My Ski Rack

[Tom Mandera <tsm1@domain.elided>]

Recall I was looking for "gutter mounts" a while back since the $10
ski-rack I bought wasn't wide enough...

I just happen to spot a rivet set in the "cheap Chinese tools of the
week" table at the hardware store this week, and thought, "Hey, I don't
have wonna doze yet" and for $8 bought a cheap rivet set...

So, the day of my ski trip to Canada draws near, time to get the rack
installed!  My friend Dan came over, and I started eyeballing the
angle-stock and flat-stock I had bought for making the "sandwiched"
gutter mounts... Hmmm.. they'll interfere with the doors if I use 'em up
front like that... 

Then Dan notices the little "hook" ends have a screw deep inside 'em..
guess what?  It's a worm-drive like a hose-clamp.  D'oh!  (No, I didn't
get a manual with the rack, and I've never had a ski rack before, so I
plead ignorant).

Naturally, it still wasn't wide enough.. but the worm-driven straps were
riveted to the "gutter hook"... hmmm.. I just happen to have a brand new
riveter...

Drill the rivets out, cut some 5" strips of sheet metal, "section in"
these strips.. one on each corner, via new 3/16" pop-rivets, take it
back out to the Scout, and tighten down.  Voila.

Of course, this couldn't go without using power tools or anything.. at
first I used my 4" disc grinder and cut-off wheel to cut the strips of
20gauge sheet metal... well, the first one, as I reached the end... a
horrific Ker-chunk and a ZING as the strip of metal flys across the
garage and smacks the wall on one side, and a huge chunk of my cut-off
wheel (1/2?) flys off and smacks the opposite wall, and I bend the sheet
metal all up.  GRRRR... 

As I make a second attempt with the grinder on the *other* end of the
sheet metal, Dan says, "Don't you have any tin-snips?"  Ummm... oh
yeah... snip-snip-snip we had our 4 pieces, then a little bit of
de-burring with the bench grinder, drill a few holes, pop a few rivets..
all too simple.

I'm slippin'.. I overlooked some pretty simple and obvious things! 
d'oh.  

-Tom Mandera, Helena MT
http://www.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout
'72 and '77 Scout IIs