Every year I like to get the grinder and mig welder out and cut back a few panels. I have owned a few Vauxhalls, and anyone with a Vauxhall knows the rear arches 'go' with a passion.
If we look at any Vauxhall arch, you will see that between the outer and inner skin at the arch, where the two skins join together ... well, supposed to join together. I've yet to see one that actually has a join and not a 1mm gap. This then fills with mud and stuff, and then gradually fills with salt and other corrosive materials off the road. They also did something of sheer genius. Those cars equipped with a sunroof, they are not waterproof, they leak, but they're designed that way. The rain drips in, and collects in a panel. It is they ran down a pipe. The pipe then runs to the back of the car, and empties itself ... you guessed it, into the rear arch. And there's only one way to go from there. It's orange, it loves bare metal, it's rust!

Since I've had the GSi, I've had a small bit of bubbling on the arch. This didn't bother me, as my black Astra, had terrible bubbling, and it wasn't that bad when I investigated.
I set to work with a steel wool tool on a drill, and ...







The only part of the arch that survived was the back part. There is also excessive rust on the inside, and the whole thing will have to be angle grinded out and replaced. Basically, it got to a stage where you tap it with a hammer and -chunks- of brown and orange metal fell out. There is also some around the petrol filler. Basically, if you've got an Astra, you will at some point get this.


More horrifying pics on their way!!

ps. I've outlined it in case you can't see it.

Is that all the rust out now or is there some stillin there?make sure u lead load the new arch u fit to prevent rust for longer.

What is the black rubber "door" behind the bumper.
I noticed shrek has one too

No, I need to get my little angle grinder on it. Basically, go around an inch outside the line I drew. Unfortunately, next door has a new kid, and I can only do it when he's out (they're bloody loud things).
There's a company that sell whole arches for about 12 quid, so it's not going to cost much. I just find it despicable that someone with no knowledge of fixing it has just slapped loads of filler on and it's just got worse, hidden behind the filler.
It'll be covered in lead and about an inch of waxoyl. Not doing this again and again!

I don't know what that black thing is for to be honest. It's some sort of vent. Or maybe it's to let water in? I just welded a piece of metal over it on the black one.

Cut back the paint on the other side, and it was nowhere near as bad as the other side. phew! Still a whopping great big hole that I pushed through with my finger.
note to self, never buy another ungalvanized car again.

stationmeik fancy doing my arches

Thats a lot of rot

Good to see its getting sorted and your not just leaving it to get worse Much respect for doing it yourself too

metal worm is a common thing on us older cars. rewardin when sorted tho. gud luk m8y.

Does anyone know where I can get bits of metal from. I only need a few strips, nothing excessive. I don't need a new arch, having looked it's not as bad as it looks. Basically, I've removed all the surface rust, which most of it was, and all the incurable parts have been cut out.
All the parts that commonly go are still fine, which surprised me, even the inside of the sills are like new. phew!

I'll have to decline the offer Daz, I've put it off for a whole year, it's something I totally do not like doing at all!!!

Oh, I need a MIG Welder if anyone knows where to hire them cheap!

any idea what the costa re for fixing rear archs. thne again might sell it.

Put a picture up. The thing with arches, you've either got clean ones, or they're totally rusted, there's no in between.
I think about 200 quid for both, depends were you go. I'm going to fix one, get the other side done professionally, and then spray them myself.

Heh, no rust on my arches lucky me

Shrek was bubblin on 1 side and had a thumb sized bit of rust on the other side. I was quoted 200 for the pair to be proffesh fixed,shame it died a few days later lol

It has to be sorted as soon as it appears, and it all has to be cut out. Some people like to cut a little bit out and then either weld a new panel over the old one (so the rust continues to spread), or cut a bit away and fill the whole lot with P38 filler. I did this about five years ago and it lasted 1 month!!

I've cut the whole stinking lot out with the angle grinder, forgot to use ear protection though, totally deaf now!! Also cut straight through my finger. And I ground back all the tiny bits of advanced stone chip rust, and waxoyled them. Anyway, have ordered two new arches.
So tempted to get some wide arches and weld those in...

my rear arches are totally gone, so will need cutting out and replacing. was just thinking about flared arches, but who sells them i have seen them but cant find them now??

Why is it the vauxhalls seem to go so rusty?

Is the paint thinner or something, i used to own an 18 year old VW which had no rust on at all, but my GF's Astra is rusting like no-ones business and it is years newer

pre '95 vx's wherent galvernised.

Something called a 5 year anti-corrosion warranty.
After that they rust (they do).

