tuko Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 (edited) A few weeks ago I removed the paint from the front wheel arches and repainted them with rubber paint. Ok at the beginning I was having a hell of a time trying to remove the many layers of old military paint from them. Paint thinner, paint remover (s), a heat gun where all nearly hopeless till finally I used caustic soda which worked wonders. .......In my failed attempt's at first, the heat gun is what did the most damage but the plastic was convex a bit here and there on the top but nothing I thought to serious about. Fast forward a few weeks later when I collected them from the shed and now the tops are concave, looking rather sad. ☹️ So I'm wondering if anyone would have any suggestions for getting these some what close to original again? I've not gone near them again with the heat gun for fear of totally xxx them. Todd. Edited July 2, 2021 by tuko Typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 You could try boiling water but to be honest your at the point of they're knackered so anything is worth a try. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filbee Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 (edited) Oh dear! They don't look very happy do they? 😯 As Mike says, you've got nothing to loose by trying get them back into shape, but if it was me I'd be putting a post in the "wanted" section for some replacements or having a look on eBay. Edited July 3, 2021 by Filbee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 How about constructing a wire frame to hide under arches that will aid support and shape then fix wire frame in with sikaflex, tiger seal etc regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreePointFive Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 They look like they're made of leather. Put them on eBay as an "upgrade" and someone will pay too much for them. Works for Khan with all the cars they've ruined. I wonder if a carefully-shaped wood former under them and liberal use of the heat gun could persuade them back to their original shape but looking at the price of timber, it would cost more than a set of new arches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuko Posted July 6, 2021 Author Share Posted July 6, 2021 Thanks for the comments guys, I'm of the same thought....what can go wrong now?? 😂 So the past 3 days I've been using the heat gun again on the flares and surprisingly I've made some progress. The drives side came out well and I'm happy with the results, fingers crossed that it stays this way after it's been in the sun. The passenger side though is a bit more stubborn and will need a bit more massaging to get rid of the concave section closer to the end of the flare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreePointFive Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 They're not too bad at all, if you painted them a mat colour I think you'd get away with it. Mat hides all manner of bad decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.