First of all, thanks to LaidOffSick and John Sethian for working with me on this... I hope that my modeling can live up to theirs!
Here we go...
I finally got the guts to cut the $24 plastic P&D Hobbies pilot, and it came out good.
I first cut in between the first and second ribs of the anticlimber with the Dremel.
Then I carefully started the cut along the top edge of the riveting, yes there's a faint mold line to help, and then once I had the ends where I needed, I cut it with a pair of scissors!
Keeping the flat inside edge of the scissors along the two ends where I needed to be, it came off easily and was nearly perfect. Some light filing and sanding on a flat surface (I use 8" sanding pads with adhesive back stuck to a piece of glass) and you can see it's perfectly flat.
I did have to notch the shell to make a square edge along the sides at the end of the anticlimber because the shim that I'm making will fit in that slot between the pilot and the shell.
With this pilot, it's not going to be a spacer, but actually a framework to hold the pilot in place and provide a surface to glue it.
We shell see how it goes. Sorry for the bad pun.
Mock up:
Thanks,
Mario