The fuel filler support is just about done, so I thought I write down how I done it.
First I drew it on the computer to see what looked right, then I printed out two paper copies of the flat pattern, one to fold up & put in the car as a last check & one to make to.
The paper pattern fitted OK, it just needed a little more on the ends of the flanges, so having adjusted the "make to" copy with a crayon I selotaped it to the aluminium sheet & drew round the edge with a magic marker (disappointingly they're not actually magic - it's just a fat felt tip!).
To cut it out I used a jig saw with a very fine toothed blade, this can be a bit worrying - I still have no feeling in my left index fingertip after the jigsaw jumped & stabbed it a couple of times. Cleaning the cut edges with coarse & fine files stopped any further bloodshed & at this stage it looked like this:-![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K32Uz6-GhRg/WJOAuyPKOfI/AAAAAAAAB14/3WGK_P4IfRE6A4_6UQRCZ3Z4kjw_JYF7gCLcB/s400/IMG_0100.JPG)
Even my brackets look vaguely aeroplane like.
Next job was to put in the lightening holes - GOT to have lightening holes! In this case I wanted to try to make flanged lightening holes because being aluminium sheet (not alloy) it's pretty soft & a flanged lightening hole gives a lot of stiffness.
So out with the hole saw & my bracket looked like this:-
At this point I made a bit of a mistake because I got all enthusiastic & flanged the holes, which made bending the side walls down a bit of a git - but I digress.
At work I'd noticed that the really big sockets had a curved "neck" - just the right shape for pushing a lightening hole, I used the hole saw to put a hole the same size as my lightening holes in a lump of soft wood, then chiselled the edge away to make a sort of "bell-mouth", it wasn't pretty, but it was very soft pine from some cheap furniture, so it would deform nicely.
So I placed the sheet over it & clamped it down, placed the socket in the hole & whacked it several times with a mallet.
Here's the "female tool" if we're still allowed to say such things
![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0gdyYoFGF-M/WJOAwNUKJJI/AAAAAAAAB2k/TVzMKifeSGkBpj_4WoOwpmHtjQ4-s5eHwCEw/s400/IMG_0104.JPG)
Here's the male tool in place, about to get whacked with a mallet (note:- NOT a hammer - a mallet).
![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dSqc-x0JSpc/WJOAvt3af9I/AAAAAAAAB2k/fD1IPrE7M1I56GTNkfVyrW7Vn51lcU55gCEw/s400/IMG_0103.JPG)
Here's a flanged lightening hole.
Good isn't it?
Flushed with child-like excitement I bashed all the others into the sheet & marvelled at how much lighter & stiffer it was (I didn't really)
![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x1UuXjMD2qE/WJOAwa-wjHI/AAAAAAAAB2k/K5G2WNYudkIQCuucBoC7Uvoh3Zz1dtCOwCEw/s400/IMG_0105.JPG)
Next job was chain drilling the hole for the filler - really not one of my favourite jobs, but not too bad in aluminium as it's soft enough to cut pretty easily.
Then I bent up the sides & tried it in the car. I think it'll be OK when it's riveted down. It needs a loose angle to attach it to the boot side wall, & a drain made up to stop it filling with water & I'll trim the bowl to height when the boot lid's fitted, but so far, quite pleased with it - 2 1/2 hours well spent 😊.
![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dPqBE5SqJAs/WJOAx2UVz1I/AAAAAAAAB2k/sGAowbgJmD0-Kf_yjhRBv7avZYg6_R2oQCEw/s320/IMG_0107.JPG)
![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tRbr71NYGFc/WJOAy-KXP8I/AAAAAAAAB2k/QwzXKC98Fxwhy8aDl6k5-Hcv2ggBYDY0QCEw/s320/IMG_0110.JPG)
The only things left to do were clean up the filler hole, drill the holes it bolts to (which will also attach the bowl to the bracket) & see how it looked. Quite '50s techie I think - which is good 'cos that's how I wanted it to look.
First I drew it on the computer to see what looked right, then I printed out two paper copies of the flat pattern, one to fold up & put in the car as a last check & one to make to.
The paper pattern fitted OK, it just needed a little more on the ends of the flanges, so having adjusted the "make to" copy with a crayon I selotaped it to the aluminium sheet & drew round the edge with a magic marker (disappointingly they're not actually magic - it's just a fat felt tip!).
To cut it out I used a jig saw with a very fine toothed blade, this can be a bit worrying - I still have no feeling in my left index fingertip after the jigsaw jumped & stabbed it a couple of times. Cleaning the cut edges with coarse & fine files stopped any further bloodshed & at this stage it looked like this:-
Even my brackets look vaguely aeroplane like.
Next job was to put in the lightening holes - GOT to have lightening holes! In this case I wanted to try to make flanged lightening holes because being aluminium sheet (not alloy) it's pretty soft & a flanged lightening hole gives a lot of stiffness.
At this point I made a bit of a mistake because I got all enthusiastic & flanged the holes, which made bending the side walls down a bit of a git - but I digress.
So I placed the sheet over it & clamped it down, placed the socket in the hole & whacked it several times with a mallet.
Here's the "female tool" if we're still allowed to say such things
Here's the male tool in place, about to get whacked with a mallet (note:- NOT a hammer - a mallet).
Here's a flanged lightening hole.
Good isn't it?
Flushed with child-like excitement I bashed all the others into the sheet & marvelled at how much lighter & stiffer it was (I didn't really)
Next job was chain drilling the hole for the filler - really not one of my favourite jobs, but not too bad in aluminium as it's soft enough to cut pretty easily.
Then I bent up the sides & tried it in the car. I think it'll be OK when it's riveted down. It needs a loose angle to attach it to the boot side wall, & a drain made up to stop it filling with water & I'll trim the bowl to height when the boot lid's fitted, but so far, quite pleased with it - 2 1/2 hours well spent 😊.
The only things left to do were clean up the filler hole, drill the holes it bolts to (which will also attach the bowl to the bracket) & see how it looked. Quite '50s techie I think - which is good 'cos that's how I wanted it to look.
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