swiss cheese front panel question

[Bob Simpson]

I'm preparing to build some version of a D*mble in a donor Bassman chassis. It has an added hole in the front for a master pot, I think. I do not plan to use the original faceplate.

So my question to you is: in this situation do I
1. drill new holes in the chassis front and just let a faceplate cover the mess and support the controls
or
2. dremel out the front and add a new panel with no holes
or
3. ?

I'm leaning toward the first plan, but don't know for sure about the structural integrity of so many holes, and some of the new holes are
sure to overlap the old ones.

How do you folks deal with something like this?

Bob Simpson

[Phil_S]

#2 could be weak. I'd avoid that. I'd need a picture of it to be sure, but I'll suggest #3: cut a reinforcement plate and fit to the inside of the chassis. Secure with #4 or #6 screws and nuts. Drill out as you like. You'll have to incorporate the screws into the faceplate. That will clamp the cheesey panel front and back. I've used one or more partial inside plates. It depends.

If it's not so bad, reuse as many holes as you can and just cover with a faceplate.

[Bob Simpson]

Thanks. Phil

The old amp ( "66 ?) had a brass plate inside, the chassis. and the faceplate. I have turned a lot of possible fixes over in my head and hadn't come up with a "good" way to do this.

The "3" I came up with was filling the existing holes with JB Weld and grinding it flat before drilling new holes...

A faceplate will be required. to be sure, but I don't know if that by itself would be sturdy enough.

Looks like I'm off to the hardware store...

Bob

[Phil_S]

I wouldn't try to fill any holes. I've used backing plates with nuts and screws. At some point, it isn't worth it and you'll probably realize that when you've got too much in it. If you can do this on the cheap, you'll be fine.

I've also used washers of various sizes as floating hole reducers. You can get fairly hefty galvanized washers that can be redrilled to your desired size.

[dorrisant]

I vote for #1. I do it all the time with donor chassis. If you use as many of the original holes as possible, it will be stronger and easier to punch a new faceplate.

[davent]

Faceplate to cover or a 3/8" black nylon hole plug, if that's the size.
dave

[JMFahey]

Since you will cut and punch your new front panel, design it so you reuse as many pot holes as possible , the few unused remaining behind the thin front panel which might even be thin plastic, wont weaken the chassis appreciably, at the same time a couple new pot holes amd maybe a couple tiny toggle switches won't hurt.

You are not *forced* to exactly clone a D**** front panel down to a fraction of a mm mounted on your current one which would leave you with something worse than too many holes: at more than one point a *partially* superimposed pair of holes.

Even if your definitive panel looks a little weird, relative to pot separation, who cares?

Now cutting and replacing the whole front panel is a job for a car body shop, cutting old one with an oxyacetylene torch and resoldering/brazing a new one.

A proper job while restoring an old, rusty but hot Camaro/Mustang/whatever but not on an amp chassis.