do i need to cut my arches [Archive] - Australian Land Rover Owners

taff

2nd July 2007, 05:03 PM

Nathan

2nd July 2007, 05:04 PM

I've got the same size on my Defender, no real dramas. Rubs a little bit on full lock to the left - but not on the guards.

Nathan

Roverwill

2nd July 2007, 06:36 PM

G'day JC,

can't wait to see the Disco with it's mods, should kick butt on the Powerline track :D.

You may have to adjust your steering stops to prevent rubbing on the leading arms, my Rangie did this, even with its new "cheese cutter" BFG 235s.
What does the truck handle like with the 2 inch lift and did you need to use castor correction bushes/plates? Would like to do a 2 inch lift as well down the track ;).

See you out there - Will

Ace

2nd July 2007, 06:41 PM

Hi mate, i am looking at doing the same thing. I had to trim my rear gaurds at the back of the wheel arch when i fitted 31's with a 2in lift, and 265/75/16's are pretty well 32's so i would say if you havent you will yes. You shouldnt need to do anything to the front, but i would be keen to hear how you go. Matt

loanrangie

2nd July 2007, 06:41 PM

The concensus is that you will need to trim the rear of the rear gaurds ie camel cut, do a search of the site for camel cut and that should give you some info.

mudmouse

2nd July 2007, 06:42 PM

I have 31x10.5x15 M/T's on 15x8's on my '91 disco with a 2" spring lift and on some tracks the lower rear guard sliced a few nicks in the outer lugs... nothing a nibbler couldn't fix and not too noticeable either. I think the 265's work out at a similar width - depending on rim dimensions..

Ken

2nd July 2007, 06:47 PM

hi all i'm having a set of muddies put on my disco on friday
goodyear mtr's 265 75 16
i've had a 2" lift and i'm just wondering as to wether or not i'll need to cut my arches to stop them rubbing.
thanks jason

Being a series 1 Disco you will
Not to sure about the front guards Im pretty sure the rears need a trim though

PeterM

2nd July 2007, 07:05 PM

D1 - rears definitely & also adjust the steering stops.

taff

2nd July 2007, 07:43 PM

thanks for the info guys.
going to dwellingup on sat - give them a try, see how it goes and i'll let you know. if i'm going to have to cut the arches i think i'll fit some of those flexi ones.
will you missed a good day out on sunday. went down the powerlines and made it all the way around:D though that "puddle" was looking pretty tempting:wasntme:
jason

LandyAndy

2nd July 2007, 07:50 PM

Hey Taff
make sure you slip with the grinder and cut a hole to let the H20 out:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
Pretty sure the camel cut only involves the inner wheel arch,the door hides your handy work.
Dont go out 4WDing till you do it,you will ruin the brand new tyres.
Borrow a set of car ramps if you dont have a set,backing 1 rear wheel should be enough to confirm the need for a chop!!!!!!
Goodluck
Andrew

taff

2nd July 2007, 07:59 PM

thanks for the tip andy
forgive me for asking stupid questions but..,
if on friday when i fit the tyres and back up on some ramps and there is some rubbing how much shall i take off the arches bearing in mind that i'm going to fit the flares ( enough to prevent rubbing not too much so as i've got gaps everywhere when flares are fitted). would 15mm all the way around be enough/too much.
don't care what it looks like on sat with it being cut it's just that it's the weekend and i wanna play;)
or could i get some flares from somewhere this week ( recomendations anyone) cut and fit them in prep for the weekend.
thanks jason

LandyAndy

2nd July 2007, 08:19 PM

Jason,I cant help,our Disco2s have a lot more room where yours doesnt,havent needed to cut.
Get onto a "Camel Cut" search in the archives(bottom rh corner of the website,there is a link)Then PM one of the guys who have done it.
In sure somebody will read this and put their hand up with info/pics anyway.
Will give you a chance to get it done before the weekend.
Andrew

taff

2nd July 2007, 08:50 PM

thanks again andy.
i'll let you know how i get on and i look forward to bumping ( not literally) into you out in the mud sometime
jason

Utemad

2nd July 2007, 08:55 PM

Discoweb has a few pics of a trim to fit 245/75 16.

http://www.discoweb.org/

Look under 'tech' and then 'Fender Trimming'

taff

2nd July 2007, 09:35 PM

thanks ute mad had a look on that site and it seems a good way to go using d2 flares. not going to move axle back tho, think i'll just cut the door's. :o
any more ideas in the mean time tho - keep them coming.
will take friday off to get it all done and take some pics and keep you all posted.

blitz

2nd July 2007, 09:45 PM

I have 265/75/16 BFG TA's on my 93/4 disco back half of rear wheel arches definitely hit at full articulation and I have a 50mm lift Bit more actually started as 65mm lift but they have sagged a bit.

go for flares if you can afford them and off set rims as well so you keep your turning circle.

you will love the difference but.

