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MGA Cockpit Rail Bodge

To: british-cars@autox.team.net
Subject: MGA Cockpit Rail Bodge
From: jerry@tr2.com (Jerome Kaidor)
Date: Sun, 18 Sep 1994 17:13:35 -0700 (PDT)
Greetings fellow SOLs,

   I know its been a while since I posted anything... Well, at last, 
I have some britsh car stuff to write about!

   Today, after a long hiatus, I started working on my MGA restoration
again.  I suppose my ardor had been cooled by the fact that the car is
now drivable...  A bona-fide case of the restoration-almost-complete disease
that's been documented on B-C lately.

  At any rate, today I set to installing the second turnbutton
on the car's cockpit rails.  MGA folks will know the one I mean, there's
one just behind each door.   Trouble is, that particular section of cockpit
rail is made of *aluminum*.  And the self-tapping screws that Moss provides
are not able to get a good grip on the stuff without _snapping  off_.

   Grr!
   
   I'd decided that the thing to do was to tap the rail for a pair 
of 6-32  machine screws.  Bad move, Jerry!  The Aluminum didn't take well
to such a fine thread.  In fact, there appeared a pair of nice shiny smooth
holes.  What to do?

   I decided to glue the screws in.  Cleaned the holes with lacquer thinner.
Washed the screws themselves in lacquer thinner.  Made up a batch of PC-7
epoxy.  This is the strong stuff.  Compared to this stuff, Bondo is soft
as a pillow.  Stuffed the PC-7 into the holes.  Set the turnbutton on
the rail, pushed the screws into the PC-7-filled holes.  Clamped it all
together with a couple of tie wraps.

  So folks, what do you think?  Will the bodge work?
  
                                          - Jerry


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