Dumped almost every box, coffee can, and bag of assorted junk iinto one big pile... need to start using this stuff I've been hoarding!
Then finally I got a retractable extension cord... with a 3-tap on the end, to boot. Ahh, luxury!!
Painted the seat base and pedal assembly yesterday...
This pedal tray will hardly be seen, but I like how it looks now.
Found some nice chunks of steel angle stock...one of the advantages of living in a giant indoor junkyard.
Just outside my bedroom/shop door is the south stairwell, which is my welding shop. I'm still a novice welder, but this rough frame came out OK. And the retractable cord (30-foot) reaches from my room to the stairwell!! Woohoo!!
Found some weathered but usable 3/4" ply, dropped that into the frame, added a couple of scrap 2X8 skids crosswise on the bottom, bolted the seat and pedals in place, and- voila!
It's longer than I wanted, but I'll make room for it.
The centering fix for the pedals was idiotically simple: Lost the pulleys and just laid the bungee across the front of the pedals. Works fine, and no, it won't slip off- it's not that tight.
The pedals are a bit too tight since I reassembled them, and I also removed the cheap casters under the pedal platforms, so it may lean too much and require more work... but it's OK for now; have to get the sim running to see what's needed.
And I'll make the nose easy to access from the front... don't want to be upside-down under the panel, breaking my back on the seat, as I would with a car...

Wow. I can't believe I've already come this far...
Next: part 4- the nose box, and interior planning