HP tape drive novel repair

[Chuck Guzis]

On 01/19/2015 05:28 AM, Jay West wrote:
> I’m in the process of building another HP2000/Access TSB system. I pulled a
> 7970E tape drive out of a shipping container (I had not opened the shipping
> container since I bought it about 8 years ago). When I got the unit on the
> bench to give it a going over, while it looked pristine – someone had
> dropped something very heavy (heavy enough to severely deform ¼” steel) on
> the top of the unit.

Well, if this were my unit, I'd remove the warped panel (it looks like 
aluminum to me).  Drilling out the rivets shouldn't be a problem.

Then I'd put it on my English wheel with a flat anvil and roll it 
completely flat--and then reattach with screws or rivets.

This is why you should talk to a competent auto body shop for whom, once 
you remove the panel, the work should be a few minutes of child's play.

FWIW,
Chuck

P.S.  English wheels are wonderful--not only can you stretch metal to 
form a curve (e.g. a car fender), but you can also "shrink" it (to 
"unstretch" the metal from a dent.