TECH INSTALL FABRICATE UPGRADE
19 Earlier we talked about walking away.
Well, I’m a believer in that. This potential
solution came to me in my sleep—or
maybe it was in the shower. Watch this!
20 Using an old spring leaf, a short slice
of 3 -inch square tubing, and a handful of
hardware, we’ve fashioned a primitive tool
for this still-damaged cowl.21 If this works it’ll pull the hinge forward
in its pocket without putting strain on any
other area of the cowl. The 3 ⁄ 8 bolt we’re
using is grade 8, and it’s getting pretty
tight.23 A little earlier we saw this hinge
bending as bolts were snugged. Here our
trusty square shows no damage done, so
let’s check our work by installing it once
more.25 We’re finally on a roll. This damaged area of cowl has been
roughed out from the inside. At this point, however, I’ve lost my
accuracy. For two remaining creases, I’m pulling the stud gun.
26 The
stud gun
is old
technology
now but
when I
bought
mine it was
cutting
edge. The
set came
with a little
T- handle
for pulling
and this
little slide
hammer for
popping.27 There’s
more than
one way
to remove
the welded
studs. Since
this Central
Pneumatic
3 -inch
extended-
reach cutoff
tool from
Harbor
Freight was
within reach,
we’ll use it.
28 Here
a 3 -inch
Roloc-type
abrasive disc
on a Central
Pneumatic
angle die
grinder levels
remaining
nibs, and
according
to this faded
photograph
we’ve
gained some
ground.24 This time
as bolts are
snugged we
have a much
flatter fit. The
uppermost
area of hinge
is flexing^1 ⁄ 16
inch or so. A
body shim will
compensate
for that.
22 At this stage we know we’ve moved
some metal. We still have these thick
square shims, so for fine-tuning let’s crank
these down tight—without the hinge this
time.
78 classictrucks.com