I made a new towing eye;
Thisthread on Retro Rides is the greatest thread EVER!!!
If only because it gave me the encouragement i needed to replace the towing eye on the BX.
First up the remains of the towing eye, and what i need to duplicate (apologies for the pic being on the piss);
It's not meant to have that sodding great big hole in the spreader! This is the only part unique to the BX 16valve, from what i can tell it was welded onto the car in a rush shortly before lunch break in the factory in Rene's. Its a pretty heavy bit of metal not quite 2mm thick!
This is the 'new metal' cut to size. It's 2mm plate. This is the bit that the thread really helped with, understanding the radiusing in corners etc. I can't show it pre cut because i marked up in pencil (ran out of chalk) so the pictures didn't come out. Its cut out with a 1mm cutting disc.
I'm reusing the 10mm bar that makes up the towing 'loop' mostly because i'm tight. So cutting it off with the cutting disc and a carefully shaped flat cold chisel (as suggested by this thread).
sandy flappy disc put to good use;
And the three pieces. Using the hints and tips here i realised i could bent this up in my vice quite easily if i gave the folding order some thought. I also gently adjusted/fettled the new steel into shape;
And finally the (almost) finished article. Its part welded, part tacked. When i bought the car the loop was out of alignment and regular brake downs haven't helped so i will weld it up fully once i can get the bumper on and make sure of the alignment.
Ah, done. All in, it probably took less than an hour, mostly because i've got a small garage so everything is to hand!
My tips would be the following.
1) Tape measures SUCK! If i'd had a steel rule, a set of calipers and square I'd have saved a LOT of time.
2) Pencil is grey, steel is grey (unless you have fancy Zintec), this is NOT a helpful combination. I have 144 sticks of chalk in the post for the next project (and rest of my life no doubt!).
3) Don't be afraid of cocking it up if your working on a 'new' part on the bench, you can always weigh it in and start again.
4) Metal sheet on your workbench, hook it to the 'earth' of the welder and now you don't need to do the earth lead shuffle/balancing act when your welding!
Thanks for your help Tony