Welding of arches

[Novadaftman]

can anyone help i have a 1.2i Nova its in really good condition but since i have lowered it my arches have been rubbing and i have just noticed that my drivers side arch is starting to rot a little could i cut this piece off and re-weld a piece back on and paint it to stop it from rotting or would i have to replace the full arch any help is appreciated.

thanks in advance:thumb:

[craig green]

Pics would help, however by the sounds of it, it isnt too bad & tarting it up may be a suitable, aesthetic fix for a while. Failing that, an arch repair panel can be used. You only need to use the section necessary, so its not a massive area to weld in if you only have a few inches of rot.

However its not something I'd recommend you attempt 1st time on your pride & joy. If its not a large area then it shouldnt cost much.

Speak to a trusted bodyshop or car restorer for a quote.

[paul james]

Front or rear arches? front ones just bolt on, rear ones need to be welded on.
If one arch had rusted from tyre rubbing chances are the one on the other side will too. Are your wheels the right offset? have you lowered it properly - not cut the springs? You should get the lips of the arched folded back properly, or they will all rust, or worse rubbing may cause a tyre to blow out when your driving.

[Jack]

If one arch had rusted from tyre rubbing chances are the one on the other side will too.
Not necessarily, Vauxhall tolerances being what they are means you'll probably have one wheel closer to the arch than the other - I remember on my old hatch the passenger rear was a damned sight closer to the outer arch than the drivers one! lol

[Novadaftman]

Its my rear aches that are starting to rust. it has been lowered properly i am waitning on a new set of wheels coming for it i dont know how to check to see if the tyres are at the right off set how do i do this.

as for pics a dont have any at the moment cause am at work but will get some the rust is just above where the sill is welded its about and inch wide and around 5inch in length basically its about the width of the rim of the arch.

[Novadaftman]

Not necessarily, Vauxhall tolerances being what they are means you'll probably have one wheel closer to the arch than the other - I remember on my old hatch the passenger rear was a damned sight closer to the outer arch than the drivers one! lol

Mines is the opposite

[craig green]

A wheel arch repair panel is about 6 inches deep & goes from the sill up over the arch & back to behind where the bumper fastens.

Gets some pics up!

[Novadaftman]

how do i get a pic loaded up cause av tried to and can't figure it out. ano thick as sh1t lol

[craig green]

Click on Razorjacks guide in his signatire (just above)

Blue text How to post pictures

[Novadaftman]

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd229/NovaDaftMan/arch.jpg

This isn't ma nova but it shows where it rust is. this is vaughn's nova

[paul james]

Your tyres shouldn't be rubbing that part of the arch, not unless you have massive alloys and high profile tyres or something. The bit where the arch meets the sill is a mud and moisture trap which rusts easily.

[Novadaftman]

thats were it's rusted but the tyre rubs the top of the arch and its starting to rust there but my main problem is where i have highlighted on the pic how can i fix that with out having to replace the full rear arch

[paul james]

You can just patch it up with a bit of steel, but your best off replacing the arches and rolling the lips on them at the same time, rather than patching one bit up to only have to do more again later.

[Novadaftman]

ok so the best bet is to replace it

[paul james]

Yeah the rust is probably worse than it looks, usually is. Best way to deal with rust is to cut all traces of it out and replace it with fresh metal. Its a bit sad to have to start chopping up your pride and joy, but better that than letting rust eat it away untill its too late.

[Novadaftman]

ok so how much chopping do you think i will need to do then

[paul james]

I dont know I can't see your car! :-)
Jack the back of car up, take the wheels off and have a look at the arch from the inside and have a good poke around.
I recommnd buying a MIG welder and learning to use it, its becoming an essential tool for a nova owner - unless your lucky enough to have a low mileage minter.

[Welsh Dan]

Take the grinder to it and grind until you reach good metal the whole way through.

[Iain]

If it's just the arch that bends round then it's not too bad - you may get away with welding in a new lip and skimming the area with filler. Much cheaper than a replacement rear arch but may not last as long.

If the lip at the top is touching the tyre then you can either cut it off or roll it back up inside the arch.

[Novadaftman]

i already hav a mig welder and i am quite gd with it but haven't done the arches before it is only the lip that is rotten away a bit its not too bad do you think i could get away with cutting it off and re-welding a new piece on cause a don't want to replace the full rear arch cause it really isn't that bad

[Novadaftman]

as for the lip touching my tyre it's touching on both my rear arches if i was too cut it off a take it i just prime and paint and it should be fine after that

[Iain]

I used a hammer (and flat object on the outside to stop creasing) to knock the lip up inside the arch. Just needed a skim of filler and it was fine. Just remember to whack a tonne of sealant in the gap so water can't sit in there.

I reckon you should attempt to fix it with a new piece of metal to form a lip. If it all goes wrong then just cut the area out and use a repair panel, but at least you get the chance to save a bit of time and money initially.

[Novadaftman]

cheers mate i think i will give it ago my new mig welder comes on friday as my old one give's you a nasty shock every once and a while hurts like f*ck lol so will get cracking one it.

Cheers everyone for there help :thumb: much appreciated :D

[Iain]

Here's some motivation lol

The complete lip on the bottom of mine was rotten, so it got welded and I smoothed the area with filler:

http://www.iainel.co.uk/images/forums/NovaWIP/51.JPG

http://www.iainel.co.uk/images/forums/NovaWIP/55.JPG

[Novadaftman]

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd229/NovaDaftMan/Archlip.jpg

Basically thats what mines is like where i have highlighted

[Iain]

Where you've highlighted on my picture is the replacement metal lip that got welded in! You can see a gap between the new lip and the old original lip. IMO worth a try to fix it like I did.