Ok, here is my situation. I frequently need to get into my case so I can clone my system from the fresh copy I have on a separate HD I have inside my case. I keep it isolated (unplugged) so that there is no chance of corruption from any data source. I do not however have a case where the side is removable. I ended up just leaving the case open because it was a pain in the butt to take the cover off all the time and then put it back on. For reference I do this clone about once or twice a week. So I decided to cut a hole in the side and make a hatch that I could take off easily. While I was at it I decided to go ahead and do some work on the cooling system. Here is what I did:
This is what the case looked like before any work. It is an old case, almost eight years I think.
An inside shot.
I found my hatch and traced an outline of it onto the side of the case. Then I drew another line ¾” inside the outline. This will be my cut line.
I also drilled a hole in each corner so that I would not over shoot my cuts.
This is the saw that did the cutting. It was pretty quick, just make sure you have a big air tank cause it really goes through a lot of air.
Once the main hole was cut I put the hatch in place and marked the spots for my mounting holes.
I put an extra bit of metal down with the MIG welder to better hold the threads I would cut.
I used this punch to put a little dimple in the metal before I drilled my mounting holes. Actually I did that before I drilled all of my holes. It really does a great job of keeping the drill from skating all over the metal.
Once my holes were drilled I tapped threads in them with this tap.
I put down some foam tape for insulation.
Here is the hatch installed. I used thumb screws to hold it on.
Next I cut out a hole in the top for a 120 blowhole.
I had to repeat the hole on the case lid, so I made that hole bigger
I used a drum grinder to smooth them both.
This is the case as it sits now.