Fitting front arches
- Thread starter l200
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who?1
Well-known member
l200 said:
Oh dear, if you need some help with fitting them, then I would suggest you part with the JK ones and spend some more money on a pair of OG ones! :msn4: :msn4:
Seriously, it will save you time and the finish will be far superior :roll:
Matt
Hilly_70
Well-known member
.. like the guys said im afraid ..
They are about 25mm too short for the gap theyre s'posed to fit!
.. and the curve to the door is wrong..
Heres my suggestions ..
Clear out full old arch
Leave door on and in right position at all times for reference
I cut the arch into 3 sections to allow extension to fit the gap
You can fit them to a reasonable level ..
but theyre the hardest work panel on the whole bus ..!
They are about 25mm too short for the gap theyre s'posed to fit!
.. and the curve to the door is wrong..
Heres my suggestions ..
Clear out full old arch
Leave door on and in right position at all times for reference
I cut the arch into 3 sections to allow extension to fit the gap
You can fit them to a reasonable level ..
but theyre the hardest work panel on the whole bus ..!
tomedwar72
Well-known member
Same story here. Just wrestled with a repro arch to try and fit it. Again, about 15-20mm short before the A-Post. Door gap too large at step and did not fit the curve of door edge. Follow Hilly_70's advice and leave door on to check fit. I got away with cutting in two places and a little persuesion with a FBH. After all the cutting and fettling you're then left with the mother of all grinding back jobs as the profile of the arch has loads of steps and indentations.
dazza1975
Well-known member
i've got mine to do and i;m now dreading it
got complete inner and outer arches from machine 7,, are these any good or just as bad?? :?:
got complete inner and outer arches from machine 7,, are these any good or just as bad?? :?:
who?1
Well-known member
Lucky for me I only had to do the lower steps each side but from these pics you can see that the profiles of the OG panels matched up exactly with no fettling at all. It was worse worrying about it than actually doing it but the first cuts were hesitant.
I think I paid around £80 for each dogleg complete and then used the bits I needed so not a cheap fix :shock: :shock:
I too kept the door on and kept checking all the gaps were the same as factory or as close to as I could get.
This took me a couple of days to get right though so don't rush it and you'll get there !
I think I paid around £80 for each dogleg complete and then used the bits I needed so not a cheap fix
:shock: :shock: I too kept the door on and kept checking all the gaps were the same as factory or as close to as I could get.
This took me a couple of days to get right though so don't rush it and you'll get there
!
Granted it was for a crossover but given the poor quality of klockenholm i used late bay arches and cut the step off to create the correct shape for an early/crossover floor.
http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25837&p=221859#p221859" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Think if i had to do it on my 1970 bus id probably do the same again as id rather have a lip than days of pain and hassle unless i could find decent og or cuts, would never use the currently available repro ones
I know Klassicfab and a few others are looking at remaking early bay fronts
http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=32954&p=277299&hilit=autocraft#p277299" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25837&p=221859#p221859" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Think if i had to do it on my 1970 bus id probably do the same again as id rather have a lip than days of pain and hassle unless i could find decent og or cuts, would never use the currently available repro ones
I know Klassicfab and a few others are looking at remaking early bay fronts
http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=32954&p=277299&hilit=autocraft#p277299" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I tried some aftermarket panels - took one look and realised they just weren't going to work. I dug deep into my pockets and bought a couple of body cut arches that were off a dry state bus and they went in like a dream - good solid metal and a perfect fit - really neat door gap and profile. Mine even happened to be the same colour as my bus : )
Part of the beauty of a body cut repair is they invariably come with surplus material round the edges where they were chopped so you can decide what to remove / save - un-pick the spot welds etc.
Eg the front arches will probably come with a bit of the B pillar so you can get a neat nice seam, they'll probably have that little sticky out seam at the front corner too.
I guess at the end of the day it's different strokes for different folks. Body cuts aren't cheap but patience is, so if you can do the work yourself and want to save a few quid you can modify aftermarket items and get the result you want.
Part of the beauty of a body cut repair is they invariably come with surplus material round the edges where they were chopped so you can decide what to remove / save - un-pick the spot welds etc.
Eg the front arches will probably come with a bit of the B pillar so you can get a neat nice seam, they'll probably have that little sticky out seam at the front corner too.
I guess at the end of the day it's different strokes for different folks. Body cuts aren't cheap but patience is, so if you can do the work yourself and want to save a few quid you can modify aftermarket items and get the result you want.
