So my good friend Al had some solid 5/8" stainless steel rod and gave me a piece. I put it in the lathe and took off about 1/16" on about a 1" wide section in the middle. Installed with cotter pins and did a dry test fit of the nose gear...plenty of space. Love the steel bungee, far superior to the regular bungee.
Warning: If you have the steel bungee, install it prior to installing the engine mount.
