Slow and Steady
I cut, fit and mostly drilled the right side tunnel panel tonight. I took my time getting the fit around the wing attach and flying wire brackets. They came out well and look nice. The rear edge and flange still need to be trimmed. I'll do that after both sides are done to make sure it all comes out straight.
I also used a piece of scrap stainless to make the cover for the old bungee cutout that will wrap around to the front of the tunnel. I roughed it out pretty quick, so it doesn't fit as well as the final part should. It will be tricky getting the radius bent correctly for the bend on the bottom, but should be controllable if I build a form to get the shape right. This picture shows the new side panel and the stainless. It starting to look how I had it pictured in my head.
I don't have a shear for cutting the long straight lines, so I've been using an old method I heard about recently. A straight-edge is used to score a line with a utility knife. The aluminum is scored 5-10 times depending on the condition of the blade and then the excess sheet is snapped off. I've been struggling to cut nice straight lines with tin snips, but this method is much easier and the results are ten times better. A quick pass with a mill file deburs the edge nicely and the part stays flat and straight. Now I save the snips for cuts that can't be done on a shear anyway.
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