The tail used to open a full 90 degrees. When I went to open it after installing the monster Ricardo transaxle, it would only open 30 degrees because it hit the underside of the transaxle as it rotated. Not a big deal because it's on the bottom and not visible. So I took the tail off and notched the fiberglass – twice, to get it right. That allowed the tail to open wider, up until it ran into the steel tube used to mount the pivot points...
So I pulled out the grinder. As you might recall, I became a world-class grinder when cleaning up all of the welds on my audio stand project. So far, I've taken the tail off five times to grind more. It looks like it has 3/16" walls, so it's pretty thick and the bottom of the transaxle is asymmetrical. At this point I've ground the bar halfway through and it opens about 70 degrees.
In the picture to the left, you can see where the bar is hitting the underside of the transaxle (down arrow). I need to continue to remove material until the bar is able to rotate enough to rest on the brace (up arrow). This will significantly weaken the tube and I am considering removing the tube, cutting out the middle section and welding in a new piece. I need to think about it a little ;-)