W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

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wattsmonkey
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W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by wattsmonkey »

Just heard from W&N. The press is worn out, panels just received are pretty much unusable: pressing incomplete.

Will post pics.
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Pod
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by Pod »

It will be interesting to see how they compare to some I’ve had for a few years. If the press is worn out, why did W&N supply them to you?
wattsmonkey
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by wattsmonkey »

I've used two sets before now with no problem other than the lower radius being wrong (for series2 cars?), but those received last week had an uneven, creased arch lip on one side and the incomplete pressing of the arch shape on the other.

Pictures not much good, but should provide an idea.

Surprised W&N didn't know about this before shipment- they have always been absolutely first rate in all other dealings over more than ten years.
"Most of it necessary; all of it enjoyable." LJKS
'84 635CSi, dogleg...itbs and supercharger????? Eaton Mess
wattsmonkey
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by wattsmonkey »

Ordered last week, due to weld them in to a car next week! Hopefully you can see how the shape loses definition.
w&n pressing4 small.jpg
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w&n pressing2 small.jpg
w&n pressing2 small.jpg (41.52 KiB) Viewed 7665 times
w&n pressing small.jpg
w&n pressing small.jpg (36.29 KiB) Viewed 7665 times
"Most of it necessary; all of it enjoyable." LJKS
'84 635CSi, dogleg...itbs and supercharger????? Eaton Mess
Pod
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by Pod »

I think once they're fitted and fettled, it won't notice. However, its Hobson's Choice as they are NLA anywhere else AFAIK :-k
wattsmonkey
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by wattsmonkey »

Pictures not very clear: o/s can be fettled easily enough (the final picture), but nearside (first three pics) would be very difficult to shape, to the extent that repairing the existing arch is probably easier: the 90 degree lip is pressed okay, but there is little shape to the rear part.
"Most of it necessary; all of it enjoyable." LJKS
'84 635CSi, dogleg...itbs and supercharger????? Eaton Mess
Pod
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by Pod »

I note that W&N are still selling then for 89€ a side. So no price reduction even though they admit the panels are not 100% :-k
dave9118
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by dave9118 »

I have the same problem with a set I just purchased from Fuerst Autoteile. How did you overcome this in the end?
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bpoliakoff
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by bpoliakoff »

To jump in, those panels ano matter how good are only part of the problem as you will see when you start your repair. The wheel arches are a double panel means there is an inner and an outer. So having those repair panels may only be 1/2 of the solution and a good chance will only be 1/2 of the solution. The solution for my car was to cut the needed panel (inner and outer) from a car at the junk yard and section both layers in. I do realize we have an advantage here in the states as to less rust. Also one should be aware that there is a difference between the early and late cars in the spacing between the edge of the wheel arch and the very front end of the rear wheel well of about 1/2" in length and did require us to do some metal shaping
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dave9118
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by dave9118 »

On the face of it, I think my inners are ok. I can't see any corrosion from the inside so I'm hoping they won't be too bad underneath, but will let you know once I've cut the outer. The rest of the car has many holes in the usual places, but surprises you in other areas as to how good it is!

I've posted a pic of one side of the inner wing today which is pretty bad, but repairable I think...
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Pod
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by Pod »

In my experience, most rear wheel arches rust at the leading- and trailing edges, with the central section generally being OK. If this is the case, I cut the repair section so as to replace only those areas.

Although this may seem to be creating more work, I think that the avoidance of having to make good around a complete repair section easily outweighs the work letting in two separate pieces. There is less chance of distortion during welding and the original form of the wing is retained to a significant extent, which makes the finished repair much easier to blend in, using very little body filler.

Just my 2c :wink:
bpoliakoff
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Re: W&N rear arch repair panels no good?

Post by bpoliakoff »

Agreed. I guess I was one of the unlucky ones who had to replace both panels. Although I live in "dry" Arizona, I have no idea how long the car spent elsewhere before coming here.None the less all went well and we had minimal distortion problems from the welding.
81 Euro 635 M90 with motronic. Currently under a complete nut and bolt restoration. Pictures at
flickr.com/photos/bertsphotos.
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