How to fit Mk1 "Mexico/Twincam/RS" flared
front arches (genuine steel ones in this case!)
When I decided to fit flared front arches (due
to the tyre hitting the wing) I really wanted steel ones for originality,
but the wings are worth £200 each second hand or £195
+VAT for reproductions!!!!! I was very lucky and found a guy who
had rotten genuine ford RS wings, and he cut the arches off and
sold them to me....(for £30 the pair including delivery from
Scotland to the south-east!)
The std ones (pattern-part wing) |
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The ingredients |
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This clearly shows the approx 1.5 inch move higher and wider
these arches achieve |
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Cutting them down to a sensible size |
The first "What am I doing to my car?!!" cut! |
This shows there was more wing to be cut off.. |
...and here's the job half way through. Be careful with sharp/cut
edges, I got a REALLY deeply sliced finger off this one!! |
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The arch section drilled (excessively!) in order to spot-weld
in place |
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Al the metal surfaces cleaned up properly |
Spot-welded in place with a mig. I staggered the welds randomly
to avoid heat distortion. |
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View from inside showing the spot-welds from behind, and the
left-over lip of old arch |
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Grinding the welds down |
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Welds ground down and sprayed in primer. No filler has been
near it at this point. |
The other side after the same process |
It's looking more and more like a car... :-) |
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