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Dealers stock parts and provide a distribution network for said parts. This is why my '94 Honda Accord still runs

As someone who has spent quite a bit of time keeping older cars on the road, I feel compelled to ask: what in the WORLD are you talking about?

Multi-Sound Horns:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/Multi-Sound-Horns/600002600.jcw

Naw, they need some Hi-Jackers air shocks. And some cool pin striping and an aluminum hood scoop.

If the valve is locked, they can break the lock, or cut the line and bypass it with a hose, or tow the car away...the list has no end. My point is that alarms, kill switches, "The Club", etc. are effective only against unsophisticated thieves. The chop shops can and will get your car if they really want it.

Did he put Hi-Jackers and side pipes on the Enterprise?

Like this one

That's right! Buy some rack rails. They should be available at large scrap metal yards, one can get used ones inexpensively.

Buy some tools. Absolutely required:

• mitre box and a good hacksaw (preferably a Sawzall or similar), or better still a compound mitre saw
• good drill and steel bits
• WD-40 or real cutting oil to lubricate the drill bits and the saws
• safety glasses
• file
• good measuring tape
• lots of small nuts and bolts
• angle iron - scrap metal yard, old bedframes, Home Depot
• 90 degree mending irons to brace corners together
• bench vise
• tin snips
• scribe to mark sheetmetal along working lines or locations of holes
• automatic center punch to make dimples so that drill bits don't skate
• MIG welder with flux core wire or regular wire and an Argoshield bottle - nice to have but not essential

Measure, cut, drill. Use the mitre box and a level to make sure everything is straight, bolt the pieces together.

To make your own computer cases and rack-mount shelves, use sheet steel and/or sheet aluminum, and lots of small #6-32 machine screws and nuts to hold it all together. Buy a small sheet metal brake if you don't have one ($20-$40) so that you can make neat 90 degree bends. Pop rivets can be handy for stuff like holding the side braces onto your own shelves. I usually like to build things with machine screws and nuts. Once I've got all the sheet metal done, I either weld the seams or pop-rivet them, depending on what I need. Welds are very tough to cut, and pop-rivets have to be drilled out. Machine screws let you play with the design a little bit before making it final.

Sheet metal is dangerous to work with - it's sharp and little filings will get all over the place. A pair of good leather sheetmetal gloves will protect your hands.

Also, sheet steel comes coated with cosmolene or similar anti-corrosion coatings. You will need to wipe it off (a rag with rubbing alcohol usually works) before you spray-paint your finished cabinets. You need to paint the sheet steel (Tremclad is good for this) or else it will flash-rust in time.

If you're working with salvaged scrap steel (which I usually do), you will probably need to clean it. An angle grinder with a suitably-rated cup brush will do wonders. Remember to wear the safety glasses!

Measure twice, cut once! Take your time! This is no more difficult than carpentry.

Sure, you can go that route. $39 for a DVD player. How much for the LCD?

Alternately, you can go here and buy something.

If it doesn't have to be a DVD player and you're minivan has the space, try Fry's for an Audiovox VCP/LCD combo. I can't find it on their webpage right now, but know they had some listed not too long ago. Its a console with built-in loudspeaker, RCA input jacks (for game consoles) and has headphone jacks. My wife's Nissan Quest came with one of these installed from the factory.

Good Ol' JcWhitney lists them starting at $24.95
http://www.jcwhitney.com/product.jhtml?CATID=4566& BQ=jcw2

http://jcwhitney.com/product.jhtml?CATI D=5460
12.75V but should be ok $129

What's the point of buying a computing device if you can't customize it?

Do you customize your car? Your fridge? Your TV?

Car: First thing I did after I bought my new car was to pull the stupid racing stripes off the sides. Then I went and had a nice CD player installed. Let's not even get started on the people who take modifying their cars seriously. You don't think the "I'd rather push my Ford than drive a Chevy" came about just because of the way people drove the things, do you? Lemme just point you to the JC Whitney catalog.

Fridge: Got crap stuck all over the front of it: funny newspaper items, pictures of all the relatives' kids, even stuck a memo board on it so we can write down what we need to buy at the grocery store.

TV: Ran a splitter off my cable, now I use the box (for HBO) as one input, unfiltered (so I can do picture-in-picture) as another. VCR on Video1, N64 on Video3 (SVHS input).

Hmm, seems like I customize everything I touch. Customization isn't only for computers -- every product's worth is judged partially on how well it can be modified to suit your needs. As someone mentioned above this, this is one of the reasons why desktop computers are so popular. They can (with a bit of work :-)) be customized to meet just about anyone's needs.