I got another little project done. This is probably the ultimate in anal but I’m glad I did it. Remember my rear brake panel with the notch broken out?
I wanted to rescue it because it is different from later sandcasts. It’s the only one I’ve seen like it. The one on the left is from #97. The one on the right is from #1553. Notice the 4 round areas on the ribs near the center hole of the later one. There seems to be some subtle differences on the outside too but nothing distinct.
I had my welder use some of my homemade welding welds to fill it in hoping the color would match.
Then I made up a fixture so I could put it on the mill and machine the OD and backside. This is after machining. I was tempted to use a burr and try to remove some of the extra weld to make it look less like it was repaired. I still might.
And here’s the outside. I did it all with a file and sandpaper. Very tedious. Still a lot of polishing to do on the rest of it but I think it turned out great. You have to look really close to see it. Me and you guys are the only ones who will know that it is a special, early, rare sandcast part. But that’s part of the satisfaction of it.