triple progress, now with carbon fiber Options

[worn]

I was hoping to have this put together but had an argument with a bag of concrete mix and now I have either a herniated disc or a stress fracture. L4 - my favorite. So, it is all I can do to sit at the computer for a half hour. I still am hoping to do WCR, but that is 4,000 miles for me in a 914. Heal faster (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

Anyway here is what we got:

Started with the dies from an earlier attempt. Smooth out the old and mill the new


I bought a rotating table and the mill for this project. Well and other things too


First step was making the clamps.

I also made a punch so the I can start with the holes for lights and maintain registration


That gives me this:


Ready to press. I spent a lot of time setting things up for a pin router to cut out the gauge windows, but that didn't work out. So I have the dies and the sheet ready to form.

[John]

It takes a little more time to remove the bulb holders, but what I do is to cut the original baking plates close to the holders and then carefully break out the bulb holders. Once separated from the old destroyed backing plates, I insert a close fitting mandrel into the bulb holder and remove the original crimp from the bulb holders.

Then I simply insert the straightened out bulb holders into my new backing plates and re-crimp.

What I use for a crimp is a home made tubular mandrel that the main bodies of the bulb holders fit into, then I expand the tail of the bulb holder with an appropriately shaped tool like a small 1/4" socket. This re-creates the crimped bulb holder into the backing plate.

My backing plates are zinc plated steel similar in thickness to the original backing plates.

I know the time I save by not soldering the tubes makes up for the extra time it takes to harvest the bulb holders from the donor gauge backing plates.

I looked back at my timeline, and I guess I have been making my version of these things for close to 12 years. I never did inventory complete kits since everyone wants different things.