I am building my first UDS and have the same issue with the Uniflame lid being too small to fit. Here is the link to my build thread:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2475371&posted=1#post2475371
So I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about welding the Uniflame dome to the original drum lid. My drum lid has a nice tight seal. The real issue may be whether I am a good enough welder to weld two THIN pieces of metal together. I have had lots of practice in the last couple of days and have gotten much better. I know there was someone who did this and I was hoping they would chime in. It it really difficult to weld the two together. I was planning on spot welding in 4 places and then doing very short spot welds around the perimeter, maybe 2 seconds for each spot.
Or would it be easier to just buy a piece of metal or aluminum and bend it inside the drum like in the above posts?
Anyone with experience welding the two pieces together? I am using flux core. I don't have a bottle of gas yet.
By the way this thread ROCKS!!
Thank you all so much for your help. I hope some others find what I have done to be useful too.