Finished Attaching Door Brackets, Drilled Back Door for Mounting Screws

Work on installing the back door continues.

I taped the door back onto the body, so I could locate where the two bottom brackets go, and trace their locations.


After tracing where the brackets belong, I removed the door, and used the holes on the brackets to trace where to drill. (Blindly tracing the bracket when the door was on also produced to nice scribbles.)



I drilled the holes and installed the two bottom brackets.




Now all four brackets are installed.



I taped the door on yet again, in preparation for drilling through the door and brackets as pairs, using a #43 drill bit for the #4 1/2" machine screws I plan to use to secure the door. I then got to work drilling.



Close enough.



The location of the vertical ribs on the frame dictate where the brackets go, which in turn dictate where the holes get drilled. I'd prefer that the holes were a little closer to the edge of the door, but there's not much I can do about it.



Next, I started tapping the holes with a #4-40 tap.



What's worse then snapping a drill bit in the wooden frame, like I did last night? Snapping a tap bit in a metal bracket.



There is virtually no part of the tap bit sticking out of the hole I was tapping. That segment will be in there until the sun consumes the earth, billions of years from now. I will need to cut a new bracket, drill and install it, and I'll need to replace my #4-40 tap bit.



Disgusted with my handiwork, I decided to call it quits for tonight. I still need to finish tapping all the brackets, and I also need to widen the holes on the door to fit the #4 screws, and then countersink those holes.