It really does depend on how theyre kept,how often there driven,and how much it rains etc. On my next car to prevent it rusting im going to completely clean out all the arches and sills and fill them with something....something that will keep them clean and dry for years to come.~And some sort of dessicator too

haha lmao mine was done 9 months ago a proper bodyshop who bloody well bodged it they cut the arch fully out even the bit with my rear doors inside and guess wat its comin back so back to the bodyshop 4 me luckily ity nt surfaced yet but............just slight slight slight bubbles r showin but it looks like paint run and u couldnt tell unless i told ya but its iunderneath where i spotted it ive used a rust pen at the minute but surly they shouldnt have gone agen that quickly if they were done properly?????im takin my car back neway cause i nt happy!!!!!

what did u pay? i wouldnt expect them to fix it properly for u mate. If they are proper bodgers they aint gonna help ya out fella. Unfortunate but true. Hit em with trading standards advice straight away

£400-£500 that was 4 full cuttin out of rear arches replacin them fixin front bumper resprayin it (which is now startin 2 crack the fibreglasas) nearly half of a repray and some fillin,rearbumper resprayin and dent pullin out ....it was my dads m8 who did it but im a bit disapointed tbh lol he owns a bodyshop thats whhere it was 4 about a month or 2!!!!and im gutted its comin back bein as my moneys bein sorted out 4 a mad respray soon!!!!but im unsure wheather 2 go 4 it?????or buy a white r reg mk3 saloon TOTALLY STANDARD AND MUST BE IMMACULATE!!!!!!and swappin bits over on 2 the newrer 1 2 save all the hassle of rust all time and puttin the k reg 1 the 1 i have now bacvk 2 standard with the bits off the standard 1 and sellin it 2 maybe make at least summat lol???asny ideas

Thats an awful lot of work for very little money.anyway to avoid postdriftin we will end it here.

Filler will crack if the thing that is filled is weak. It need to be re-inforced with lots of fibreglass behind the cracks and filler all over it. As for the rusty arches. He mustnt of put new arches in as new painted metal wont rust that fast. Get it done again mate or swap cars like u sed. The next car u get tho will rust through soon after u buy it.Its a common thing on 10 year old cars. Just have to pay to get it completely removed and new rust prevention methods used on NEW arches

just a quick question m8 is it worth a full respray????if all works done propperly or will it just rust agen but cost even more cause paint would be summat like the supra orange off fast and the furious
cheers

All the rust has to be removed, every last speck. Once it is formed, it can be sealed up as much as you can, but it'll continue to grow without any contact with moisture.

It obviously wasn't done properly by the body shop. If all the rust was removed, the arch was treated with zinc primer (including the welds) and it was totally sealed up, it would have lasted years.

cheers m8y the blokes a good lad so hell do it no hassle!!!!im just a bit anooyed hes done a crap job!!!lol

Why dont you get some flared arches they would look fat an your car

I'd love them, but they cost £1,300!!


Good for hiding the rusty bits as well.

wow i want some please tell me where i could get some pleeeease would they fit on my saloon???????

Im sure a saw them for less but i cant remeber where i saw them, there just pre-pressed steel which you weld in place of a new arch. you will then need the whole wing painting, would be easier to get a full respay methinks. russell, unsure if they would fit but im sure a decent bodyshop could make them.

imagine how good theyd look on mine lol just had a thought though my front bumper sides would have 2 be extended!!!!!

The fronts would definately, but the rear's would be in the way of the door. If you cut a piece off, and sort it so it stays on the door.
They're by Rieger, the kit's called Rieger Infinity II.
The bumpers and skirts are ABS plastic, the arches are GRP, but if they're front Rieger, I'd hope they're metal.

id wanna keep my kit just the arches id want mod them and so on lol!!!!

The bumper's are wider to accomodate the arches, you'd have to make your's wider too. Would look nice with really wide wheels as well.


So this weekend, I completely stripped the car, the whole interior came out so it was totally bare. I checked the whole body, and only found a speck of rust on the floorpan, where the drain hole plug had come out. Gave everything a good clean, scrubbed the carpets, spent the whole rewiring and taping up the interior loom.
I repaired some of the bodywork, grinding away little spots of forming rust, waxoyling over it, Hammeriting it, the priming it and then spraying it. Stone chips will never get through that. Put half the interior back in, got too dark and retired.

Will start welding the arches in tommorow finally!

is it worth strippin mine????/and doin wat uve done???u sound like u no astras inside and out do u no wat ur doin with them????just thought id ask just in case i need 2 no some info from u 4 mine???yea thats wat i was thinkin of doin just extending my bumpers cause i bet no1s seen them archeson a mk3 saloon that had mcr bumper skirts and irmsher back bumper lol!!!!!
is it a big job 2 to do wat uve done????
cheers m8

wat u reaken 2 my skirts with thewm arches would it need 2 be seriously modded!!!lol

jesus meik thats no small job you have undertaken with the astra. those arches i have seen in metal and they are weld in pieces im still trying to think where i've seen them.

lenk opel tuning.........

As sold by regal. unsure about the astra butt hey do them for the calibra so should fit astra rear arches as they are weld in

You use a 'joggler' on the panel, so it fits flush with the main body panel. Then spot weld and grind the welds away. Then the fun part, filling and painting.

Astra one:



Calibra arch:

man u really clever by looks of things where do u workon it and spray it and that?????/