Lawn Dart
Registered User
Las Vegas, Nv
Stole this tip from MD and thought it was worth expounding on for my fellow newbies.
So??bought your new Cub and then discovered that some of the inspection ports are still covered over with fabric? Want to see what?s behind them? No problem, just get some inspection covers and an X-Acto knife and open them up!
Disclaimer:
This isn?t a direct quote from MD and I don?t condone nor endorse anything that I say on his behalf without his express written permission (and I?m sure he doesn?t either, but he did give me the idea so I want to give him the credit for that) This is my personal experience with a problem that I had. If you?re gonna go at your Cub with a knife and you?re a booger pickin moron, DON?T TRY THIS!. If on the other hand, you have reasonable mechanical skills and are so inclined, have at it, it?s a piece of cake, it just takes some nads.
With a new X-acto knife blade, cut about a 2 inch circle in the middle of the visible inspection ring. Then, working from the open hole towards the inspection ring, start a cut at about a 45 degree angle towards the inspection ring while GENTLY pulling down (or out as the case maybe) on the tail of the fabric that will result from the cut. Continue on until you get to the plastic ring.
But how will I know when I?ve reached the plastic ring?
Believe me mister, you?ll know! The fabric will make sort of a tearing sound (and feel) as you cut through it and the ring will be very smooth when you get to it. Now use your head. You don?t want to hack into the ring, but you?ve got to get all the way to it (see disclaimer above) Now that your at the ring, STOP, turn the knife blade away from the ring just enough so that it follows the inside circumference of the ring and continue cutting around the ring while GENTLY tugging on the tail (this part is easier then you?d think, the ring, the knife, and tugging, guide the knife). You?ll probably have to go back and trim a little, here and there, to get the hole just right (round) but then the scary part is over.
Now go back at the hole with a pencil tipped soldering iron and melt the edge of the fabric so that it doesn?t fray. While melting the edge (mind you, this part can go pretty quickly depending on the temperature of the soldering iron) feel the edge that you?re melting and get the iron at the appropriate angle so as to create a ramp on the fabric. Reach in with a finger and gauge how the job is going. You want the edge smooth enough so that the ?tangs? on the inspection plate ride over the edge of the fabric and don?t ?snag? as they ride in and out. That?s all there is to it. You?re done!
I had to open 18 holes! That?s a lot!. I don?t know why they were closed, but you better bet I wanted to know what was behind them.
Being a newbie, the first hole took me about 20 minutes to ?surgically? open, the last hole took me about 2 minutes to complete. Have at it!
I subscribe to the theory that ?there?s no such thing as denial? but in this case, you?ve got know what?s back there and opening the inspection holes really isn?t that tuff.
Hope this helps someone.
So??bought your new Cub and then discovered that some of the inspection ports are still covered over with fabric? Want to see what?s behind them? No problem, just get some inspection covers and an X-Acto knife and open them up!
Disclaimer:
This isn?t a direct quote from MD and I don?t condone nor endorse anything that I say on his behalf without his express written permission (and I?m sure he doesn?t either, but he did give me the idea so I want to give him the credit for that) This is my personal experience with a problem that I had. If you?re gonna go at your Cub with a knife and you?re a booger pickin moron, DON?T TRY THIS!. If on the other hand, you have reasonable mechanical skills and are so inclined, have at it, it?s a piece of cake, it just takes some nads.
With a new X-acto knife blade, cut about a 2 inch circle in the middle of the visible inspection ring. Then, working from the open hole towards the inspection ring, start a cut at about a 45 degree angle towards the inspection ring while GENTLY pulling down (or out as the case maybe) on the tail of the fabric that will result from the cut. Continue on until you get to the plastic ring.
But how will I know when I?ve reached the plastic ring?
Believe me mister, you?ll know! The fabric will make sort of a tearing sound (and feel) as you cut through it and the ring will be very smooth when you get to it. Now use your head. You don?t want to hack into the ring, but you?ve got to get all the way to it (see disclaimer above) Now that your at the ring, STOP, turn the knife blade away from the ring just enough so that it follows the inside circumference of the ring and continue cutting around the ring while GENTLY tugging on the tail (this part is easier then you?d think, the ring, the knife, and tugging, guide the knife). You?ll probably have to go back and trim a little, here and there, to get the hole just right (round) but then the scary part is over.
Now go back at the hole with a pencil tipped soldering iron and melt the edge of the fabric so that it doesn?t fray. While melting the edge (mind you, this part can go pretty quickly depending on the temperature of the soldering iron) feel the edge that you?re melting and get the iron at the appropriate angle so as to create a ramp on the fabric. Reach in with a finger and gauge how the job is going. You want the edge smooth enough so that the ?tangs? on the inspection plate ride over the edge of the fabric and don?t ?snag? as they ride in and out. That?s all there is to it. You?re done!
I had to open 18 holes! That?s a lot!. I don?t know why they were closed, but you better bet I wanted to know what was behind them.
Being a newbie, the first hole took me about 20 minutes to ?surgically? open, the last hole took me about 2 minutes to complete. Have at it!
I subscribe to the theory that ?there?s no such thing as denial? but in this case, you?ve got know what?s back there and opening the inspection holes really isn?t that tuff.
Hope this helps someone.
