Metal working question...

[Duman]

Any updates? New pictures?

[Martinjmpr]

Any updates? New pictures?

Next piece comes in the mail tomorrow (the hinge I pictured above.) Probably the next update will be this weekend.

[Martinjmpr]

THE BIG REVEAL!

OK, here it is. I was using the ammo cans to make hard sided panniers (side cases) for my motorcycle, a 2002 Triumph Bonneville.

I'd been wanting to add "hard luggage" for a while but I didn't like the options that were available to me. They were either too expensive or I just didn't like the look.

So, I ordered a set of Happy Trail side racks (Happy Trail in Idaho is a company that makes accessories for "Adventure Bikes" like the BMW GS, V-Strom, KLR, etc.) The racks looked good and stout in the photos and that's what I needed.

I ordered the rack last June and it sat in my garage while I did other things. But eventually, I got around to putting the rack on the bike and it was rock solid:





Next step was to figure out which boxes to use. I ultimately went with the 20mm ammo can size, which is honestly a tad large for what I need. I may "downsize" later. Nice thing about this mod is that the ammo can is about the cheapest part of the whole thing!

Ground off the reinforcing strap so I could put the lower mounts on (picture posted above.) Next I had to figure out the lower brackets. I can't take credit for the idea to use an industrial cabinet hinge, that came from a guy on ADVRider. But I mail ordered the hinges (since I couldn't find any locally.) Ordered on Monday they arrived Thursday. Put them in the vice and cut the rotating hinge off to use the S shaped bracket:



Next I removed one of the side racks so I could fit it more easily to the can. I "mocked up" like this so I could drill the holes for the mounting screws:



After I had the lower brackets bolted in, I drilled the holes for the upper mount. The rack comes with an M8 threaded captive nut so all I had to do was buy a plastic knob with an M8 threaded bolt to go from the inside to the outside:



It bolts through from the inside. As you can see I used two different styles of knobs because that was all that was available at the local ACE hardware:



The reason it screws in from the inside is that once I get locks on the cans, you will not be able to remove them without getting inside the can.

After that, since I had two holes left over on the lower bracket, I went ahead and drilled holes and riveted it in, since this is what bears most of the weight:

[Martinjmpr]

And after everything was done, this is the result:





Took it out for a nice little ride, they stay on great, no rattling or anything.



Now, it's not done. Before anyone asks yes, I'm going to paint them (maroon and silver to match the bike.) Then I'll put some U bolts in so I can put locks on the cases. I'll also waterproof the holes with some silicon sealant and probably rubber washers for the mounting knob holes. I'll also add reflectors from an old trailer kit that I had and then some reflective decals for visibility.