Finishing the passenger side footbox

This update covers passenger footbox riveting and finishing.

Related notes live on the Factory Five Cobra build hub.

passenger footbox riveting: Patience, clecos, and alignment

First, I ran out of time the other night to finish riveting the passenger footbox. Also, panel alignment and riveting take patience.

It is tricky to keep everything aligned initially. However, using the clecos makes installation much easier once you have initial alignment.

As a result, finishing this part is very satisfying. Meanwhile, you can see the internals coming together.

Five parts of the passenger footbox

Five parts make up the passenger footbox. First, the top panel rivets into the 2″ support and stretches to the 3/4″ brace on the side.

Then the inside panel aligns to the a-brace that was previously installed.

Next, the following 3 parts align at the same time. Also, the top triangle piece attaches to the 3/4″ brace, and it is the top of the footbox outside that brace.

Attaching the outer triangle to the side of the footbox is tricky. Therefore the clecos help keep things in shape.

Ultimately the front panel connects three of the four panels. In other words, it is riveted on 3 of 4 sides now.

Thermo-Tec on the edges

I am happy with the setup. So I can apply smaller strips of Thermo-Tec in the edges of the footbox.

Otherwise you end up wrestling whole sheets for insulation. Likewise, take time to prepare insulation before you install panels if you get the chance!