INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADDING VENTILATION FAN TO CASE IN LOCATION WITH NO VENT HOLES:
By Matt Wahlin (aka Greebo_X)
  1. With power off and the case open, determine the location where you will want to mount the fan. Be VERY careful to ensure that the fan will not interfere with or touch any components inside the case. Carefully mark the location of at least two of the corner holes from the fan once you have determined the location.
  2. Remove EVERYTHING from the case, including the motherboard and Power Supply! You do NOT want metal shavings getting into any of the electronics. You should only work on the bare case.
  3. Print the attached fan template. Lay it on top of the fan to verify whether the 4 corners of the inner square match the mounting holes of the fan. This is important because some fans may not have as precise a location for the fan mounting holes as others. If necessary, mark the correct points on the template.
  4. On the INSIDE of the case, use the template to mark the location where all 4 mounting holes will go. If possible, verify again that they are correctly located for mounting the fan. Remove the template, and drill 4 SMALL holes in these locations, from the inside of the case out. Use a small drill bit, as you will be using these holes to position the template on the outside of the case, and will be using them as pilot holes when drilling the actual mounting holes.
  5. Lay the template on top of your fan. mark the area of the fan motor housing in the center- no need to drill holes there.
  6. Align the template with the 4 small holes you have drilled, and tape it in place.
  7. Secure the case so that the inside of the surface you will be drilling is supported on a piece of scrap wood; this will prevent the case metal from flexing while you are drilling and will keep hole alignments more precise. Ideally, you will attach the whole arrangement to a workbench with clamps to ensure things will not slip; just be careful to not mar the case with the clamps.
  8. Use a small metal punch/ countersink to carefully mark the points on the template where holes should go (at the intersection of circles and straight lines; outside the area you marked for the motor housing). Doing this step insures that your holes will be better aligned than if you attempt to just drill from the template.
  9. Drill pilot holes in each location marked; then drill larger holes to maximize ventilation. Drill mounting holes JUST large enough to admit the mounting screws for the fan. Note that holes in the OUTER circles can be larger than holes on the INNER circles. Don't make them too large, though- you want enough metal remaining to maintain its integrity and not be too bendable.
  10. Once the holes are drilled, remove case from the workbench/ scrap wood. Use either a de-burring tool OR a larger drill bit to manually remove metal burrs from the inside of the holes. NOTE: This is why final holes must be drilled from the outside of the case in; de-burring on the outside would leave a marred finish. If you use a drill bit to de-burr by hand, be sure to protect your fingers- 60+ holes can give you some nasty blisters. If need be, you can use a small round file to smooth holes too. DE-BURRING IS IMPORTANT- without it, the fan may not mount flush to the case and will be more prone to interfering with components inside; having the fan not flush may also reduce cooling efficiency.
  11. You are now ready to mount the fan & replace your components in the computer!

(c) 2002 - Matt Wahlin (aka Greebo_X)