black with a GT4 logo on it for style :) That beer holder *cough* ... cup holder idea will be a nice addition and one i haven't thought of, thanks again.
 
I put my Driving force steering wheel on one of those tummy crunch things that you will find in gyms.I then put a few pillows on the floor and against the wall and it is as if i was sitting in a formula 1 car. Ma arse does get tired though but great fun nonethe less. Cost £20 for the tummy crunch machine. And when your not playing GT u can work on getting a sixpack.
 
Well this is my setup for my wheel.

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I used 1 inch aluminium square tube and some plastic joiners for the frame and also some aluminium sheet for the table top. It is light and strong but can be easily dismantled. All up the materials cost around $15 Australian (staff discount) and about 20 minutes of time.
 
PuTTe_TuTTe
urmmm, what about how I am going to do, like Martin did:
Click to expand...

I really like Martin's setup too!
Especially how he intergrated both the floorboard over his DFP pedals & the Frex shifter! Very good work if you ask me! 👍

Matter of fact, I think what he's done with his setup is the best I've seen so far for playing GT4!
 
I allways wanted to build a racing seat on my own, but especially the costs for the racing chair woul be immense.

I´ve been searching at ebay and in the local car-Tuning-Stores, bu a good looking one was allways at least 300 Euro.

Then i saw this : http://www.gamechopper.de

I bought one for 79,- Euro (was a pre-christmas offer) and i´m totally satisfied !

Some say that it looks pretty stylish, but i was concerned about the stability, cause for me it didn´t look "strong" enough.

But that is rubbish ! The seat works perfect and gaming is big fun with it. It´s free adjustable in almost every possible way and noone would be able to build something comparable for that money !
 
Just finished mine.

It was a whole lot of fun to build, despite my complete lack of experience and faith in myself!

Used:

- Dad's jigsaw
- 19mm MDF
- 4x 650mm lengths of pine
- Plans from www.firetooth.net
- Inspiration from davejmac

It's sturdy - not a hint of flex in the frame, and will be even more so with some rubber feet to prevent sliding. It's unbelievably crooked in places but I can laugh about it, so I'm happy.

It still needs rubber feet, sanding, paint, and angled pedals.
 

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I built a base under a seat from an altima, and use my tv stand. Cheap simple and works well for now.
 

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Got the DFP and GT4 BMW Demo yesterday... Just waiting for my racingseat now so I can start building my cockpit :)

PS: The DFP is 5 times more than I excpected! :D
 
My mate made this at the weekend from bits found in a skip!

Works really well, just slide it under my sofa and I'm off!

Velcro for the DFP pedals so they can be adjusted for longer/shorter legs.

Cost, five cups of tea and £3 for rubber feet to stop it sliding on wood floor!



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👍
 

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