totally rusted rear wheel arch - replacing

[jaylo264]

I bought the panel for my damaged , and now seethru, wheel arch , years ago, and now have the time to do it . Never done it before . The new arch has more sheet at the top than the old , is there some way i bend it inside the wheel "mudguard" top , or should it be cut off and placed over the outside- which would make fairing it in a nightmare .

Has anyone any info on arch replacement ? Jaylo264

What an excellent site -- had the 1986 t25 wboxer for 9 years , never found it till now. Great beta source, thanks.

[Titus A Duxass]

Normally you cut to fit, you do not bend the excess inside.
It is hard/difficult work which is why the body shops charge so much.

It is hard to explain how to do it on paper as each job is different from the last.

Try keep as much of the original body intact and unbuckled (bent n twisted). Then you trim your new part so that it overlaps by about an inch.
Now the difficult bit, you have bend a step in the new part so that it fits behind the original body. We used to have a special tool to do this but I cannot remember what it was called.

Once you have your patch fitting nicely without deforming or putting any stress into the original body you then spot weld it in place (you could always use a mig welder and tack it in place).

Then you tidy it up with a grinder and fill as necessary.

[hakuna matata]

right u need too cut off the excess to fit if u like too give me a call i can explain better.

neil. 07973-151117
[IMG:160:120]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e290/apeers/th_PICT0001-9.jpg[/img].

[Titus A Duxass]

We could probably give you a better guide if you posted some pics.

[jaylo264]

Not very computer knacky , never posted pics , have digital camera but how do i , please ? did i see an advice section on it somewhere ? Cheers , Jay

[Titus A Duxass]

Don't ask me - when it comes to posting pics I'm a complete smeghead.

I think you have to set up a photobucket account and link to that.

There was a recent thread about it.

[Westy.Club.Joker]

The tool to put the step in the panel is called a Joggler.

[wasserleaker]

there is a different repair panel available which is bent at 90 deg. and goes under the arch (between the two spot welded layers to be precise) rather than up the vertical panel, i know cos i bought the wrong one 1st then as you, realised this would be a b1tch to fit, and got the right one instead! tried to fold a similar shape on the wrong panel 1st but not very easy to do, get the right panel and save yourself the hassle, hope that helps

[jaylo264]

Thanks all you guys , i will try to post some pics of old arch and new panel , even my 14 yr old kid doesn1t know how to , but i`ll follow photobucket . have tried search on 80/90 for posting pictures , to no avail.
Anyone know the best tool to cut out the old bits ? I have lead snips and tinsnips , but they do tend to twist stuff a wee bit . And -- is it worth getting a spot welder ,-- i need plenty repair on whiskervan. Jaylo

[Titus A Duxass]

Use an angle grinder to remove the old bits, you can get a multipurpose cutting (parting)/grinding disc.

Don't buy a spot-welder, just get a standard mig from somewhere like Machine Mart. A standard type mig is much more versatile than a spot-welder which is for a specific task.

Joggler - That's the beast - Thanks W.C.J.

[murdoch]

with my cut and shaped new arches i drilled a series of holes about 8mm in diameter every few inches, inside the inner arch,which along with a seam weld i filled with weld to mimic a spot weld, quite simple to do, and you know its not gonna come off!! loads of seam sealer and under seal and it should last a while too

[Chilla]

Where's the best place to get the rear arches from?
Need to do 2 on my doka
thanks

[Nicola&Tony]

There's info about how to post photos in this thread (which also contains a link to the relevant section of the Wiki):

http://archive.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic ... 18&start=0

Hope it helps.

Tony

[BIG D]

recently replaced n/s (sliding door side)i used a tool called a nibbler,you can hire them from a tool hire shop about £16-£20 for the weekend,the hole job took me near on 12 hours,sounds mad i know but when i removed panel bit by bit just being careful, i found my inner arch was rotten as a pair which you can see from underneath was and then had to fabricate one nightmare couldnt really tell it was rotten due to all the sealer that was on there,hope this helps give us a shout if you need any info,thanks dave

[jaylo264]

[img:240:180]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2227/230 ... 82b5_m.jpg[/img] attempting to add pics -- finding rust everywhere on t` old van. IS IT WORTH IT ALL ??? Ta for all replies , Jay