8 Jan 2011
Well, when I said 3rd January, but it soon became 8th January....
Down the workshop today and I got to grips with the rust holes at the bottom of the LHS bubble.
I decided to tackle this in two sections as this is simpler for me to tackle. First I cut a cardboard template, and then cut it in mild steel. I deliberately left it hanging over the bottom edge.
Once again the sheet metal clamps I built earlier proved useful as I tacked it in place on the upper edges.
I then used the hydraulic crimping tool (seen elsewhere on this site to create the edge of the SS legshields), to create the shape on the bottom of the bubble. I simply used the tool around the 1/4" rod that I had welded around the bottom of the bubble. As it was crimped-up, the shape was formed.
It was much easier to form the shape after it was tacked into place. Shaping it prior to welding would have been much more demanding.
I then moved on to repair the next hole.
The finished item looks better on this photo than it really is....
..... but there is nothing that some filler won't cover.
I've got lots of projects on the go at the moment, so progress on the SS might be slightly slow in the next couple of weeks.