Cheers Blythe

LandyAndy

2nd July 2007, 09:51 PM

Jason
245/75 may be a better size for a midly lifted D1,you may not need to do as bigger mods to keep them from rubbing.
Try and get as much advice before comiting to the wide tyres,may save you a packet in the end.
Andrew

taff

2nd July 2007, 10:14 PM

andy the tyres on the car at the moment are 245 75 16 so i definately want bigger and am sold on the idea of of 265 75 16.

blitz do you have any photos/templates of your car/guards so i could have a look before i commence the cutting.
i think i'm going to go with flares as said earlier but still not sure as to wether to use d2 flares or some other aftermarket ones. what do you have on yours?
with regards the offset rims - i want to keep the alloys i have on the car and think i would rather lose some of the turning circle.
jason

Ace

3rd July 2007, 08:42 PM

Hi Taff, i trimmed my guards to allow room for the 31's i run on trips, you wont need to trim all the way around as the tyres will only rub, or catch on the bottom of the guard behind the wheel.

When i did mine i wasnt fussed about appearance so i measure 8cm back from the section of gaurd closest to the wheel back towards where the mud flap is mounted. I then took the car out and put it under full flex to make the tyres rub, then measured a straight line up the guard from my mark 8cm in up to where the tyre rubbed and added some for good measure.

You could just guess, but you need to go up a fair way behind the wheel, you wont need to cut the arch at the top or the front at all, well i didnt.

I know the 265's will fit the rear with this done, but i am keen to hear how you go with the front and if they catch there at all, they shouldnt, my 31's dont, and the 265's are about 15mm larger in radius. Matt

taff

4th July 2007, 06:58 AM

thanks again all
now having tyres fitted on thursday so i got time to play with the arches on friday.
i've ordered a set of flares but as they're coming from the east i might not have them till monday so probably just trim off what i need to till i get them.
will let you know how much and take some pics.
blitz, i dont want to offset rims as i have a nice set of alloys that i want to use so i think i'd rather lose a bit of the turning circle.
ace did you need to adjust the stops.
jason

PeterM

4th July 2007, 11:52 AM

Just wait until you get the flares before the cutting commences. As long as you don't go attacking any driveways quickly of go off road you'll be ok.

taff

10th July 2007, 07:16 PM

hi all finally got the flares today and commenced the cutting of my beloved.
done 1 rear so far and am more than a little dissapointed. the contour or the two that make up one rear arch are slightly different which means one pokes out a little more than the other ( something i'm going to haave to sort out!):mad: and the colour of them is ****ing awful.
hope these links work

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/768223774/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/768223820/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/768223832/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/768223876/

if i scratch them up a little with some wet and dry will a black primer "take" to them?

taff

10th July 2007, 08:45 PM

right guy's i'm not happy with the look of the car with these flares/tyres so i've now thinking of selling the goodyear mtr's 265 75 16 that i had fitted last thurs and putting on a set of 35"s.
what else will i need to do and any ideas on cost to run 35's on my disco?
i.e crown wheel & pinion
new diff's etc

regards
jason

Vern

10th July 2007, 09:06 PM

First up is axles, then diffs!
Just paint the flares to same as the car, might help them to blend in a bit

Utemad

10th July 2007, 09:10 PM

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/07/399.jpg

It is hard to tell without seeing a whole of vehicle photo but it does look like a big flare for that size tyre.

Mick-Kelly

10th July 2007, 09:12 PM

I thought it looked pretty good. 35's are a serious proposition for a disco. I would stick with what you've got and invest in some maxi axles and maybe a diff lock first. Then If your still unhappy you could look at the engineering for 35's. I wouldn't run 35's with the standard axles or standard diff ratios anyway. You might run into legal issues over there with a spring lift and 35's as well.

taff

11th July 2007, 06:42 PM

next chapter...

finished the other rear today and started on the fronts, again had to cut a load off and according to the instructions was to remove and disregard the inner plastic guard as it was too big.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/775664748/

i decided that i wanted to keep it to stop dirt and what ever else being thrown up inside the arch so decided to play with it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/775664756/in/photostream/

after folding it up i covered it all with a tub of silicone filling in all the gaps where i'd cut and where it met the outside of the arch before fitting the flare.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/775664794/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/775664798/in/photostream/

just one more flare to do before refitting all the trims and sealing underneath which will be done on friday and i'll then post some pics of it finished and up underneath the flares.

Mick-Kelly

11th July 2007, 07:58 PM

taff

11th July 2007, 08:04 PM

thats a nice job mick and the finish that i want to pit on my flares in that they are matt and not gloss. what size tyres have you got on?
i got quoted twice the price for purchasing a set of disco 2 flares over the ones i have but will probably end up spending the difference on paint. did you have the same problem with the inner guard?

