Introduction: Personalize Your Xbox 360!

Today I'm going to teach you how to personalize your Xbox 360 by giving it a new paint job and cutting windows into it!

I'm also going to include a tutorial on install LED's for those who want to make their xboxes really stand out!

For this Instructable I'll walk you through how I made the UNC and Wake Forest Xboxes

Thanks for reading and remember to vote!

This is a pretty simple mod but I am not responsible for any damages caused to your xbox. Do these mods at your own risk!

Step 1: Supplies List

This are the supplies you'll need to customize your xbox!

-An Xbox
-Krylon Spray Paint ( They make a great line of spray paint called Fusion that is made to bond to plastic, I highly recommend it!)
-Sand Paper ( Get a variety of grit ratings, I got a pack of 60 and a pack that had 100,150, and 220 from Walmart)
-Painters Tape
-An Xacto Knife
-Screwdrivers
-A small opening tool
-Plexiglass ( The size may vary depending on your window but 9' by 7 1/2 ' should fit most windows)
-A Design
-A Dremel with reinforced cutting wheel or Jigsaw
-Hot Glue or epoxy
-Protective Glasses
-Scotch Tape

Step 2: Disassemble Your Xbox

Before we can customize the xbox we need to take it apart. This will void your warranty to proceed at your own risk!

Start but popping of the faceplate. You can do this by prying the faceplate away from the xbox at each end. The picture below shows where you should pull it apart at.

Next we'll need to remove the two gray pieces at each end. You will need your small opening tool for this part. The gray pieces are held in by 6 small latches that you will need to pop off in order to remove the gray pieces. The pictures below will show where to insert your tool to release the latch. On the side with the hard drive you can simply pull up on the front to release the first two and then use the tool to release the last 4.

To release the rest of the case there are 7 latches on the back, 2 on one end and 5 on the other. Start with the two latches by themselves. As shown in the picture, push the case one way while pulling the other and insert the small tool into the openings to release the latches, if done right the xbox should open slightly.

Now we need to remove the other 5. This one is slightly harder to do the push-pull method so you really just need to push the one side of the xbox as you insert the tool. Start with the latch closest to the edge and move inward. If you pop all 5 latches the rest of the xbox should come loose.

There are four small latches on the front that you a can just pry open with your finger nail, once these are off, the bottom of the xbox should come off completely.


Step 3: Disassemble Your Xbox (cont)

To remove the top of the xbox we need to remove six screws from the metal chassis. The six screws that need to be removed are marked in red in the picture. These are the only ones you need to remove to take the case off. Once the screws are off you'll need to pop off the eject button for the DVD drive. Once the top is removed you can take off the silver piece attached to the inside of the case and just throw it out.

In order to paint the DVD drive case you'll need to unplug it from the motherboard. Simply pull out the two cables plugged into the back of the drive and remove it from the xbox. You can also pull out the white air tunnel ( I don't know what its called ) and you can also paint this. To remove the casing from the DVD you just need to flip it over and remove the four screws holding the casing on, then just pull the bottom and top off. You really only need to paint the top since the bottom isn't visible.

The last thing to disassemble before we can customize it is the power button from the faceplate. I haven't found an easy and efficient way to paint the power button so I simply remove it from the faceplate and leave it the regular color. You'll need to pry off the four circles holding the power button in. I used a butter knife to pop mine off. The tops will pop off, don't worry about it though. Once the button is off you'll need to use your tool again to pry off the plastic piece under it.

Step 4: Sand Your Xbox

I strongly recommend that you sand down your Xbox before you paint it. If you don't sand it down then any little nicks or imperfections will stand out once you paint it, but if you feel as if your Xbox is already perfect, then go ahead and skip this step. We will need to sand again after cutting the window, you can skip this step until after you cut the window to knock them both out at the same time but I just think its easier to sand the whole thing without the window cut into it.

Before you start you'll need to cover up the IR receiver on the faceplate with painters tape so it doesn't get scratched up. Just cover it with tape and use the Xacto knife to cut around the receiver.

You'll want to start out with a lower grit rating, I started with 60. Sand this down for a little while and you'll notice that your Xbox isn't looking too good now but don't worry! Move on to the next highest grit rating, for me this was 100. Sand it some more and then move on to your next highest. And repeat. I went all the way up to the very fine 220. Now your Xbox should be looking very nice and you may want to paint it now but not yet!

To clean off your Xbox from any dust from the sanding we're gonna run it through the dishwasher. Throw your case in the dishwasher and turn it on rinse only. If you have an option to reduce the heat or turn it off completely use this, we do not want heat dry! You only really need to run it through for about a minute. If you don't feel comfortable putting it in the dishwasher then you can just rinse it off in the sink, I just feel like the dishwasher does a better job.

You'll want to let your Xbox air dry now. If you try to dry it off with a towel you risk getting little fabrics stuck to your clean Xbox.

After its done drying you're ready to move on to the next step.

Step 5: Cut Your Window

The next step to customizing your xbox is cutting the window!

Print out your design and make sure it fits onto your xbox and that you're plexiglass will cover it. Trim out the excess paper from the design and tape it onto your xbox where ever you want it to be. Once it is taped on securely, put on your glasses, fire up the dremel and start cutting!

As you cut you'll notice that your window looks pretty rough but don't worry because we'll be sanding it down later to make it look nice and clean.

Once your window is fully cut you will need to trim down the inside of the xbox to make sure your plexiglass can lay flat against the case. Trim down the the case on the inside but be sure that the four screw holes located in each corner do not get cut down. The goal is to let the glass lay flat, so trim down some and test out your glass to see if its good.

Once your glass lays flat you should take your sand paper, the lower grit rating is best for this, and clean up all the rough edges in your window. Sand it down to your liking and then move on to the next step!

Step 6: Paint!

This is the step that really makes your Xbox start looking good! If you're using Krylon Fusion, there's really no need to prime that Xbox but there's no harm in doing it. I suggest priming it if you can't find your color in Fusion.

If you're like me and wasted money on Shamwow's this Instructable will also show you a great way to get some use out of those!

Put a couple coat's on the xbox and make it look nice!

Once it dries you'll need to either rinse it off in the sink or run it through the dishwasher again to remove anything that may have gotten on them while painting. 

Step 7: Install the Glass

This step is fairly simple. Flip over your xbox so that the inside is facing you.  Put hot glue or epoxy around the outside of your window, you want to make sure there is enough to hold your glass in securely. If you are using hot glue, simply hold the glass in place as the glue dries. If you are using epoxy, find something to put on top of the glass in order to let the epoxy cure.

Once the glass is installed you can glue on and pieces that you need to on top of the glass. I needed to do this for both of these xboxes.

Now you're ready to reassemble!

Step 8: Reassemble

Start by reinstalling the air tunnel and plugging the DVD drive back in.

Once these are installed put the top on it and then flip it over so you can put the screws in. Screw the screws back in the replace the eject button. To reinstall the back simply push it back on and hook up all the latches. Start with the front latches and you should just be able to push the back down until the other latches hook into place.

Reinstall the two end pieces by simply putting them back where they came from and pushing down.

Before we can put the faceplate back on we need to fix the power button. Put the clear plastic piece back into place and push it down.
Place the power button back over where it belongs and add a small dab of hot glue onto each of the four circles. Once this dries you can re install the face plate onto the Xbox.

Step 9: Finished Product

Your xbox is all finished now!

Go grab some friends and show off your brand new customized xbox!

Take pictures of you xbox and show em off!

2nd Annual Krylon Summer Contest

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