I am going out to purchase the nuts-bolts-washers to mount the pods in the AM. I already have the 3M 5200. I'm still hesitant to cut the holes in the pods, but I already purchased the watertight service hatches. So I'm pretty much at the point of no return now. I'll take pics of the installation as it proceeds. Will a jig saw with a metal blade be good enough to cut the 6" round holes in the pods? I have never used a jig saw on aluminum. Also will I need to oil the cut as I go? If so, will WD-40 suffice? Or do I need a more viscus oil of some kind?

Take it easy SB. I was just thinking they wouldn’t charge that much for a few tabs as opposed to welding the whole pod on.

I’d look into a hole saw instead of a jig saw for a 6” hole. It’ll come out much cleaner.

Well, for me anyway.

I am calm. But before the welder will even touch my pods, I must agree to pay him a flat rate of 4 hours at $120 an hour for "ANY" work done from 0 to 4 hours in duration. Then he charges another $120 an hour thereafter. That was a huge pill to swallow and made me hot..



Sorry if my reply came across as angry at you. I just measured and the service hatches have a 1 1/2" wide mounting ring and matching gasket around the outside of the base that will completely cover the hole. It also has a sleeve that extends 1/2" into the hole to protect me from sharp edges on the aluminum. So it only needs to be "pretty close", not perfect. So my jig saw should do just fine.

I just measured the hatch hole and looked at the install instructions. The instructions say cut a 6" hole but I measured a 6 5/8" hole requirement to fit the outer portion of the hatch sleeve. The inner diameter of the hatch sleeve is 6 1/4". I'm sure glad I did not buy a 6" hole saw.