front inner arch

[new to this]

Hi

ive just worked out how to post a picture so thought you may like to see a mod i have started to do on the front arches








the plastic arch comes up bigger than you need so you have to trim it a bit but that helps as the final fit is quite good






i used the original bolt fixings for the mud sheild at the back,around the arch its self, there a lip that tucks under the front wing arch,you will need fixing points at the front and by the strut,i was going to glue or weld bolt heads to the flitch panel,its not finished yet but you get the idea,hopefully that will stop the rusting of the head lights

i used an arch from a Saab 9-3

[xvivalve]

Nice.

[cleverusername]

Hi

ive just worked out how to post a picture so thought you may like to see a mod i have started to do on the front arches








the plastic arch comes up bigger than you need so you have to trim it a bit but that helps as the final fit is quite good






i used the original bolt fixings for the mud sheild at the back,around the arch its self, there a lip that tucks under the front wing arch,you will need fixing points at the front and by the strut,i was going to glue or weld bolt heads to the flitch panel,its not finished yet but you get the idea,hopefully that will stop the rusting of the head lights

i used an arch from a Saab 9-3

I am not a fan of those things, I know they are suppose to protect modern cars, but I am not convinced. Everyone I have ever remove has had a ton, of often, wet mud behind them. I would rather they were off and the area was protected by giving it a good clean.

[grahamwatson]

On moderns they tend to be sealed (ish), so that any mud which gets behind the shield will stay there. But a retro fit like this will be very difficult to seal and I expect there will be openings front and rear. The shield will still be very worthwhile to stop all of the crud of the day being thrown at the back of the headlights or up into the strut turret, and the openings will allow anything which does get in behind to fall straight out again.

I am interested to hear how this pans out, and in particular how the strut aperture is worked. Definitely an idea worth pursuing, and not only for salt strewn Scottish roads!

[Carledo]

Everyone knows that rustproofing was a joke in the 70s The 3 (at the most) little bits of plastic on a Dolomite are a token gesture at best.

Modern cars survive better than anything from the past and it is my firm opinion that arch protectors like these have a lot to do with it.

To be sure, no system is perfect, but if you were to fit something like this and then, maybe once a year, remove and clean thoroughly behind them, you are going to improve your car's chances of survival no end. Especially if you are using it on a regular basis and in all weathers. Who has time (or inclination) to take a jetwash to the arches after every trip? Maybe OK for a cosseted toy that is rarely used outside of sunny Sundays, I like to get my fun on a daily basis and to that end, I build my cars to endure the slings and arrows of outrageous British weather! This gets a big from me!

On the subject of the strut turrets, I can't recall EVER having found one that's gone rusty, or EVER finding one full of mud and cr*p! Even on the white 1500 i've just broken which has one of the most appallingly rotten and badly bodged shells i've ever seen, the strut towers are fine (about the only bit that is!)

Steve

PS, I just happen to have a 9-3 in my yard for breaking, serendipity rules!

[new to this]

On moderns they tend to be sealed (ish), so that any mud which gets behind the shield will stay there. But a retro fit like this will be very difficult to seal and I expect there will be openings front and rear. The shield will still be very worthwhile to stop all of the crud of the day being thrown at the back of the headlights or up into the strut turret, and the openings will allow anything which does get in behind to fall straight out again.

I am interested to hear how this pans out, and in particular how the strut aperture is worked. Definitely an idea worth pursuing, and not only for salt strewn Scottish roads!

it looks like there is a small gap at the back and front of the arch,which ill put some fiber glass to fill the gap

Dave

[grahamwatson]

On the subject of the strut turrets, I can't recall EVER having found one that's gone rusty, or EVER finding one full of mud and cr*p! Even on the white 1500 i've just broken which has one of the most appallingly rotten and badly bodged shells i've ever seen, the strut towers are fine (about the only bit that is!)

So I've just been unlucky then. It's like this on both sides of the car

This is obviously the inner wing side of the turret. To be fair, the other sides of the strut tower inside the engine bay are OK.

On the upside, these holes made it very easy to clean out the crap

[grahamwatson]

it looks like there is a small gap at the back and front of the arch,which ill put some fiber glass to fill the gap

Dave

I wouldn't be in any hurry to fill those gaps. Good airflow in that cavity will help keep it clean and dry.

[Carledo]

On the subject of the strut turrets, I can't recall EVER having found one that's gone rusty, or EVER finding one full of mud and cr*p! Even on the white 1500 i've just broken which has one of the most appallingly rotten and badly bodged shells i've ever seen, the strut towers are fine (about the only bit that is!)

So I've just been unlucky then. It's like this on both sides of the car

This is obviously the inner wing side of the turret. To be fair, the other sides of the strut tower inside the engine bay are OK.

On the upside, these holes made it very easy to clean out the crap

From that pic, the rot appears to be in the side of the chassis rail below the strut turret aperture which is in the top left of the pic - or am I viewing it wrong?

Steve

[grahamwatson]

No, you are viewing it correctly. That is the turret opening top left, but the rot is in the turret cavity, just above the chassis rail, and where accumulated road grit etc has been sitting on top of the rail. It seemed to me to be an "interesting" design and indeed I was wondering if I was missing some sort of shield or deflector - like a tube going up inside the turret - to prevent crud falling down inside the cavity. But there is absolutely no sign of anything like that on my car, and I haven't seen mention of it elsewhere.

That is why I am interested to see how Dave works the strut opening in his Saab liners. I wonder how tight you can fit the liner around the strut. I am assuming that it will have to be up around the spring (rather than just around the damper tube) and I am not sure how much lateral movement goes on up there.

But I am sure that Dave will post a fully illustrated explanation soon!