wheel arches

[doubble99]

Want to roll my wheel arches to get a bit of extra clearance over some wider tyres.

Anyone got any tips?

[Drumroll]

Don't do it.

[poo at Paul's]

Brush a load of seam sealer into the inside of the arch and you can do it with a hammer if youre careful, but you can buy an arch roller cheap now. Plenty of seam sealer though still as you will likely compromise the rust proofing rolling too far. remember to roll only where you need to, ie the top!!

[doubble99]

Drumroll said:

Don't do it.

Wow, so helpful.

Watched a half dozen YT videos and they look naff and seem to barely fold up the lip of the arch where as I would like to stretch the arch and push it out an inch or so.

[Colonel D]

doubble99 said:

Wow, so helpful.

Watched a half dozen YT videos and they look naff and seem to barely fold up the lip of the arch where as I would like to stretch the arch and push it out an inch or so.

He's right.
Stretching the metal that much makes it thinner and weaker. Look at the majority of the stupid camber cars, the arches all take a few knocks from the wheels and warp or fold. Folding the lip up is better if the wheels are scrubbing, but as mentioned use lots of sealer.

[Gooly]

Absolutely do not forget to heat up the paint and arches with a blow torch or heat gun. If you don't heat the paint up, it will most likely crack, especially if you're pulling the arches quite alot. Then it'll start to rot and you have the issue of having to spray them. Heating the arches also makes it easier to get the roll that you want.

Make sure you run your finger down the inside of the arch lip and clear it of any stones or muck as they will get compressed during the roll and punch shapes in the outside of the arch. Use a proper roller - I've done many a roll with a bar but the only way to get it consistent and smooth is with a roller.

[Coatesy351]

I paid someone who knew what they were doing with the correct equipment to roll mine.

[scratcher_]

doubble99 said:

Wow, so helpful.

Watched a half dozen YT videos and they look naff and seem to barely fold up the lip of the arch where as I would like to stretch the arch and push it out an inch or so.

To go that much wider, you'll be looking at arch extensions, over fenders or some custom made wide arches.
You wont get enough flair from rolling the arch and it'll completely loose its shape if you try and go too far.

[anonymous-user]

Agree with other guys, you can roll the lip back but pushing it out an inch would make a right mess. I used one of these to roll the lip up...



Warmed it up with a heat gun to soften paint and made sure inside lip was clean, as other have said. If you want to move it out and inch you need to do something more extreme...



This is the audi I'm working on...

[PositronicRay]

Makes a great rust/dirt trap.