Since I was able to get my MIG welder to weld aluminum without a spool gun, I decided to tackle the broken ears on my fuel filler, license holder, taillight bracket.
Unlike Greg Long, who has a NOS one, I am cursed with broken ears on this housing. I believe that I am not alone in this dilemma. Most of us have one that looks like one or the other of these, 1 ear and no ear
Ok, here is the near finished product.
I had to anneal the aluminum, multiple times to get it to form.
Hammered over a body dolly and used a contour copier to match the profiles.
Procedure was to light the acetylene side of my torch, pass the flame over the area to be annealed, which puts a black coating on it.
Then light the oxygen side so you have a normal welding flame and gently heat the sooted area until it burns off the black soot.
One note of caution, be sure to keep the flame moving, I suggest side to side because if you get the area too hot it will melt with no warning.
File, sand, body putty and primer then paint.
Does any one know if there is a special color for the housing and the license tower. Mine appear to be body color for the housing and black for the license holder.
I found another part of the housing that is subject to breakage. The bottom of the left bracket is missing the area with the pencil on the right.