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Old 04-20-2020, 04:08 PM   #26
Ak Sourdough
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 126
Default Re: Changed my steering column mount today!

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I bought another 29 Tudor last fall. It was taken out of service 25 years ago when the tank started leaking at the column bracket. It came with an aftermarket cast aluminum bracket to bolt to the cowl/tank flange that the previous owner had purchased. Last weekend I fixed it.


First I charged the tank with CO2 a non combustible gas to replace the oxygen in the tank (the only big bang I want in my shop is the TV show). Then used a cut off disc to remove the part of the original bracket that encircles the top half of the column so I would have access to the end of the rivets. Then I used a die grinder to remove the swedged out ends of the rivets to make them flush to the bracket. Next step was a torch to melt the solder while I pried gently with a flat screwdriver. The bracket gave up easily and came right off the bottom of the tank. First photo.



With CO2 still flowing into the top of the tank (it's heavier than oxygen and will displace it, pushing the oxygen out the top of the tank) I ground the rivets flush to the tank and cleaned away any solder in the area of the rivets. Then I just welded the end of the rivets to the bottom of the tank. That's the second photo.



I put a few gallons of water in the tank to test for leaks and left it overnight. Next day everything was still dry. For some reason the aluminum column bracket had a 3rd bolt hole on a big flange that was in the way of the little inside cowl panel, so I cut that off. Then it was about an inch from being aligned with the holes in the tank/cowl, so I drilled new holes in the tank flange outside of the seam weld and bolted it in place.


This the way I fixed my leaky tank, I'm not recommending that anyone else do it this way.
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Last edited by Ak Sourdough; 04-20-2020 at 04:19 PM.
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