Range Rusters

I may be able to help there, none of the framework for the body has been taken off mine yet, but the front end is clear of the main wings/bonnet etc, and looks very clean, not sure about the back yet.

Hi Simon

I tried doing this last year and I simply could not locate a rear wheel arch for a 4 door (I did not need to replace the inner wings so I never bothered looking for them)

What you can get hold of is a 2 door pattern wheel arch (it's ambidextrous so one size fits all as they say) and you have to cut that to fit - it's a bit like Paddington Bear cutting the legs off Mr Gruber's table - a tiny bit at a time and it still never ends up fitting. (IMHO the seat belt mounting bolt plate is the prime cause of rot there - damned thing just holds mud in

Once you have got that about the right size then you can buy front and rear extension pieces - the rear ones are a waste of money if you are any good with cutting steel plate as all they do is extend down and support the mudflap. (Simmonites were cheapest for extensions, Paddocks for the support bits and arches) You can also buy a new boot floor and the side bits that weld onto the inner wings and support the boot floor panel.

The front inner wings are available as a short or long repair panel - I used a long one, cut it down and welded it over the holes in my n/s - the o/s I just fibreglassed over the holes to stop too much mud getting into the engine bay.

At a guess I'd say that the rear inner wings could be fettled/repaired out of sheet steel although the side with the filler cap may be a bit of a bugger - surely so long as the front wheel arch extension with the seat belt mounting is secure then you'd pass the MoT??

Welding is a bit of a b*gger as there is a lot of factory applied black mastic around the joins in the original welds and it burns easily - best have a spotter with a bucket of water handy!

Graeme

p.s. I have a 2 door style rear wheel arch and the boot floor support thingy (filler side) sat in my shed doing nowt - I'm miles from Peterborough but if you (or anybody near Devon) needs these bits them I'm open to attractive offers

I don't know if it will help, but check this URL:

I've got the blooming bits here in excellent nick, in GOOD condition, on a 4 door, or what's left of it.

Pic's can be taken, offers made, and haggling done

After he decided we would go ahead and start at the front and work our way backwards, I began to prepare to cut out the rot from the front driver passenger footwell. He opened the door and it dropped just enough to be noticed. Pulling off the front wing revelead that the door pillar was also slightly rotten. Even better was the piece of plastic card stuck to a hole in the door pillar with putty (not even filler!!!). He has taken it home to sulk, as the rot extends significantly upwards to the bottom of the screen....

With what appears to be 8 months left on what looks like a suspisciously smudged ticket...... Trouble is of course, you only have 3 months for corrosion issues, but with the rot that is present, I would argue that is was there at testing time.....

As ever, caveat emptor