Front Wheel Arch Repair Left Hand (Dog Leg)

Educated by the mistakes of the right wheel arch I attempted to fit the left side. I'd previously cut away the lower part of the arch to repair the bottom of the "A" pillar (that's the shiny bit in the bottom left corner) and front inner and outer valance. I cut the rest away with a cutting disc along the seal carrier and chain drilled around the two curves, this left me to grind away the spot welded strip left attached to the under side of the cab floor.

So that I knew the arch would be in the correct position I needed to fit the new cab door using over sized hinge pins. You can see the lower pin needed lots of persuasion, it was squeezed in the vice with plenty of heat after I'd bent two large G clamps. Yes, just like that bit in Casino...

There were also sections of the cab floor to repair before I could start fitting the new arch

Another patch to cut away and repair correctly before I could get started

Once the cab floor was tidy I could fit the door, but as I closed it the latch would not sit on the pin The door gap was 7mm compared to 4mm on the other side, this could have been from a crash, getting my van wedged against the brick wall and an arctic lorry on a single track humped back bridge or from when I originally cut the out the arch and repaired the front valance. I tried strapping up the "A" and "B" pillars to pull them together but could only get about 1mm of movement. So I decided to shim up my door hinges to get the correct gap so I could start fitting the wheel arch

I started as I did on the other side by clamping just the outer skin into position anyway I could. The straight edge of the spirit level Is to make sure the skin stayed in line with the doors not just some thing i grabbed to clamp the arch in it position. By using thick washers you can just see poking out I got an even gap between the door bottom and top of the arch outer skin. I then welded a few tack welds in strategic places (these ideal tack weld spots were found after the arch fell off into my lap twice) to hold the skin so that I could remove the clamps, open the door and check the alignment.

With the outer skin tacked in position and lined up with the bottom of the door, I found that the back edge curved forward from the B pillar at the top to give this gap, and the step under the door dropped away at the back corner.

This took a bit of panel beating to straighten up to fit.

And yes, when I'm working on the van and my phone rings I do sometimes use the van as a giant note pad.

I then clamped the inner skin into position any where I could fit a clamp, I then marked where both skins would meet each other and the cab floor. This showed me the arch's position and where I needed to clean to bare metal for spot welding.

The back edge of the inner skin had a gap, this was probable from the same problem as my door position so needed the bends moving out a few millimeters.

The curve of the inner skins at the top bend was to shallow, pushing the seal carried away from the top of the arch, so I cut a few small slits in the bend to shrink the curve to fit better.

The lower part of the dog leg was also pushing down partly due to the way the piece was formed but also because of a larger radius at the lower bend. Again I cut some slits this time in the cab floor to increase the radius for a snugger fit. Then using the rod part of an axle stand on a jack to push the panel up into the desired position. Clamping the two skins together while trying to keep them in the right position was still very tight at the two bends. I had to cut a block that would fit into the seal carrier, then using two Daddy G clamps (not these, they are only babies) push the two skins together, I then drilled a couple of holes and used aviation skin pins to keep the inner and outer skins clamped together. These skin pins allowed me to keep trial fitting the panel with out the baby G clamps getting in the way.

After many trial fits making sure the inner skin was not pushing the outer skin out or that it was under the arch enough to have room for the seal carrier and having to re-adjust the door a few more times I was finally happy with the arches position.

I wire wheeled all the paint off each skin both sides where it was going to be spot welded then positioned the inner skin in its marked position. Making sure both bends were tight against the cab floor skin, and that the sloped edge was flush, I set up the spot welder and welded the top bend first, then the lower still making sure there was no gap between the sloped edges. I then worked forward and back along the top edge with the spot welder to get the inner skin welded in its position.

One thing I forgot to do this side was make sure the bumper mount was in the correct position. On the other side I cut off the new mount and welded the original one in its place. so I may have odd bumper mounts. I wondered if I lose points for that if I enter the van for a Concourse D'Elegance? Using the skin pins I clamped the outer skin into position, and you can see how I'm able to close the cab door to check its position

To ensure I got a good weld along the length of the seal carrier I used the block I made earlier to clamp the skins together at each spot weld.

My girlfriend Rachel turned up to deliver cola and cakes and was able to get this fine shot of me working, I did ask if she would stay and help but she seemed to have better things to do...

Just so I could reach the corner welds I had to buy a set of longer probes that weren't cheap. I also insulated the end of the probes with tape because I kept arking to parts of the panel I didn't need to weld together, a bit like a Marvel Superhero doing work experience in a body shop. The last stage was to get the outer skin flush and spot welded and both ends welded.

