Right lets get creating

Its time to start making good again, and what better day to start than on Fathers Day! As well as baking me 3 plates of cakes, my fabulous daughters said I could have ALL day in the garage (the perfect gift :-)
I was awake at 6.30am but much like christmas day, I patiently waited until 8.30 before getting out and making a noise in the garage (not that I often go into the garage on christmas day , but you know what I mean)

First up was the nearside rear panel (just above the engine hinge point). My initial plan was to 1. cut out the rubbish, 2. shape a new bit of metal, 3. weld in place, 4. beer in sunshine
It didnt quite work out like that though. The trouble is, there are so many panels and sections that come together at this point that its virtually impossible to simply cut one bit away. So it took me a lot longer than I was expecting (couple of hours?) to get the section cut out, and even then it required me cutting other panels out at the same time in order to get access. I had hoped to do one panel at a time, so that I didnt lose any reference when replacing.

Hugh popped over to see how things were going. I am always happy with my own company in the garage and probably work best when alone, however I really do appreciate a sounding board now and then. I can sometimes get a bit tunnel visioned or perhaps stuck in procrastination over options, and having someone to bounce thoughts off is really appreciated.

Bashing out the replacement part out didn't take very long at all despite the ribbings (which my cheap ebay panel beating set seemed to handle ok once I'd filed the hammer faces smooth!) And then it was time to weld. At last I felt like I was about to make some progress forward - constructing instead of destructing.

The TIG welder was fab. I however wasnt so fab. To be fair, this was an awkward thing to access and as feared, if there was even a sniff of rust in the weld area, there was lots of spluttering.

Its not the best welding in the World, But its certainly not going to come apart, and its a darn sight stronger than it was 2 days ago.
Its not going to look like a professional restoration, and its not going get any show prizes, but I am confident that it will get me on the road safely, and even be of value to someone who wants a tidy solid scooter someday.