Fuel Tank Door

With the front turtle deck completed it was time to add the fuel tank for.  I cut the deck skin of where the filter neck is located and used the flush cut router bit around the edges.

Fuel tank door opening

The RS-505 aluminum sheet was carefully cut and bent to fit into the opening so the outside was flush with the deck skin.

Bend and cut RS-505 to inside the opening

The corners of the skin were left round from the router so I also rounded the edges of the door. The top of the door is notched so the hinge is recessed into the door. This eliminated sharp edges and looks attractive.

Hinge recessed into top of door

After driving to the hardware store and not finding a suitable latch I decided to fabricate one myself. Using a piece of RS-700 I bent a spring latch.

RS-700 spring latch

This securely holds the door closed and is easy to open too.

Latch attached with two #6 x 5/8" stainless steel wood screws

I put a scrap piece of 1/16″ plywood along the bottom of the door so the latch dors not push the door in too far.

1/16" plywood to prevent door from closing too far

The final result looks great, door is flush with the skin and follows the contour nearly perfectly.

Door matches deck skin nearly perfect

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