With the arch being one of the final body work jobs finally done I felt a great sense of satisfaction that the van is finally coming together.

It was very exciting to see it in almost one piece. I might have given myself a little clap too!

Side window gutter repair

Here is the left rear window lower frame that has been quietly sitting in a puddle of rust for most of its' life. The pop out window seal perished a long long time ago and has allowed water to sit and fester.

I used a wire wheel on a grinder to clean up and clear out all the crap to see what the true damage was. There was only two or three holes but the pitting ran along the whole length of the frame.

I marked around all the pitted areas with a pen , then with a 1mm cutting disc, drill and round hand file I cut away all the damage, and peeled off the spot welds. The outer skin did spring in a bit so I made sure I cut a straight line for the repair panel to butt against so the outer skin was welded in its original position.

Using parts from Autocraft I cut and filled the new repair panel making sure that the butt weld along the outer edge was at the start of the radius of the vans side curve. This I found makes it an easier place to weld and to blend the two pieces of metal. I also had about a 1mm gap between the two piece to make sure the weld was penetrating properly.

So I clamped the panel in place then slowly and intermittently spotted MiG welds around the edge of the panel making sure not to get the panel too hot, but also making sure I had enough penetration joining each weld. Any places that I missed with a decent enough weld between each spot could be seen with a torch shone from the inside of the repair once I'd ground down the welds.

With all the welds tidy I unleashed the spot welder and run a few spot welds along the lip. (sorry no photos of that I'm not strong enough to hold the welder and take pictures) It took longer to set the welder up than to do the welds, It still puts a smile on my face when I use that welder. I'm easily pleased.

The lip was tidied up with a small hand file and the welds in the corners were cleaned up with a 2" rotary disc in an electric drill. It's not the best way but it worked. It's an older code, sir, but it checks out. I was about to clear them. I think the next tool on the shopping list will be a rotary die grinder for all those hard to reach places. A quick spray of primer and behold! a repaired window frame. This took me about 4 hours, and still I'm learning more about how to weld.

Front Wheel Arch (Dog leg) repair continued

With the inner skin now firmly welded into place (although still not sure if it is in the correct position) I decided to get the outer skin fitted. As I started lining up the outer skin I nearly forgot to fit the bumper mount I'd cut from the original wheel arch. I dug the bumper out and lined it up, bolted the mount to the side attachment bumper lug and clamped the mount to the inner skin of the arch. I played about with the adjustment of the bumper to get a central position then marked around the mount.

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I then cleaned all the paint off all the contacting surfaces, this needs to be done when spot welding. I dragged the spot welder out and 2 minutes later the bracket was welded in position. With the outer skin trial fitted I then cut the back edge of the mount hole to even up the shape.

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With the paint cleaned from the position of the spot welds for the outer skin I clamped and migged a few tacks welds on the inside of the skin, checked the door gap, the sills curve and the curve of the door. With everything positioned right I started the spot welds from the centre working to either end. When getting to the lower step I needed to push the inner skin up so that it would mate with the outer skin, doing this pulled the outer skin in from its flush position at the top curve about 2-3mm. I was also left with a gap between the skins on the top curve that I mentioned in the previous post, Although better than it was I'm really not sure how to sort this out, think I need a break for wheel arches and a fresh head to sort this out.

Front wheel arch (Dog Leg) Repair

With the disasters I've had before with the front wheel arches this was the job I've been looking forward to the least (that's probably why it's one of the last big repairs to do). Having scrapped the idea of using the Schofield arches because of the lip running along the top of the arch, and the fact that I had totally cocked the panels up by warping them with my first attempt at welding(see previous wheel arch post), I'd been hunting for alternative arches ever since.

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I spent a whole day trial fitting, clamping, marking, cutting, getting frustrated, swearing, eating leftovers, clamping and trial fitting again, and finally at the end of the day just so that I had some thing to show for the hours spent in the garage I spot welded the two skins together. I fitted the arch up to the van one last time before retiring and found the outer skin was nowhere near lined up to the curve of the outer skin. I nearly cut the arch up with the grinder. 1

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After comparing the new and the old arches I noticed the newer arch at its worst point was 8mm thinner than the original one that I still kept for sentimental reasons. The missing 8mm is just under the thickness of a cab door seal. This meant to fit the arch flush with the cab door skin I'd have to fit the arch fouling on the inner door with no gap for the seal at the lower edge. Or undo a days' work and separate the two skins and start again. This was a good excuse to finally buy a spot weld drill to help undo all the spot welds I'd be cocking up.

