Sunday, August 24, 2008

Finally Got It On

Today I finally got the last two rear window sill patches welded into place. Break out an extra ration of rum, I say! Huzzah!

These two patches were much easier to fit because the sill curves less in the center. I had to run the bottom edge of both through the stretcher one more time. Then, like the first two, I tweaked the upper tabs up here and there to get the best possible fit.

After all the tweaking the weld-thru primer I had previously applied was a bit dinged up, so I shot both pieces again. I also ground off the POR-15 in the places where the welds would go. And I drilled holes through the upper sill to facilitate welding.

The third patch went on easily, because I could hold it in place with vise-grips. The last one posed an extra challenge because there was no space for the vice-grips. To hold it in place I tack welded a thin steel rod at each end. My friend Tom held it in place while I welded.

I just got the last piece welded on when it was quitting time, so grinding and filling will have to wait. All in all it was a good day.

One thing I noticed about today was the heat. It was especially noticable when I was welding, when I wear a heavy long-sleeved shirt, thick gloves, and of course the helmet. Turns out it was 90 degrees in Honolulu today, which is as hot as it gets. My bay faces West and today I could have baked cookies on the E9's hat rack.

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