Mick-Kelly

11th July 2007, 08:08 PM

What size tyre are you currently using. Mine are 235/85/16 or 31.75 in the old money? I trimmed about an inch off the edge of the inner guard. There is a gap but it is negligible. I was supposed to fit the rear guards today but i still cant get my head around the rear door fitting. It doesn't have the horizontal bottom to the flare like the rest.

taff

11th July 2007, 08:19 PM

my tyres are 265 75 16.
doing the back is pretty scary especially when your cutting into the door but the flares i bought curve around the door and hide everything you've cut. i also had to cut the arch behind the door but was supplied a rubber seal to replace the old seal as that's no longer attched to the door. i'll take some photos of the inside of the rear door tomorrow and put them on.
my instuctions stae to mark 295mm from the bottom of the forward edge of the door as your cut line and 75mm down from the dip in the panel as the top most part of the cut line but having d2 flares yours will be different

Vern

11th July 2007, 08:35 PM

Just block back the flares with some 800 wet and dry, that should take the shine off them, then get some bigger rubber to sit under the gaurds:D

awabbit6

11th July 2007, 08:47 PM

Its interesting to compare the amount of cutting you have done to mine. I used disco two flares though. Seemed to need a lot less metal cut out.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/07/393.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/07/394.jpg

Looks good Mick. Sorted out the bullbar too!;) Did you have to trim the flare at all?

I'll be interested to see how you tackle the rears. I haven't had a good look at mine yet - I don't have the rubber to justify needing them ... yet!

Mick-Kelly

11th July 2007, 08:58 PM

Havent had to trim the flares. The side section on these flares is a curved L if that makes sense. What ive been doing so far is taping the flare on and marking up the cut line to sit just above the horizontal section of the curved L. Ive then cut the guard and moved the cut section up the body panel before rivetting it back on. This means the lip of the guard is still there to attach the bottom of the flare to. On the rear door section the side profile is just a curved I. Its missing the horizontal portion that I have been using to rivet the flare to the guard lip. Obviously the door section doesn't have a lip though. Looking at it today the inner guard behind the door has this lip. This bit has to be cut out anyway so I am thinking up a way to use this riveted onto the freshly cut door to attach the flare to. More beer is needed though.
What have you been using to do the cuts? Yours look very neat.

taff

14th July 2007, 11:18 AM

i'm pretty much done with my flares now theres still a few niggly bits to be done like remove rear and sand inner done a little so it fits flush but i'm ALMOST there and it's staying this way till next week cos i'm going out in the mud tomorrow:D

sorry about redirecting to pics i'm not very good with technology and don't know how to put them on here :(

after playing with inner guard and folding it over i used expanding foam to fill in all the gaps left from the cuts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/803270817/

i then filled over with silicone to totally weather seal it. it needs a couple more coats to make it smooth but will sort that out next week.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/803270875/

and the finished article.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/803270913/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/803270923/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83294736@N00/803270969/

like i said guys sorry about the links but not too good on computers.

jason.

Mick-Kelly

14th July 2007, 12:51 PM

Looking good. That foam is a good idea. Where did you get your clear indicators?

mcrover

14th July 2007, 01:29 PM

I think it looks good, other than the clear indicators, sorry I just dont go for that look but each to their own.

Dont your front wheels hit the front of the side steps? they look mighty close.

I think it would look even better minus the wide side steps and fit sliders where the plastic sill panel is and then it would give you about 2" more sill clearence as well and you wouldnt get hung up on the steps.

Im not a huge fan of flares but I think yours have come up ok, I prefer Micks D2 ones though as they dont have the screw holes but yours seem to give you plenty of extra room for different tyre sets.

I think they would look great in matt black, and with a bit of wet and dry you could just take the gloss off and then hit it with etch primer and then hit them with 2 pack matt black.

taff

14th July 2007, 02:11 PM

dullbird

14th July 2007, 06:26 PM

thanks guys i'm not fussy on the colour either and would prefer them in matt black just didn't know wether or not paint would take - now i do i'll be painting them soon. :)
the wheels dont foul on the steps tho sliders are on my to do list which is still pretty long :(
the clear indicators i had sent over from the u.k by my old man whos still there. i've also requested clear ones for the back and will also do the ones on the bullbar. he's coming over to visit soon so i'm getting my requests in now and hopefully he'll bring me over a suitcase full of goodies :)

hey taff i have clears on my'n to i think they look good on dark cars i think your car looks great nice job on the flares not a lover of flares either but i would have it done to mine if i needed it and if a good job has been done i think they do look the biz

lou