1 A few weeks later with some fresh sleep and lots of jaffa cakes and sugary drinks nearby I officially started my 3rd attempt at fitting these arches. I decided to start again by marking out a line on the inside of the arch where the inner face of the lower door seal should be when the door is closed. I then positioned and clamped the inner skin, then tack welded the skin to the inside of the arch. This allowed me to keep opening and closing the door while trialing the outer skin, without any clamps or vice grips getting in the way.

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With the top and middle edge tacked and the bends tight into their radius, I found that the lower edge was pulling away from the lower step. I'm not sure if this is from the panel fabrication or because of any warping of the bus when it had been moved, or worked on without the support of the arch there? This problum was solved with the use of an axle stand and 2 ton trolley jack to push it in to place. This also helped with the profile of the outer skin.

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I was expecting to have to add strips of material to both skins to get the thickness of the arch but found with a bit of trial and error I managed to get the inner skin into a position where the outer skin would sit flush onto it, and with a decent curve that would match the shape of the cab door skin. This did mean grinding and re tacking the position of the inner arch skin a few times, this also means the door seal carriage will not be too small to hold a seal.

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Now a bit happier with the situation, I spot welded the inner skin into position, starting at the top edge and working down. What I should have done was weld the radius and middle edge first, then the top and bottom. I ended up with a small gap between the skins, this popped apart when I removed the clamps after welding. A bit of heat and a persuasive hammer sorted this out. I also cut away a couple of strips about 6mm on the upper edge of the seal carrier where it touched the door. This also gave that part of the arch a flush edge to match along the inside of the door.

I'll attempt the outer skin another day.

Repairing Cab Doors Hinge and Fitting Oversize Pins

Before I get to fitting the front Arches I needed to re-hang the doors this meant repairing the corroded lower hinge attachment point, a good blap with the rotary wire wheel revealed the cracks and missing steel that caused the door to drop a good half inch when i tried to get in and out of the van.

With all the crap material removed the hinge had a lot of movement so I trialed the door on again to ensure that when I welded the cracks the pivot point of the hinge would be in the correct position. With the welds cleaned and later painted this should now be good enough to stop my door falling to the floor when I open it.

With the bottom of the door repaired I fitted first oversize pin and wing mirror holder to the top and bottom hinges. Ensuring I had a tolerance fit on the center part of the hinge and a interference fit on the upper and lower part of the hinge. A good blast with the hobby torch and the pins squeezed in nicely. At first they squeaked as I moved then but once cooled they became nice and smooth.

Long Panel Outer Sill Repair

The outer sill repair is an old repair I had my uncle help me do when I first got the van to keep it on the road, this was in the last century by the way! This ancient repair was done with a panel that didn't quite fit and needed re-doing. So using the top quality Autocraft outer sill repair panel I measured and trialled it on the van, marking along the top edge and using tape as my guide and allowing for an over lap, I cut away the old repair and rusted outer skin.

 

I unleashed a new tool as recommended in a Volks World employees project car article, this tool is used to joggle the top edge of a panel, this is called a roller joggle. After reading the instructions and trying a few scrap bits I proceeded to roll the tool along the length of the new panel. I wasn't satisfied at first with the depth of the joggle so I adjusted the wheels closer, this gave me a deeper step (still not what I needed for the thickness I was using) and it stretched the material giving the top of the new panel a nice wavy edge that any child's play ground slide would be proud of. After a few $£%^ and &*£$ got thrown around the garage, I often let rip with a F Bomb when I'm alone, but more importantly without buying a new panel or shrinking hammer I'd try and salvage the situation with a few small cuts down to the joggle line to relieve the stretched material.

 

Knowing that these long panel repairs can turn to chaos if you're not patient with your welding I decided to try and give myself a helping hand. I used a couple of bits of wood clamped either side of the panel to help keep it flush and flat (although shielding the light it also helped keep my welding torch straight) even though the repair panel did had a few wobbles here and there. This only worked up to a point, as the wood would still bend. So I tried a piece of angle iron, this was OK until I snapped the arm of one of the clamps, and the skin still moved when I released the clamps. F Bomb time again.

 

With the clamp repaired (a bad craftsman rewelds his tools?) I tack welded along the length and tried to patiently space my welds along the whole length of the panel. I couldn't get a good penetrating weld unless I held the welder for long enough for the panel to get too hot, so there are a few places where the sill is a little buckled. I then straightened what I could and spot welded the lower edge.

That spot welder is not light and is hard to handle when lying on your back. With the welds ground down the panel looked reasonably straight, I'll have to come to terms with the fact that I'll be buying a XL pot of filler to get that flat panel look. I like the word joggler, I'll be dropping it into polite conversation every chance I can!