Just a quick question about mk1 escort steel bubble arches. When welding them onto the car should the end result be fully seam welded or just stitched every inch or so? Thanks in advance, Jonny.
Printable View
Just a quick question about mk1 escort steel bubble arches. When welding them onto the car should the end result be fully seam welded or just stitched every inch or so? Thanks in advance, Jonny.
Stitched I think Jonny, seaming them is a bit OTT and would probably cause loads of distortion.
Thanks I was hoping they should be stitched.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/20100294.jpg
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/20100295.jpg
This is how mine were done
Thanks, looks like stitch welding/spot welding is definitely the way to go.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/20100302.jpg
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/20100303.jpg
Not to bad to blend in as well
That looks a great job Alan, thanks for your reply. :thumb:
Just a note, I've seen several people recommend fitting the bubbles with the lips underneath the original wings, apparently this makes blending in much easier.
Thanks boyracer I have heard that it makes it easier to blend in by putting the lip of the bubble behind the wing. At the moment I am still a long way off doing the bubbles, but I want to make sure that I do it right first time. :thinking:
An old boy fitted my last set of arches to my MK1 Mex 20 odd years ago, he used a Joddler i think :thinking: thats the right word for it, its a tool that puts a rebate onto steel the arch then fitted flush they were then spot welded on then lead loaded hardly any filling at all i think he only used stopper it was all done with lead lovely job wished i had the shell now Gray.:clap:
Now that is Old School !...... Lead filling is a very rare skill now.
I do have a bead roller that I could use to put this rebate In with but I think using the one I have may run the risk of twisting the panel slightly, great tip thanks. I'd love to have ago at lead filling as I've never done it before, so I'm planning on doing it along the edges of the rear panel to make it seamless. :thumb:
Go for it, watched a demo at the NEC on Sunday theres a bit about doing it in the new Decembers Classic ford page 112, Gray.
Don't do them like this. You will have loads of filler and the panels will sweat. you need to butt weld them. If they are spot welded then they will split and crack. Plus far too much filler. Especially on the rears and they won't look right. i'll post pictures tomoorow how they should be done.Quote:Originally Posted by alancdavis
why not just butt weld them?? bugger all filler and no mess???Quote:Originally Posted by exboyracer
i know the man who done the arches on this car, and hes been doing rally cars and mk1 escorts longer than you have been alive, so if anyone knows how it should be done its himQuote:Originally Posted by ravydavy
Large quantities of distortion, for a start!Quote:Originally Posted by ravydavy
#Quote:Originally Posted by bargy
Well said that man,,,Yuk is the top man
It is possible to butt weld them on... but at around £10 per Inch for butting... (as charged by some restoration companies)... well your looking at £700 to do a rear arch .. £600 for a front, £2600 for all four !!!
I've only fitted a few sets of arches in my life.. 30-40 on everything from Escorts, Jensen Healys, Anglias, 100E's, MGB's and a Jaguar E, and I think i'll carry on fitting them with spot welds at £350 per set, and save my customers £2250.
[QUOTE=alancdavis;1732924]Whats wrong with this ????
nothing mate, they look perfect :thumb:
Bargy is right they do look great, I love the escorts bubble arched and white, and the blue just sets that car off, it looks amazing. Great car, well done.
If spot welding/stitching is good enough for retro motorsport its good enough for me.
Ive met Yuk once or twice and he is a great guy to talk to. Spoke to him for hours before starting the project about a year ago.
Im 18 and this is my first project and he is the guy that set me straight as to how I should go about my car, he urged me to make my own bulkhead and gearbox tunnel since mine had been removed and the rally parts just wouldn't be a viable replacement since the front end of the car had been cut about so much so that a V8 could be fitted (by my dad :D).
Its been a big job considering the fact that I've built the bulkhead, bulkhead top, under plenum chamber and chassi rails and most of the inner wings all from sheet metal using pictures from this forum (thanks lads :thumb:) as a reference for panel patterns.
I am very happy with the results. Its been a great learning curve and dare I say I am getting better at body work and welding, I cant wait to paint it. If it weren't for Yuk my car would look like a real bodged job right about now. :D
Just a few pictures of the car and some of the work that I have done to date.
This is how the project started including the V8 and no bulkhead, she was a bit of a rough old girl but I could see the potential :thinking:.
http://media2.turbosport.co.uk/2009/...ildup (17).jpg
http://media2.turbosport.co.uk/2009/...uildup (9).jpg
Here are my attempts at the bulkhead, under plenum chamber, bonnet hinge panels and so on, Please ignore the rough edges as I am waiting until I have made all of the panels and until I know they fit properly before I seam weld them and blend them in.
http://media2.turbosport.co.uk/2009/...uildup (2).jpg
http://media2.turbosport.co.uk/2009/...ldup (164).jpg
http://media2.turbosport.co.uk/2009/...50DSC00347.JPG
Other work done includes: New chassis rails, new top suspension mount, suspension uprights, under rad cross member, Group 4 rad cutout, new slam panel, slam panel brace, rebuilt inner wings, new floor sections, 4 link kit still to be braced, watts link kit to go on as well, Spare wheel well trough, passenger side inner and outer A post and splash panel.
Thanks, Jonny.
Busy boy ,,,Think I would have give up on that and bought a shell
Very busy indeed ,in fact I've been out there today working on the car. Im not going to sell this car, its been in the family for about 30 years although it has been off the road for 25:D this car means a hell of a lot to me. :thumb:
yes, but if they crack on a rally car, you just sand down and repaint, or most times, if they filler cracks, its cause the drivers taken it full pely into a tree and the shells trashed anyway.Quote:Originally Posted by bargy
in fact, most rally mk1's ive seen just pot rivet fiberglass ones on, and expect to have to replace them a few times during a season.....only road going rally replicas blend in an arch, so the fact this guy rally prepares, isnt really an example.
But welding is the way to go, 1 inch here 1 inch there crossin all over the place will stop distortion, and if this is too expensive, then learn to weld, save yourself £3000 fitting arches buy buying a £250 welder and experimenting on some steel.
Obviously there is no issue with the filler cracking due to arch flex when stitched? I guess there are no twisting forces in the arches (other than tree induced) so yeah, again, all will be OK.
Do people fold up a small lip of original arch under the bubble and then leave or weld?
Starting mine in a few days......its time I dug out all those bubble fitting threads that I have written down.
Glenn I took my infills out to meet the edge of the bubble and not to the quarter edge.
I have one question. How much these bubbles arches costs? Maybe someone have some links?
I have pics of mine ...whilst being done at Gartrac...give me an email address and I will send the pics on...
Russ.
Just fitted a set of steel arches to my mk1 & followed instructions from ford rs spares booklet which states fitting the arch behind the pannel & using 2 rows of staggerd spot welds then fill & blend in. Hope this helps.
is it possible to buy steel front guards new with the flared arches built in or do they have to be installed to the guard? Just bought a mk1 coupe and the fiberglass arches are pulling away from the body, thinking of replacing them all round and more than likely the front guards too..Cheers!
(I'll be replacing everything with steel items)
You have to buy the 2 parts separate... The wing is one part and the arch is another part, then you have to put them together yourself. ;)
Cheers m11rf I thought that was the case. Good thing it has fiberglass arches on it, that's part the reason I got the car so cheap! Did you put those arches on your car in the pic and are they steel? I know a top notch welder who will weld them for me if I get them ready to go in...
