the tag axle wheel arch - how shall we do it?

[Luke]

as we've got no team captain for the bodywork crew yet i'll have to start this discussion off

thinking about the rear arch i'd origanally imagined it to be like this

option 1


but it might be easier if we did it like this

option 2


for option 2 we'd only need 1 arch repair panel a side then make up the lip that joins the 2 halfs together
another thing is with option 1 there would be nothing to support the bit that stuck down between the wheels

anyway feel free to add ideas - what do the bodywork guys think

[madbri]

luke im thinking no 2!!! could u also flare wheel arch a bit so u can drop it just over the tops of the tyres??? this hidding ugly suspension + giving it the low ride look???

[manandvan]

i think somewhere in between, no1 comes down too far, have a look at a neoplan skyliner bus rear arch to see what i mean.

[Luke]

like this

[transitgeoff]

option 2 easiest by far to refinish id say

[ake]

Option 2

[AlanN]

I think it depends on the spacing between wheels, if their close together option 2, but I prefer the option 1 and as said, not so low... like below, but maybe a bit more pointed

[redcube]

no 2 for me it easy to do in the time me have

[Luke]

well i think the hiace looked pritty good like that

[Gavin]

option 1 is easy with those large panels that go up to the swage line (not the arch repair pieces) a lh lower rear side panel butted end to end with rh one on one side and the reverse on the other

stretch the chassis, tub the inner arch as one unit and weld the outer panels over the outside. simples

the axle spacing would be dictated by the arch seperation but you could weld the panels up together and take measurements from them before going anywhere near the chassis......

[Luke]

the axle spacing would be dictated by the arch seperation but you could weld the panels up together and take measurements from them before going anywhere near the chassis......

this is why i'm asking now - i'm gonna make a jig to hold the 2 axles together while we weld on the rear most spring hangers (the front axle will stay in the origanal position) - if we go for option 2 the wheels will be closer together than option 1

i'd imagine it'll drive better with the wheels as close together as we can get them

[manandvan]

the pics alan n put on is the neoplan skyliner thing, and i think thats the best, its exactly what i had in mind when i said skyliner, didnt take long to find a good skyliner pic? lol

[Luke]

i think basically we want the wheels as close together as we can get them (for making the jigs) - we're pritty much decided option 1 is a no option 2 is the easyest and option skyliner is the preffered one

what i'll do is make the jigs and we can decide later on either option 2 or option skyliner as both of those require the same distance between the wheels

[GPM01]

Option 2 for the time we have, but Skyliner looks better. Don't think we've got the time to be overly creative, more's the pity

[GPM01]

Thinkin' about it, we could do option 2, then I could make some spats for it ready for Mania?