Thanks for the offer, Oz.
I'll bear that in mind but I might try and cobble a new band together.
And anyway, the second band was missing so I don't have a scrap one to weld up.
I did very nearly contact you yesterday though when, while I was polishing up the second endcap (the inlet one) I discovered a short crack next to one of the welds.
In the end though I got impatient and so I nipped down the road to see the chap who mig welded the main pipework together when I first refurbished and modded the system last year and got him to tack it up.
Its not as neat as your tig would have been I'm sure, but its done adequately and I can continue rebuilding the can.
On the rivets ...
Call me fussy but I wanted to use ally blind pop rivets on an ally mandrel .. or as a second choice ally rivets on a stainless mandrel.
It was relatively easy to source ally rivets on a plain steel mandrel but I didn't want the rust spots and I also didn't really want the crushing power of a steel mandrel on assembly to a carbon sleeve.
For a couple of days the only suppliers that I could find would only sell me a box of 500, at an unrealistic price.
But then I was lucky enough to find a guy on ebay who was selling 100% ally pop rivets for use on land-rover bodywork.
He reckons they're the size I require and so I've nabbed 50 of those for six quid.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rove...72.m2749.l2649
Darren .. let me know your address if you want a couple to replace your missing one.
Then I looked at getting some sort of heat shielding liner for the carbon sleeve.
I have some plain ally tape that I could have used but I was more inclined towards a composite ally/fibreglass tape and so I went out searching the local Halfords and other car parts stores.
I thought I had drawn a blank but then struck lucky right at the end of the day when I found some very high quality sheet membrane in a thick woven fibreglass/ally laminate.
The funny thing was (and the reason for telling the story) the guy in the shop actually knew the bike.
He was a regular at a local pub where me and my mate Tony often go to play at an open mic night.
He had even heard us do the lurve song that I wrote about the bike .. and had seen it parked outside.
Small world.
Anyway, that's the progress to date.
Sleeve is now lacquered, endcaps polished and welded where necessary, acoustafil and rivets have been ordered and heat resistant membrane sourced.
Just need to order some stainless to make a strap and we should be ready to reassemble.