Semi-Repaired Bent Skins on Droid #1, Dismantled Droid #2 for Stuck U-Bolt

Tonight I continued working on post-Wondercon repairs for both droids.

Droid #1 has a recurring injury, like a scab that won't heal. Part of the outer skins near the front pocket vent got bent.



Ideally, I'd just remove the screw where the bend occurred and bent it back. Unfortunately, the nut that backs this screw is pretty much impossible to reach on the assembled droid, so that's not really a viable option. I also considered removing the pocket vent or the side kick plate, but I didn't want to inflict more injury to the droid.

Instead, I used a block of wood, a mallet and some paper towels as a dampener to try to tap out the bend as much as possible.



Well, it's not 100% better, but it's definitely a lot better.



With droid #2, I needed to remove the stuck U-bolt. One of the two nuts securing the U-bolt to the vertical rail in the droid had its threads stripped, so the only way to get it off the gas pipe was to remove the legs and slide it off.




I've ordered a replacement U-bolt, although I'm somewhat concerned that the same problem may occur if I'm not careful. I will work on getting a better flat spot filed on the gas pipe for the vertical rail to rest upon, and then get everything bolted back together.