To improve workability, let’s convert the under-cowl to quick fasteners.
Since we’re making the bottom one a fastener too, we’ll mill away the nut.
This time I’ll try a slightly different method than before (though it’s pretty much the same). We’ll cut a notch in the fastener and shape it this way.
This time I fixed it on the back side. With lots of gaps and thin material, welding is quite tricky.
After polishing and painting, the bottom side is done.
Since the pitch is pretty unusual, we’ll use a jig and punch it out to create an elongated hole.
We only have four stainless pieces in stock, so we’re putting this on hold for now.
After that, we’ll fix it with rivets and we’re done. Since the mating surface is plastic, we use aluminum where the rivets expand. This way the cowl can be installed without any modifications.
I came up with the idea on the spot, so I made a kit to remove the tandem seat with fasteners.
Now you can snap it on and off, so inserting and removing your ETC card should be easier too.
Modifications like this would actually be faster if we just drilled holes in the frame, but that approach is too simplistic and often results in disappointing finishes. I think it’s best not to drill into the frame unless you’re really sure it’s the final form.
