My First Sim Cockpit

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y2rich

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Milton Keynes
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y2rich
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y2rich
Over the next few weeks I will be moving into a new house and will finally have enough spare space to dispose of my PC desk and replace it with a proper race cockpit.

I'm currently running a stock DFGT and will be looking to upgrade from this at the end of the month. Seeing as my attempts to source a cheapish set of G25/G27 pedals have been fruitless, I'll probably be purchasing some Fanatec CSR Elites at the end of the month, and a CSR wheel shortly after.

With regards to a rig, I've been looking at various DIY and commercial products and have narrrowed my choices down some what to the following. Bear in mind that I'm 6'4 and 266lb and I have no idea what the strength of these rigs are like. My other main need is that it'll become my main entertainment centre and be used for all my PC/gaming usage.

Budget for the rig and new pedals will probably be in the £500-600 bracket.

GT Omega Pro - Professional
Pros:
Reasonably priced
Adjustable
TV/Keyboard/Speaker Mounts
Console Tray

Cons:
Doesn't look overly comfortable for general PC usage

Obutto Ozone
Pros:
Modular
Large keyboard/mouse tray
Reasonable price

Cons:
No speaker mounts
No console tray

Waysides SCRC DIY

Pros:
DIY - Custom build to my size
Cheap
Within my building skills
Can change design to suit my needs (add keyboard/mouse tray, TV/Monitor stand etc.)

Cons:
Sourcing a decent seat
Obtaining the materials/tools
Potential for it all to go wrong

Whilst at the new place I did spot a potential 2nd DIY rig idea. There's a PC stand on casters which looks about the right height for a potential cockpit. Would be a very quick job to angle the top section for the wheel mount, remove the middle tray to allow my legs to fit under and then use this tray as a pedal mount. I am back there tomorrow so will get some measurements and consider it further.

Anyone got any suggestions/further recommendations on a potential rig?
 
DIY all the way. You can make a rig that fits your needs and after completing it you can stand back with a bottle of beer and say: "I made this!". :)

Cons:
Sourcing a decent seat
Obtaining the materials/tools
Potential for it all to go wrong
Click to expand...

-The cheapest genuine new Sparco (Sparco Sprint) seat is just about 150 uk pounds. You will find those in any racing shop, I'm sure in UK they're not that rare.

sprint-250x250.JPG


-The hardware store is your friend. If you build yours from MDF, you'll need a jigsaw, drill&'bits, a right angle tool, a tape measure, some screwdrivers and other basic tools.

-I'd recommend using Google SketchUp to model and plan your cockpit before actually building it. It's a great program with a large online warehouse of users' made models and it's really easy to use. You can see how your cockpit will look like and predict potential problems.
 
I built my rig from square tubing, 1 1/4" up to 1 1/2", This plan will fit someone up to about 7'11" and down to 4' 2" and it is a welded rig that is full adjustable. That's the main thing, if you weld or you know someone that welds this plan will cost you about $350- $450 with a mid range seat or a seat from the "wreckers" I suppose the final price will depend how well you can source the materials for. Another note I recommend the metal rigs get powder coated and not painted. Paint does not hold up, within a few months you will see bare spots.

To hire a welder to do it for you would be expensive. If the welder is good at reading plans he may give you a deal. I have close to 100 photos of various stages of the build. These are reference photos and they really help in the build.

To date I know of at least 2 people that have built a custom Zalem rig and they both said it was a awesome rig.

Check out my rig in my sig.

blueprint.jpg
 
@left

I'd love something like that but I lack the welding skills and the only person I know that could do it doesn't have access to one anymore.

I was looking at Waysides rig as it was wood and the materials seemed fairly easy to obtain apart from the seat. Only thing holding me back is getting really is getting the access to a decent saw for long enough to cut the timber up.

@Jet
Cheers for the heads up on the seat. Main issue with a full race seat is the size. Same issue I had when Karting in that they don't tend to cater for the 38" waist owning gentleman.

I have a modified version of Waysides build in my Sketchup at the moment, with the armrest on the correct (left) side, and a keyboard under the wheel. Looks doable for about £150 if I can get the tools.

Cheers for the advice :D.

Edit:

img0297q.jpg


Here is the PC desk I mentioned in the OP. My thinking was to remove the one from bottom shelf to allow my legs to slide in, bolster the sides with some MDF and the angle the top section for the wheel up at the rear (mounted to the MDF). Should allow me to still utilise the sliding tray for normal usage and would mean a much easier, if slightly more bodged, build.
 
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Quick update.

Room is now decorated and ready to start moving gear in over the weekend. I've managed to pick up a set of Clubsport V1s and a GT3 RS V2 wheel for £250 leaving me about £400 to kit out a rig. Looks likely I'll be ordering a GT Omega Supreme to finish it all off :D
 
As a member of ORDL Rich, you qualify for a discount on GamePOD rigs mate. Hope to see you racing with us again soon bud.
 
I am aware of that Kris :D still shopping around but for the space I have and features I need, the GT omega seems to offer more for the money. Will not make the decision just yet mind ;)
 
I was considering the ozone as well to be fair but there's a potential cheap Gt omega Supreme being available so I'm waiting on that first. Vision Racer I've not done much research into so I shall have a look.

Edit: Vision Racer is a no go. Far too pricey.
 
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I really like this design. I would be interested in the plans with measurements if you can send them to me. Or a step by step would be greatly appreciated.
 

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