Rear Wheel Arch

mikedrini

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Hey Guys,

I know I just posted the Cracked Door Repair thread, but piggybacking off that I wanted to follow up with my rear wheel arch issue too (bondo crapshow). I actually think I posted on this a while ago, but didn't have the pic to back it up.

I've replaced the floor pans and figured I might give this a whirl, but I am not sure where to start in regards to a replacement arch. Sure as hell can't find them for 64 New Yorkers so I would be looking at some kind of modified arch from another vehicle I guess. Long story short, am I better off taking it to a pro?

IMG_20180118_185617317_LL.jpg
 
Hey Guys,

I know I just posted the Cracked Door Repair thread, but piggybacking off that I wanted to follow up with my rear wheel arch issue too (bondo crapshow). I actually think I posted on this a while ago, but didn't have the pic to back it up.

I've replaced the floor pans and figured I might give this a whirl, but I am not sure where to start in regards to a replacement arch. Sure as hell can't find them for 64 New Yorkers so I would be looking at some kind of modified arch from another vehicle I guess. Long story short, am I better off taking it to a pro?

View attachment 163272

It looks to have been patched with bondo, no metal. The arch should not stick out that far, most like somebody built the whole thing out of fiberglass or bondo. Clean off that mess and see what is left under it. If both sides are like that, most likely the arch was rusted and this "custom" repair was used to hide it. A good restoration shop with a sheet metal brake can most likely make a new arch splice for you.

Dave
 
It looks to have been patched with bondo, no metal. The arch should not stick out that far, most like somebody built the whole thing out of fiberglass or bondo. Clean off that mess and see what is left under it. If both sides are like that, most likely the arch was rusted and this "custom" repair was used to hide it. A good restoration shop with a sheet metal brake can most likely make a new arch splice for you.

Dave

You're right on the money Dave, I think it was rusted out and someone tried to hide it. Any ideas what I'm looking at (ballpark) for that repair?
 
well there is the inner wheel housing rust repair there and an outer skin . w/h supports the outer skin on the wheel opening . you must not weld it heavy and long beads , its a build from shoe boxes models to cut tin , then shaping , after that , it's tack tack , let it cool and repeat , grinding down the tack welds , go for it , its best if the room is heated or just the car metal area worked . and you can mud over it again with metal fully welded as a backer . i have a 64 300 k , i think the front fender wheel opening is close . you could compare the wheel opening moldings front to rear .
 
You're right on the money Dave, I think it was rusted out and someone tried to hide it. Any ideas what I'm looking at (ballpark) for that repair?

It is very hard to make much in the way of an estimate on this type of repair until you figure out what has been damaged by rust. What usually happens is road debris strip away the rust protection from the inside of the wheel well and that leads to bare metal exposure to road salt. Then a hole develops in the wheel well and salt gets inside of the quarter panel assembly and it rots out, from the inside out. If that happens, there usually will not be a whole lot of solid metal left to hook a patch to. Can get expensive in a hurry if one has to fabricate most of the inner attachment points for the rear quarter panel, not to mention the quarter panel itself. That is why so many repairs are bondo or fiberglass fabrications used to hide the rust and get the vehicle "down the road".

Dave
 
The only way that you can know how to proceed is to cut that off into solid metal. Just cut the outer skin and then look at what you have. Most outer wheelhouses are similar and you could probably pirate sections from parts cars or reproduction parts for other body styles. The outer skin can be easily fabricated from other donor sections from most bodies with similar curves.
 
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