Engine Pylon
Bending the 1/8″ 2024-T3 aluminum pieces for the engine pylon can be a challenge. Your average Harbor Freight sheet metal brake just isn’t up to the task. I needed a new 814-3 piece and the 814-8 smaller piece as well.
Last July, Russ Milham mentioned to me that Andy Anderson could get them bent at a reasonable price. Indeed, at the Arlington air show last July, Andy seemed happy to do so. I purchased the sheet at Wicks at Arlington (and, as of a month ago, no longer at Arlington), and sent Andy on his way home, thinking I would see him again in July 2008.
Andy was passing through town this week, so he brought the pylon piece and spent the night at our house. Andy also snapped a photo of the bending process for the -8 piece:
Bob Leonard did this work is at his company, Trilet Industries, in Oregon City, OR.
Here are the results:
Note that the longer -3 piece must be bent at greater than 90 degrees to account for the taper of the pylon (front to rear). The -8 piece must fit on the inside of the -3 piece.
The bends were perfect. The -3 piece fits snuggly in the rest of the pylon.