Vandalism guard and tool tray insert for the left box

[oldmetalmender]

Sounds great Bruce. I am looking forward to it. I am having some bad weather and spotty internet, but will let you know when it arrives. We have exactly 3 feet of snow and now rain in the forecast. Part of the deal here.
Thanks for the heads up.
Al

[oldmetalmender]

Got home tonight and found a vandalism guard in my mailbox. Looks like you did some tin work Bruce. Not to bad at all for being crushed. I may tune it just a tad.
So I measured it and it looks to be 16 GA metal or .062 thick. I only have 18 and 20 GA here. So I will need to pick up a half sheet down in Spokane.
I have a trip there anyways for some water jet work and I need a new pressure hose for the crawler. So good timing there. I will keep you posted.
Al

[B Town]

Good morning Al,

I just could not bring myself to shipping the panel off when it was shaped like a taco. It still is sprung a bit, and any help you could give it would be appreciated. I’m still disappointed with myself for leaving it on the top of the track then backing over it.

Take care, Bruce

[oldmetalmender]

I was thinking about a storage holder that could go up in the ROPS ceiling. Or where on a crawler it could be stowed that did not have ROPS. Not that I will get after that. But that's the kind of stuff I think about trying to go to sleep every night.
I'm picking up a 4x4 sheet of 16 GA either tomorrow or Friday along with two other errands. Where I live, nothing is close and requires planning.

[oldmetalmender]

I have the 16GA in the shop Bruce. Like kilohertz I have three feet of snow and now sheets of rain. I am trying to provide drainage through the ice and snow piles to prevent the shop from flooding. Our phone is also dead and has been for 4 days now. I should be able to make some progress mid week. Just keeping you informed as I would want to be. Hope you are having better weather than we are.

[B Town]

I understand. Mother Nature always requires attention. I would say our winter has been relatively “open”. A hand full of snow storms. Not much accumulation. We did have 2” of rain in January, that was quite unusual. We have been able to use the corn stalk fields as roughage for the cattle.
Good to here from you. Take care, Bruce

[oldmetalmender]

Well the patterns are done, adjusted and ready to transfer to the sheetmetal. If I could get a break in the rain, I can plasma cut the patterns out of metal. I had hoped to complete a structure outside last summer to do hot work like that. I was not able to get it done in time for winter.

Making one of the three patterns.



Assembling and test fitting. This shows me what needs adjusting. Also in what order to make the bends.



It's nice to be doing some tin work again.

[B Town]

Nice work! Looking good. Has the weather eased any?

[oldmetalmender]

Yes it has finally stopped the hard rain. I hope to get several parts cut today. Tune the edges and start bending. I am not super fast. But I try to make quality stuff.
Bruce, Could you take a look at the post the lock is supposed to go through. And tell me if you have washers stacked on it? And how many?

[oldmetalmender]

I am well on the way to success here Bruce. I still need to do the welds and holes for the padlock. But it is coming along.

Do you want me to send it raw and unpainted? Or do you want me to paint it black? That alone will take several days for a complete cure. I use cerakote and it is not paint but a ceramic coating. For the sheen please look at the gauge panel in my build thread and see if that works for you.

I am also looking into modifying the panel for edge protection. ON mine at least. I won't want this cover scratching my gauge panel later. So I am seeing how to put rubber or plastic between the two. If you want to have me do this to your replacement then let me know.
I have managed to come down with a bug. So I am going to take it easy for a day or so. Anyway here is a picture.

[B Town]

Sorry to hear you have taken Ill. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Yes, I would like your coating. No need to protect the edge for me. I will look at the padlock post, as you requested, this weekend.

Get better, Bruce

[B Town]

The post for the padlock does not have any washers. I have looked a my three 450C’s, and they all have the same eyelet. There is shoulder built into the base of the eyelet (where the padlock passes through and locks). That base is ~3/8” in diameter and approximately the same thickness as 16 ga metal.

[oldmetalmender]

I am glad I asked. My machine has 4 or was it 5 1/4 washers on it to make the eyelet further from the dash metal. Not sure why, but when the time comes I will test fit the cover and remove them if need be. I am on the mend as my wife forced me to eat raw garlic from her garden. I don't get sick much but something tried to win me over. It has lost and I feel better already. Today, I was able to go test a spot welder that I have never used before. I was able to get it dialed in perfectly on some scrap pieces from cuttings while making the cover. I am going to make the second cover and weld them both. I am hoping to be back at it tomorrow. I am excited to see the final product. No time to be laying around.

[oldmetalmender]

All done... I finished the second cover, spot welded them, sanded and coated them. At 5 above zero this morning I heated the shop for 8 hours to finally get above 70 for the coating. We were at 50 F and raining just two days ago. Crazy weather this year. I will need a couple days to cure the coatings and I can get them sent back to you Bruce. I hope you don't mind, but I am doing just a little straightening on your original cover. I will coat it also but it will not be as perfect as the new cover. Anyway, here are a couple pictures of both new ones. Funny I wanted one and could not find them. Then I spotted your post.







I am confident you will be happy with them. Thanks for the opportunity to do some tin work. I enjoy it.
Al

[B Town]

Good evening Oldmetalmender,

The vandal guards look great. Did they fit well on your machine (once you took off the washers). I appreciate the “body work” and coating on my OEM cover. Thank you for the excellent work.

Still looking for a tool tray. I would like an OEM tray. If I find one , do you have any interest in bending a couple new ones , Oldmetalmender??

Best regards, Bruce