Another housekeeping project is to complete the rods for the trim drive. Aurora specs out the minimum thread engagement for the MM-3 bearings is 1.5 times the major diameter of the threaded portion. In this case it would be .27+, or just over 1/4 inch. I decided to turn my own rod threaded ends instead of welding a nut on the end. I never really liked butt welding nuts on the end of a tube, especially for the trim. And as a side benefit I have more than the required thread engagement on the rod end. Once I got the ends turned and threaded, I bent the rods to their final shape, cut them to length and welded on the fittings using a fishmouth. On to the next project!
