The instrument panel has a stiffener that runs along the back side of the top edge. It’s a piece of 0.063″ angle that’s notched so that it can be bent to follow the curve of the top edge of the panel. I noticed after taking this picture that the wide flanges near the ends need to be cut off to better help this follow the curve of the panel. I’ll have to take care of the tomorrow.
Here is a closeup showing the notches and how this allows the stiffener to be bent.
I cut the notches on the band saw and then started filing them smooth. I was really regretting not buying an air file the last time I was at Harbor Freight, but then I got the bright idea of trying one of my needle files in my jigsaw. This worked beautifully, and I was able to smooth out the rest of the notches in just a few minutes.
