"2014 North American International Auto Show" (Picture Highlights)

In case you missed this years North American International Auto Show, check out our highlights of some of our favorite cars at the show.

Weekend Project: "DIY Driving Sim"

Click here to watch

What you will need:

Materials:

A comfortable driving seat

A steering wheel (Designed for PlayStation, Xbox or PC)

Driving simulator software (Gran Turismo, Forza, iracing)  

2” square tubing

Spray paint
Adjusting screw knob (Optional)

Screws, nuts and bolts
12v Battery (Optional power seat)
Wires or jumper cables (Optional power seat)

Tools:

Measuring tape

Metal Saw

Welder

Protractor

C- clamps

Drill machine/ Drill press

Metal File

Safety glasses

Welding helmet

Pictures of the finished product

 Isometric View

 

 Right Angle View

First Step 

You're going to need a supportive driving seat

 I have a newer Mitsubishi Eclipse GT that was recently in a slight fender bender and due to the airbags deploying this seat needed to be replaced. Instead of throwing it away I thought I would make some use out of it and it worked out perfect for this project.

 If you are looking for a seat I would not recommend buying a brand new seat. It would be cheaper to buy an actual racing sim frame that includes a seat than it would be to buy a new seat (Racing Sims are generally in the price range of $400-$1500). My recommendation would be to go to an automotive junkyard or a car dealership to find one. Generally speaking you can find a cheap seat at a junkyard for roughly $20 to $50 depending on the car. The best idea would be to contact a local body-shop because usually they have slightly damaged seats that they simply throw away. 

Keep in mind if you want to adjust the seat to go back and forth you may want to go with a manual seat to keep it simple. If you only come across power seats not to worry in step 4 I will show you how to adjust a power seat with ease. (The seat I am using is a power seat)

Second Step

Choosing the right wheel

Depending on what platform (PlayStation, Xbox, or PC) your using your driving sim for, you may want to see what compatible steering wheels are available before you buy one. Now for myself, I am going to be setting this up on a PlayStation 3. I have found that you can use pretty much any Logitech steering wheel available on PlayStation and it will work on both PlayStation 3 and 4.  You can also use these Logitech steering wheels on any PC. Unfortunately for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One you have to have a particular wheel designed for each of these systems (Xbox 360 wheels will not work on the Xbox One).

Logitech Driving Force Pro Steering Wheel

(my wheel)

Over the years I have had a bunch of Logitech products and as a satisfied customer, I have to say, they offer a high quality product with an affordable price. That's why I chose the Driving Force line of steering wheels.  Logitech has discontinued the Driving Force Pro wheel but there is an updated version still available known as the Driving Force GT wheel. Both of these wheels are affordable for beginners and serious drivers and I would highly recommend them for anyone. Starting at roughly $100 to $150 its a bargain compared to  the high end $300 to $500 steering wheels.

If you are looking for a higher end steering wheel from Logitech, they offer the G25 and G27 wheels. They have discontinued the G25 wheel but the G27's are pretty easy to find. If you do go and purchase a G27 wheel be prepared to spend roughly $325 to $350 on one.

(NOTE: This particular frame would be best fit with a Driving Force Pro or Driving Force GT wheel).

Third Step

Measuring the appropriate frame length.

 I have provided  a print of the design that I put together and I would suggest that you use this as a reference while you build your own racing sim. I only suggest this print as a reference mainly because everyone has their own preferences and with my height (5'9) this design worked out perfect. if you are taller or shorter this design may work but please cater any specific dimensions to your body type and likings for the best simulation experience.

Click here for PDF 

 

3D Model

Fourth Step

The build process

As mentioned in the print provided above, I used a 2" square tube material for light weight and durability. I was able to find these materials at a local steel mill. The cost of the square piping cost me roughly $35.00.

Cut lengths accordingly

Mark center for hole

 Double check lengths

Weld frame together 

(While welding C-clamps are your best friend)

 Grind and smooth out weld marks

 Prep frame then paint

Fifth Step

Setting up the power seats

Our goal is going to be incorporating the servo motors and worm gears within the seat so that we can adjust the seat accordingly.

In order to properly setup the power seat you are going to need  jumper cables ($16) and 12 volt battery ($17-$40) as a power source. The jumper cables will be used as a temporary method but for permanent use I would suggest setting up a wiring route to the 12v battery that is either behind or next to the seat.

 

Once you flip the seat to the side you want to look for a red and black wire which you would connect the 12 volt battery source to.

 

Remember

 Red: Positive (+)   Black: Negative (-)

Once you have the wires properly connected you should be able to move it back and fourth and even  raise the seat up and down depending on the seat.

If you do come across a power seat and do not have a power source keep a look out because some power seats also have a manual adjustment feature hidden underneath the plastic. This particular seat did not have the feature but I have come across seats that had both.

Sixth Step

Go for a drive :)

Once you have everything set, bolt down the seat and clamp on your steering wheel to the frame. Turn on your TV and game console and enjoy.

All in all this has been a fun project to put together. The total cost of this project, including the steering wheel, cost me roughly under $120, not bad considering that a frame alone starts at $400. I hope all of you reading this have a chance to make one yourself and enjoy driving this in your living room.

Click here to watch 

Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below

Welcome to My Blog

Click here to watch the intro vid

Hello and welcome to my blog, the Garage Mahal. For those of you who don’t know me my name is Manpreet Singh and if there’s one thing that I am truly passionate about it would be my love affair with the automobile. I love cars of all makes and models, but most importantly, I love the thrill and excitement experienced from driving a well-built automobile. 

Over the years, I have gone to many automotive events, and have had the opportunity to meet a lot of great car enthusiasts that share the same passion of cars as I do. For this reason, I have created this blog in order for my fellow car enthusiasts to join me along my adventures and to get a glimpse of the automotive world in my perspective. I am excited to bring you exclusive automotive content and I can’t wait to see what kind of cars come our way.

I would like to thank you for visiting my blog and stay tuned as I upload content regularly.

-Manpreet Singh