We have a perfectly functional Gascolator, but the bracket is assembled from several pieces and 2 bolts. I like the glass bowl so you can see that the gas looks clean, and see if the water was all drained out.
It seemed I could easily make a lighter weight mounting bracket from a single piece of aluminum. I know it's not much savings in weight but that attitude is how you get a plane 100 pounds over weight.
I started with a card stock pattern to see how it would all work. I decided to reverse the clamp at the top because of where I wanted to mount it.
With all the details worked out it was time to flatten the pattern and layout the blank on a piece of 0.040" 2024-T3 aluminum. I could have traced the pattern but it really wasn't made that perfectly. It was more just to work out ideas and get critical dimensions.
The holes were punched and the cuts were made with a band saw so there would not be any distortion from trying to use snips.
Other than making sure there was an adequate radius in each bend the bends were not critical. I left plenty of material for locating the mounting holes after it was all formed.
I made up a pattern for the mounting holes using the old part and the holes in the firewall.
From the pattern the holes were punched in the mounting flanges.
The finished part nicely replaces the old one.
The wire bale which holds the gascolator together also hold it on the bracket. It just needs to be screwed to the firewall.
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