makin wide arches

[staffy31]

anyone tell me how to make wide wheel arches

[captain hook]

Yes and......NO!

[staffy31]

i prefer yes lol

[Aardvark]

You'll need lots of cardboard for making templates of the correct shape. They will look like a crescent laid out flat but when offered up to the wheelarch it will start to make sense. When you are happy with the shape transfer to metal sheet and cut them out. Use a method other than tinsnips. They usually distort the metal a bit and this will cause problems later. Disc off the paint where the new metal joins the bodywork. Temp attach with a couple of self tappers or similar. Mig or tig to attach them and then to make a nice job of it, bend a length of small diameter tube to match the curve of the outer edge and weld it on. It will add strength and stop the arches slicing your legs. Fill, prime, and paint. Piece of cake. Then try to open your side door.

[staffy31]

thanks lol about the side loading door its gonna be a cam per you know need to get in and out ha and do you just cut loads cresents out the stick them together till ya get your width how do you transfer to metal sheet laye them all on top drawer round then cut ..

[Aardvark]

Well basically you just cut a large crescent out of paper and offer it up. As you bend it to meet the bodywork you will see its a mile off in most dimensions so you make notes at various points on it how much needs to be added, and how much needs to be cut off to improve it. Stick this first template on another sheet of paper and make the changes on that and cut it out. Offer it up and it will be a bit better than the first one. Mark it up with more corrections and then cut another until you get one that you are happy with. Then lay that on your metal as a template and mark and cut out. You can do two, just remember to flip the paper over for the second one, it should be a mirror image that you can use on the other side of the van. Do the whole process again for the opposite end of the van and make two again so you have both sides matching. How you get around the side loader problem is going to be a compromise between having a nice wide arch to cover wide tyres and having a functional side loader. Some guys have modified the door a bit at the bottom and others say it may be possible to alter the track or the roller mechanism that runs in it to bring the door out away from the body a bit. It will take a lot of patience and if you make a good job of it they guys on here will be well impressed.

[staffy31]

thanks for that sounds like a gud challenge to me doesnt sound hard