Cheating?

For those watching our ongoing Dual spare wheel carrier build project...

Here's the thing.

I struck a snag that's held us up a day or so.

Bending the 50mm pipe to make the RH swing arm as a mirror of the left hand one.

Bought the 50 mm pipe and tried to bend it in one of those 12 tonne jack benders with the rollers and adjustable pins. Bent it a bit and tested it against the LH carrier pipe and it needed more - so put it back in the bender and gave it a bit more - basically two radius bends get me 90 degrees, so only a total 45 degree bend each time in each bend.

No idea why - but the pipe kinked at the apex of the inside bend?

Brother in law, knows a guy bends pipe all day making custom exhausts on some kinda mandrel bender, and convinced me to take the RH carrier arm and pipes to him to ask him to bend them for me.

Some how - it feels like "cheating" on a project where I wanted to do it all ourselves - but the materials too expensive to screw it up and waste, so that aspect (4 bends) has been "subbed out" as f this morning.

Here's hoping it turns out OK.

Next question.

I have sheet steel bout 2 mm thick, ordered originally as a replacement bottom sheet in a rubbish trailer that never got done (yet). I need to make a recovery gear "box" that sits inside the rear chassis rails between the new bumper and long ranger tank underneath, for snig chain and rated shackles, snatch blocks and tree protectors and so on.

I have no way to bend flat sheet on straight seams to fold up a box to fit.

I am thinking about taking it to a sheet metal worker and give him the dimensions and ask him to fold it all up with a strong lip etc and just let us take it home and weld / grind, paint and install it.

Is that also cheating - subbing out another part of the job to another tradesman?

I'd like to do it all ourselves BUT the time is dragging on and we need to get this thing finished (Coz the young fellas driving My F truck while we have his 80 series stripped of its back bumper, hence not roadworthy, and I want my truck back)!.

I could probably cut all the individual pieces with the 4 inch grinder and weld them back together to make the box - but it will never be as strong and neat as one folded by a sheet metal guy.

So..

OK to sub out minor tasks on "a project" to the experts - or not?.

If we stick at it, part time, I estimate another month or two the way we are going and wasted $ and materials as we learn what we can't do ourselves.

The downside - if we don't do it ourselves we will never learn!

Thoughts?

Cheers