Arch work begins!

[eko]

Started work on my rear arches today along with Benjy and Chris`s help.Well actually Chris did most of the work so credit goes to him really!
Started by removing the Mtec1 side skirt.Was relieved to find the sills are mint The actual arch/inner arch wasnt really that bad(seen much worse) but didnt want to just bodge it up as it will be sold in the near future so would rather the repair lasted a few years.
Pics will do most of the talking.
Also made the decision `not` to keep the Mtec kit
All the holes in the sills that the skirts pop into have now been welded up and ground flat.
Going to buy a tin of body sealant in the morning and paint over all the welded areas then shultz the whole inner arch.
Also took out the aeriel and welded a plate inside the hole,will be having an E34 electronic aeriel installed tomorrow which will be hidden inside the boot.
Will be doing the same to the drivers side next weekend then MOT then hand it over to OBs(Andy) for the filler work/paint!
Ill update with more pics as and when.

Opinions welcome

[maxfield]

[blingsta]

very nicely done!!

[Colonel Sanders]

nice work, will be doin mine soon..

[CiLK_WuRM]

well done

[aceraf]

Looking good.....

did you get the new piece of another wing, or did you fabricate it yourself???

[eko]

Looking good.....

did you get the new piece of another wing, or did you fabricate it yourself???

Bought 2 new rear arch panels from another zoner!
As the arches werent really that bad it didnt seem worth replacing the full thing.We marked out the section needed from the new panel and used the remnants to rebuild the inner arch.
Ok it may not be the most professional looking job but it will last for a few years hopefully

[tbmw]

looking good tony

fancy doing some stuff on mine? lol

[e30bmlover]

looking good tony

fancy doing some stuff on mine? lol

ditto! the b20's need attention, iv had a quote for 300 a side.

[beardymat]

Bought 2 new rear arch panels from another zoner!
As the arches werent really that bad it didnt seem worth replacing the full thing.We marked out the section needed from the new panel and used the remnants to rebuild the inner arch.
Ok it may not be the most professional looking job but it will last for a few years hopefully

please dont take this the wrong way as im not trying to p!ss on anyones bonfire but are you planning to seam weld the arch? i can see where you have plug welded it but you have just primed the seam.if you fill over this step it will crack quite quickly and not last as you hope.

if its not finished yet then ill get me coat

if you do weld it first, make it up from small tacks, not runs and let it cool plenty in between and this will help lessen any distortion.and take your time with the grinder too as this generates a lot of heat too.

like i said, im not pulling down anyones work, its just a piece of advice

[aceraf]

that's a good point....

I presumed that it had been done, and that no pics had been taken off that stage...(also, my screen shrinks the pics, so the images are never full size, and therefore can't see details of the pics very well)

I was wondering it too from the 1st few pics

[e30bmlover]

Bought 2 new rear arch panels from another zoner!
As the arches werent really that bad it didnt seem worth replacing the full thing.We marked out the section needed from the new panel and used the remnants to rebuild the inner arch.
Ok it may not be the most professional looking job but it will last for a few years hopefully

please dont take this the wrong way as im not trying to p!ss on anyones bonfire but are you planning to seam weld the arch? i can see where you have plug welded it but you have just primed the seam.if you fill over this step it will crack quite quickly and not last as you hope.

if its not finished yet then ill get me coat

if you do weld it first, make it up from small tacks, not runs and let it cool plenty in between and this will help lessen any distortion.and take your time with the grinder too as this generates a lot of heat too.

like i said, im not pulling down anyones work, its just a piece of advice

can you give me a price to do mine?

[eko]

Bought 2 new rear arch panels from another zoner!
As the arches werent really that bad it didnt seem worth replacing the full thing.We marked out the section needed from the new panel and used the remnants to rebuild the inner arch.
Ok it may not be the most professional looking job but it will last for a few years hopefully

please dont take this the wrong way as im not trying to p!ss on anyones bonfire but are you planning to seam weld the arch? i can see where you have plug welded it but you have just primed the seam.if you fill over this step it will crack quite quickly and not last as you hope.

if its not finished yet then ill get me coat

if you do weld it first, make it up from small tacks, not runs and let it cool plenty in between and this will help lessen any distortion.and take your time with the grinder too as this generates a lot of heat too.

like i said, im not pulling down anyones work, its just a piece of advice

Always open to some good advice

As you said though we have only plug welded it along the top part to avoid warping the rear quarter.We used 3M panel adhesive along the joint though,in your opinion will this not be enough?Its still not too late to run a seam weld round it as the primer on is only a thin coat to keep the elements away.

[beardymat]

that 3m glue is pretty good stuff and along with the plugs will probably be ok but im not talking from experience there as im a bit old school and like my patches seam welded. i have used it to glue allsorts in the past and it is what volkswagen recomend you use to glue roofskins onto most of their new range so i dont think you will have trouble with it.

will be interested to know how well it holds up

[eko]

that 3m glue is pretty good stuff and along with the plugs will probably be ok but im not talking from experience there as im a bit old school and like my patches seam welded. i have used it to glue allsorts in the past and it is what volkswagen recomend you use to glue roofskins onto most of their new range so i dont think you will have trouble with it.

will be interested to know how well it holds up

but youve got me worried now
Dont want to risk it cracking soon as its been painted.
Think ill get it seam welded then,thanks for bringing it up

[beardymat]

sorry for making work for you buddy

like i said, dont use runs. make small tacks spaced around 2" apart and then fill the gaps with tacks. i keep it cool using compressed air which helps keep distortion to a minimum which means less filler

[eko]

sorry for making work for you buddy

like i said, dont use runs. make small tacks spaced around 2" apart and then fill the gaps with tacks. i keep it cool using compressed air which helps keep distortion to a minimum which means less filler

Apprieciate your input mate,ill get that done before starting the other side