Pointers for rear inner and outer arches?

[BTM_FDR]

Hi, my escort is very nearly rot free... just need to do the rear arches... I'm going to do inner and outer on both sides, any pointers or tips when doing so?

 

Apart from the obvious, left hand and right hand arches on the right sides

[BTM_FDR]

Anyone??

[BTM_FDR]

Yo?

[Vista]

Measure very carefully as it's easy to get the outer arches wrong and have the wheel looking off centre front to rear.

[logieiow]

There are different ways to attack this, boils down to preference I guess. Personally I try to keep as much of the original arch as possible rather than replace the whole thing and butt weld with a gap, only thing is you can only do this by welding small bits at a time, literally just a load of tack welds, if you try to weld too much in one go it distorts like crazy so do a tack then move somewhere else while it cools, eventually you will fill all the gaps in.

 

 

 

Also when you get a new arch they are quite wide, the wider you leave it ( in the direction of the arrow in pic below) it the harder it is to blend in to the body work so again replace as small a bit as you can.

 

 

I recently read an old Practical Classics article about replacing arches and it suggested leaving the new arch big and 'tucking' it under where it joins the body work. I haven't tried this but I can see how it would make it better to weld as you have extra metal to weld to. The only problem I could see is that you could end up with a water trap on the inside of your arch.

 

The other thing to bear in mind is if you have to repair the inner arch as well, this may dictate how much of the outer arch you have to remove for access. I always cut out the rot from both inner and outer arch, repair the outer arch first, then the inner one, but I see others do the inner arch first then the outer, again down to preference I guess.

 

Anyway, hope this made sense!

 

 

 

 

 

[John escort mk1V6]

I say do the complete arches not just a piece of it , the rust sits allmost everywere , if do pieces than do can do it again in a few years for the other parts.

Take your time for it to much heat and it`s gonna pull the metal and if do do first the inside or outside , both has dis/advantage.

If you start with the inside  , remove the inside and keep the outside nice so you keep the right masurements and keep checking that during the welding.

You can buy welding stuff to put between the metalparts against rust.

If you got inside in and when got the outside all so out check the rear wing if it sits on the right spot maybe it gonna wanna move to the side so make sure that it can`t do this.

[BTM_FDR]

Wow thanks guys! Amazing help!

Logie might be worth you popping over when I get the panels for some reassurance haha

 

Great info dudes!!! ✌️️

[logieiow]

Wow thanks guys! Amazing help!

Logie might be worth you popping over when I get the panels for some reassurance haha

 

Great info dudes!!! ✌️️

 

If you ever need a hand, give us a shout 

[BTM_FDR]

Thanks a lot