I went to the hardware store and bought a peice of Masonite 1/8" X2'X4'. I had hoped they had would have something smaller...no luck. Took that back and fabricated a new plate out of Masonite to build a mockup. I moved the attaching holes over 3/4" so when mounted the air box would move 3/4" to the right. In image two you can see it attached to the carb and the top of the airbox clamped to it. This places the air box in the center of the cowling. The air filter will still sit in a position won't restrict the airflow into the carb.
With that done I was able to mount the lower cowling to check horizontal alignment with the opening in the cowling. This took a few interations of taking the cowling off, move the air box lid slightly and remount the cowling. Image three shows the lid aligned horizontally (I be the camera was not square to the opening.) I still need to align it vertically which will require bending the lid slightly.
Before I bend it I need to use my mockup and make a new plate from 0.063" stock. I have the material but will wait until Monday so I can use the shear at school. It makes cutting these thicker stock too easy. After making the new plate I can recheck the horizontal alignment. I also need to flute the lid so it will lay flat. This will raise it slightly and affect how much it needs to be bent.
