You move house with a sim racing cockpit by taking it apart into a few main sections, labelling every bolt group, wrapping the aluminium profiles and rebuilding the frame square in your new room. It sounds like a big job, yet it is mostly careful sorting. A compact frame such as the SIMGASM Hobby measures 500 x 1270 x 580 mm and goes back together in about two hours with the tools from the box.
Below you find a simple plan for the day before, the move itself and the first week in your new home.
Should you take your cockpit apart before a move?
In almost every case the answer is yes, and here is why.
Why a fully built frame is a risk
A built cockpit is long, awkward and heavy at one end. When you tilt it through a doorway or down the stairs, the brackets act like levers on the bolts. That bends small parts and pulls the frame out of square. In a moving van, a loose frame also slides and scratches everything around it.
What you keep in one piece
You do not need to strip every single profile. Most drivers split the frame into the base, the wheel deck with its uprights, the pedal deck and the seat rails. Those blocks fit through a normal door and stay easy to carry for two people. Fewer loose parts also means fewer chances to lose a T nut.
SIMGASM | Hobby Aluminum Sim Racing Cockpit - Red
How do you take a sim racing cockpit apart safely?
Work from the outside in, so the heavy hardware is off before you touch the frame.
Remove the hardware first
Start with the monitor, then the wheel, the wheelbase, the pedals and the seat. Pack the wheelbase and pedals in their original boxes if you still have them. Roll up each cable on its own and tape a small note to it, so you know right away which lead goes where.
Mark your driving position
Before you loosen a single bracket, put a strip of painter's tape on the profile next to it and draw a line. Take a few photos with your phone as well. This saves the exact wheel height, pedal distance and seat spot you tuned over many hours. Our guide on how high your steering wheel should sit helps if you want to fine tune it again later.
Bag and label every bolt group
Put the bolts and T nuts of each section in a separate zip bag and write the section name on it. Tape the bag to the matching profile. The Allen keys from the SIMGASM box go in one more bag, so the tools travel with the frame.
How do you pack aluminium profiles for transport?
Good packing keeps the coloured finish looking new after the move.
Protect the coated surfaces
SIMGASM frames come in coloured finishes and liveries, and no finish is scratch proof against other metal. Wrap each section in a moving blanket or bubble wrap. Pay extra attention to the profile ends and to brackets that stick out, because those hit walls first. Owners often mention that SIMGASM ships every piece shrink wrapped, so keep that wrap if you still have it.
Load the van in a smart way
Lay the long profiles flat on the floor of the van, close to a wall. Put the boxes with electronics on top of soft items, never under heavy furniture. Strap everything down, as sections slide when the driver brakes.
SIMGASM | Club Aluminum Sim Racing Cockpit - White
How do you rebuild the cockpit in your new home?
Take your time on the first evening, because a square frame feels better for years.
Pick the spot before you unpack
Measure the room and keep room for getting in and out, a monitor and your PC. Our article on how much space a sim racing cockpit needs gives clear numbers per setup. Check the floor as well, since a new floor often sits less flat than the old one.
Build square and tighten in steps
Follow the same order as the SIMGASM Hobby assembly guide. Set every section on your tape marks, check that the frame stands square and only then tighten all bolts fully. After a week of racing, go round once more, as bolts settle after a move. The retorque and maintenance guide shows which points matter most.
Make the next move easier
Do you expect to shift the rig around in the new place? Then wheels under the base save your back. Our piece on moving a sim rig to another room covers that daily kind of moving.
SIMGASM | Casterwheel set - Black
Do you rent your home? Then choose a frame that moves well
Renters move more often, so the frame type matters more than you think.
A bolted aluminium profile frame comes apart and goes back together without wear, unlike a welded steel frame. One SIMGASM customer wrote that he chose the Hobby because he rents a flat at the moment, and that logic makes sense. SIMGASM founder Johan Akkerman once welded his own first frame from used gas pipes, and the modular profile design of every SIMGASM aluminium sim racing cockpit comes from that hands on start. SIMGASM B.V. supports owners from its base in Wijk bij Duurstede in the Netherlands and usually answers within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers for your moving day.
How long does it take to take a cockpit apart?
Plan about one hour to split it into sections. Rebuilding takes a bit longer, around two hours for a Hobby.
Can you move a cockpit in one piece?
Only over a very short distance on one floor. For stairs, doors and a van, split it into sections.
Do you need special tools?
No. The Allen keys from the SIMGASM box are enough, plus tape, a marker and zip bags.
Should you check the bolts after the move?
Yes. Retighten every bolt after the first week of driving, as the frame settles in its new spot.
Want to learn more? The SIMGASM experts are happy to help.
