>Well, just finished about an hours worth of grinding on my 1/4 panels and
>now
>must decide on what the hell to do about them! Both wheel lip areas have
>been
>repaired over the years in a less than a professional manor. Although it
>would be possible to improve on what is there I would much rather replace
>the
>entire wheel lip area with new metal. I have seen several variations of this
>repair on many different cars. What I would like is to keep the rear lip
>"reasonably" stock looking as far as flare size goes. I would like to cut
>off
>old lip area and replace with a new piece and only have a seam left to
>putty.I used this technique on a hardbody truck with real nice results.(see
>link) I took a front fender($28),cut off the wheel opening and welded it to
>"build a rear wheel opening. I need some suggestions as to what I can use to
>replace the roadsters with. Perhaps an early front fender lip? Anyone have
>any?Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Jeff,
Let me offer a couple of ideas. If you want to create an arc to use as a
guide, maybe even as a stiffener on the backside of the finder lips you
could use EMT electrical tubing. Use a bender to form the EMT. Biggest
problem I see here is that the EMT would reduce clearance on the inside
of the panel.
This is what we've done in the rear of the E/P 510. We had the add-on BRE
(Bubble) style flares which have about a two inch flat mounting lip
molded in. The wheel openings are flat with no lip or rolled area. We
clamped the flares to the rear quarter panel and used a grease pencil to
mark along the edge. We then drew a second line inside (closer to the
wheel opening) about an inch and a half and parallel to the first. We cut
the quarter panel along this second line, which left a big gap between
the (outer) quarter panel and the (inner) actual wheel well. The wheel
well is actually made up of two stampings with a seam along the top, sort
of like a football helmet squeezed in from the sides with a casting ridge
along the vertical centerline.
We cut the outside section of the wheel well, leaving about a one inch
lip toward the quarter panel on each side. We then cut a cardboard
template to fit from the wheel well seam on the inside of the quarter
panel and cut sheet metal fillers to match, adding about 1 1/2 inch to
the outside (quarter panel) edge. This edge had "V" notches cut into it
every couple of inches and these "tabs" were bent up to be roughly
parallel with the quarter panel. The flares were then captured between
the quarter panel and the new flat filler panels, riveted, and filled.
The inner edges were pop riveted to the lips left when we cut the outer
section of the wheel well away. Everything was sealed with plenty of non
hardening sealer primered and painted. We didn't weld the inner lip, but
I think I would on a street car since that area is constantly exposed to
water and such.
Yes, it was a lot of work and I'm not sure if I'd do it again. It does
allow greatly increased room on the 510 with its semi-trailing arm rear
suspension setup that introduces wheel movement in a number of different
planes as the suspension works. Tubbing the wheel wells like this allows
the use of 8 or 9 inch (wide) slicks without clearance concerns. We'll
also be building a fully adjustable rear crossmember that allows
independent adjust of camber and toe along with dropping the pivot points
about two inches. Yes, this is a LOT of work and I hope it proves worth
it, but in this case we want both the widest tires and the most
adjustabililty. It costs much more when you want both.
On the '73 I plan to roll the stock lip inside the wheel opening upward
and maybe pull the openings out slightly, away from the centerline of the
car. Eventually it will have the same design rear cross member, primarily
for the ease of adjustment. Would this roll and pull process be practical
for your car?
I think the key to making things work without drastic body mods may be to
go with a wheel like a Panasport that you can get in virtually any
offset. While you may spend more more on wheels, you'll spend less money
and time on body work, so you might be surprised that getting the
"expensive" wheels actually cost you less at the bottom line.
At least on the roadster there are fewer suspension variables to deal
with, but probably less room, too. Isn't everything always a tradeoff?
FWIW, Ron
________________
Ronnie Day
rday@airmail.net
Dallas/Ft. Worth
'71 510 2-dr (Prepared class autocrosser)
'73 510 2-dr (Street Toy)
|