aftermarket panels??

[dan16v]

hi lads im getting arches put in my sxi shell and just wondered what the best route to go is?
should i A; get the arch repair kit spose its the arch lip n a bit more?
or should i get a new quarter panel as this sounds an easyer job? and will ensure my arches are good for a few years?
has any one had this done by a knocking shop? if so what does it cost? ive heard around ?250?
thanks lads :o

[carltoncrazy]

well to ways off looking at this
if its gonna get done do it properly whole panel,but remeber the paint match costs.
i wuld though bout 350 wuld be right
but work out wot ya cars worth first,probley aint worth it

[dan16v]

well after spending ?5000 on a nova i think ill get the rear quarters, personaly i wouldnt think it will be that much m8 got my price for a rear quarter ?55 inc vat and if your into your novas properly ?350 isnt that much as above you know your arches will be a1
ne one else got n e veiws bear in mind my sxi is totaly bare shell for my valver and it requires a re spray n e way!

[carltoncrazy]

gota be honest,its a nova.
no im not into novas,i cant afford to run my old range rover thats y i got 1.but i know how much welding is,
if you want a decent job.
you need the welds smoothed off properly.
marking it up,cuting out the old one
once a car gets to a certain age it just aint worth it,
and i hope that 5000quid worth of mods can be removed,
55 quid will be for the part.

[CP]

lol @ knocking shop bit! In my day they were what whore houses were called!
Get the quarter panels - there's not so much welding to do and its easier to re-finish it all to a high standard without having to do loads of smoothing and finishing. Go to a Vaux dealer that has a paint and body shop and ask them to show you where they cut and weld to put a new one on. You'll see that its the best way

[carltoncrazy]

sorry did i hear get a dealer to do it??????
sorry but labour charges will be so much.
your better of to take it to a body basher,i.e a small one,its cheaper.
im saying this coz unless you are an excellent welder,you be burning holes forever.
ive been welding for 7 yrs,and i had trouble welding a patch on my lasses saloon,the sills.
thats why i aint even gonna try and patch my boot up :roll:
the crash repair shop near me does rear panels for 200 quid,if you buy em,
but if you do this get some rust pretection fited,b worth it,
now any one who knows me knows ive only got this nova coz i cant afford to run my old range rover,but should you just cut your losses and swap everything over to anthe car?coz if its rust there,is it rusting in other places?once a car starts to rust,your never stop it,slow it down but not stop.
you can spend 5000 quid on a car,but your never get even half of it back.

[Doc]

NO NO NO! You didnt hear "get a dealer to do it". If you read CPs post properly he says "Go to a Vaux dealer that has a paint and body shop and ask them to show you where they cut and weld to put a new one on"
CPs advice is sound, although Vauxhall do charge the earth its likely that their body shop people have the most knowledge about vauxhalls, as they probably weld loads each day.
I suggest you take time to read posts properly b4 shooting people down for things they havnt said :evil:

[dan16v]

every body knows if you want a show class nova new arches are as common as fitting alloys! the shell ive bought is mint in boot n every where else apart from arches! i dont care if it cost ?500 as long as its a good job. found a bloke who did one last night he said doin the quarter was a slag but he done it him self and it looks brilliant! he said arch repair would be less hassle? :lol:

[Doc]

Speak to rich Dale of visit his site @ www.novabug.co.uk
He has lots of detailed pics showing how he cut back and replaced his rear arches. He said it was a pain in the ass but the finished job looked very good. :wink:

[Ste_Nova]

have a look at

photos.yahoo.com/ste_sa

my cars/1.2i/repair pics....... pics of me replacing 1/4 panel

[dan16v]

ste i couldnt get the pics up m8? did you find it a bitch or just common sence and patience?

[Rich Dale]

lol....yep it was a bitch and if I was doing it again, I'd do the whole quarter panel......welding in the middle of the panel is a right bugger to do without distortion and without burning holes, especially with an Arc welder :o

Of course, I butt-welded the edges of the panels together which is definitely not the best way of doing it (as I've learned since........I should have used a lap-joint method....joggler to make edge and punch holes etc).

Oh....I was quoted ?56 for a rear quarter panel.......that's not genuine Vaux of course though!