Brief Description: Worked on the bottom fuel tank strap tensioners.
Well, I'm on "plan E" and it's finally working. I've been trying to drill straight holes through 5/16" rod for the fuel tank strap tensioners with little to no luck. I don't have a tight/straight enough vise for my drill press to hold two stacked bars so I can drill the hole through both bars at the same time. So the method I tried today worked pretty well.
I started by measuring where the holes would be drilled on the bar. I then filed a flat spot on the rod to keep the drill bit from wandering. I drilled both holes (#40) in one bar and just one hole in the other. I then moved it to the bench vise. I ran a piece of welding filler rod through the #40 hole to align them. I then clamped them in the vise and enlarged the other hole to #30 on the top and drilled all the way through the bottom rod. I then put a -4 rivet through that hole and removed it from the vise. My next step will be to enlarge the other side from #40 to #21 to allow for tapping the 10-32 screw.
A blurry pic of the filed drill spots.
#40 holes lined up and ready to drill other side to #30
