i am going to give you a few of the simple steps i took to customize my 360 and for very little $$$

Step 1: Taking Apart Your 360

you can find out how to do this through many sites. NOTE: this will void your warranty

Step 2: Layout Your Design

i chose to do a simple design i found on this site. you can draw out any design you like, just be careful and do whatever your artistic ability will allow you to do.

i was playing around with my other xbox so i thought id also show you this design too. it may not stay this way i think i am going to make the corners bigger and maybe a little fatter lines.

Step 3: Cutting Out Your Design

i used a dremmel cutting about 1/4 to an 1/8 of an inch from my line and sanded to my line. i would suggest practicing on something else first (only pic i have related)

Step 4: Taking Disc Drive Apart

i do not have any step by step for this, if you have problems check online to find out about taking apart. you will find i believe 4 screws on the bottom very simple.

Step 5: Disc Drive Layout

just as the case use your imagination. just leave a piece connected (kinda obvious) so the top wheel will remain in place.

Step 6: Cutting Out Your Design

same as the case i used a dremmel and cut about 1/8 of and inch from the line and sanded to my line. (sorry my pics are not specific i did it over a period of time)

Step 7: Adding Lights

i found these ribbon lights and it looks perfect check em out i ordered them here http://www.ledlight.com/flexible-led-light.aspx

so i just finished the lights. took about 5mins. i found that by powering to the fan they really barely lit up so i found a spot on the motherboard that worked perfect. as shown in picture below i put 1 strip around the bottom i also put one around the top above the dvd drive. the led strips have adhesive on the back so they stay in place. i soldered both lights to the connection shown in the the picture

another thought i had i think im gonna try on my other xbox are those tube strobes you can get for your car that plug into the 12v outlet that illuminate with sound. those things are pretty bright and i play a lot of first person shooter games it would probably go crazy. ill see if i can find something and post a link.

Step 8: Painting Your Project

PRIME YOUR PROJECT before you paint to ensure your paint will outlast your xbox

i used krylon spray paint dries in ten minutes which is great to allow you to put alot of coats on it. i painted my disc drive in a flat black and my xbox case in a pumpkin orange but of course you can use whatever floats your boat .

i recently saw a video about some one elses mod and people want to know about the power button. after taking the faceplate apart the power button is heat welded on. i cut the ends off carefully with a razor and later reattached with glue. after cutting the welds you can the take the ring of light and the power button off. i took my time and taped off the light part of the button trimming it with a razor. i then primed and painted 2 coats, after it dried i removed the tape lightly wet sanded then added one more coat. the end result the button appears completely painted from far up close you can see the light spot, and when powered on you can see the light. i painted orange and my light is still green all in all it worked really well for me. pictures are not very good i had to shut the flash off to be able to see the light

Step 9: Plexi Glass

you can find this at any local hardware store. i chose to cut the glass and put it on the outside of the box with screws and nuts. you can epoxy it to the inside but i found that it sat really close to the heat sync and you will notice on the heat shield you remove that it as stained from cooked on dust. once its epoxied its pretty much permanent. i also went a step further and took a clear cd or dvd whatever the ones you will find on the bottom of a stack of blank discs and i cut out small windows and glued them to the inside if my disc drive if you do this be careful to use some thing strong for glue as it could fall inside and ruin a disc but i wanted to keep the dust out of there as much as possible. sorry if this isnt all that and if it doesnt help you much i wish i took more photos throughout this process to make it easier to see but, im sure you'll find it fairly simple take your time and good luck if any one wants to game look me up my gamertag is fankyspanky

i took this pic off the heats shield so you can see why i chose to put the plexiglass on the outside of the case ive tried to scrub this off with brillo pads and cant get it off i can only imagine what the glass will look like considering itll be under the case and sitting directly on top of the heat sink i'm not saying my way looks better i think it looks way better epoxied, but down the road i think itll look horrible so i tried to find some nice stainless screw heads to blend in with all the other chrome