Grinding, Drilling, and Welding

We didn't have a full 2 hours today as the students scheduled had to head to the rink for hockey practice.  However we made most of the afternoon, as we were able to work with some pneumatic tools to advance the project.
Last week saw us put together the rear tail light assembly, combining parts from pre 1977 and post 1977 models.  We hit a minor roadblock as the socket for the tailight bulb fouled on the mounting bracket.  Some short work with the die grinder solved that.  Thanks to Mr. Gugin for the use of the tool -- setting up, as well as lending the protective equipment!  The light now fits in the bracket so we will reassemble the parts to test fit next time.

Next we needed to drill holes to set nuts into the frame rail, in order to mount the aluminum battery tray/fuse holder/fender.  Mr. Sheppard had taken the cardboard cutout and fashioned an aluminum equivalent, which you can see on the edge of the workbench.  We need to drill...

Locate the nuts in the holes (shouldered nuts work great here...)

And then weld them in place.  Note that not a lot of filler is needed, as these really aren't load-bearing nuts.  The bolt on the left hand side was used to ensure the nut was square to the frame.  Once everything is cooled, we will remove the bolt, and then use a die to chase the threads to make sure they will work with the appropriate bolt.  Much better than aluminum riv-nuts, which are another option.

Finally, the boys get a look at the wiring diagram.  It looks complicated, but with some patience and trial and error, it will work.  Big thanks to xs650.com forum member "jayel" from Southwestern Iowa, who made the diagram for us to use.