I'm looking to roll my arches on my mk3 polo coupe to fit bigger and wider wheels so the sit just in the arches after the lowering drop .

i work in a garage that tunes car so have a wide range of equiptment . what are the easyest ways to roll my arches and give them a slight flair ? would it be a hot air gun and a blow hammer ?

I'm struggiling to find anyone in colchester that can do it so thought i would try taking it into my own hands

anyhelp and i will be truely gratefully cheers

arch rolling tool and a heat gun

using a hammer will leave ripples and you'll have to skim with filler and then paint the panels

if you spend a few minutes searching, I believe there is a how to guide on how to make an arch rolling tool from an OE boot jack....

if you spend a few minutes searching, I believe there is a how to guide on how to make an arch rolling tool from an OE boot jack....

can do but they will never work anywhere as good as proper arch roller

i just finished rebuilding my car and whilst i had the arches off i had a go! Dont think this flares them but definately rolls them pretty good. I just put the outside down (if you know what i mean) on a piece of wood and tapped the lip with a dead blow hammer until it rolled them over, you have to keep rolling the whole arch as well though so the bit you are hitting is always flat on the wood. It does crack the paint, although i didnt use a heat gun, but as i was spraying them anyway i just flatted it all back, reprimed, and sprayed. Looks perfect, no ripples or anything! :)

I'm re spraying it anyway . not really worryed about paint or it the metal cracking as i will wheld it up . i will look up the how to do guide

cheers really appricate it . will post pictrures up when I've done the rolling to show you how it went

if you spend a few minutes searching, I believe there is a how to guide on how to make an arch rolling tool from an OE boot jack....

can do but they will never work anywhere as good as proper arch roller

A proper arch roller, having experienced one first hand, is really no more than a multi fit spacer welded to the carcass of a jack, with a giant skateboard wheel on the end, hardly something that a man withh a welder and the internet can't re-create!

if you spend a few minutes searching, I believe there is a how to guide on how to make an arch rolling tool from an OE boot jack....

can do but they will never work anywhere as good as proper arch roller

A proper arch roller, having experienced one first hand, is really no more than a multi fit spacer welded to the carcass of a jack, with a giant skateboard wheel on the end, hardly something that a man withh a welder and the internet can't re-create!

having used both i can tell you from first hand experience the homemade ones are terrible

Edited 17 November, 201015 yr by tahittiblue

I'd imagine it depends how well made the homebrew effort is.

I've seen it done with hammers and a heat gun . Surely it's like panel beating when doing it this way . I will give it a go at making the homemade roller . I'm sure with a little bit of care and commitment it could turn out good ?

banded steels in blackburn area do 2 arches for £50 they dnt damage the paintwork at all

Yeah but the thing is I'm looking for somewhere in Colchester , my cars a project ATM so won't be driving anywere ! :( it seams easyer to just give it a go myself !

banded steels in blackburn area do 2 arches for £50 they dnt damage the paintwork at all

banded steels are shit at rolling arches, heard so many bad stories about them damaging paintwork and leaving the arches a mess

Edited 17 November, 201015 yr by tahittiblue

They did mine, paint flaked on the rusty arches, the non rusty ones were fine.

Was £80 for four...

Yeah but the thing is I'm looking for somewhere in Colchester , my cars a project ATM so won't be driving anywere ! :( it seams easyer to just give it a go myself !

arch enemy cover that area mate I'm sure they can sort that for you in a few hours

the problem with arch enemy is they are franchises so some can quite well be crap and you can't complain to arch enemy

So bandedsteels with a proper arch roller are crap, arch enemy with proper rollers are crap and homemade arch rollers are crap, so what do you suggest? Do you think this guy with a proper arch roller or otherwise will do a better job than someone who does it for a living? Or are you volunteering?

So bandedsteels with a proper arch roller are crap, arch enemy with proper rollers are crap and homemade arch rollers are crap, so what do you suggest? Do you think this guy with a proper arch roller or otherwise will do a better job than someone who does it for a living? Or are you volunteering?

i never said all arch enemy franchises are crap but heard alot of bad stories about alot of them being crap, do you know what a franchise is????

heard alot of bad stories about banded steels and actually had to sort out 3 cars who had them done by them and they were a mess

i do it as part of my job

tbh you sound like a tw4t just trying to get an arguement out of me

Edited 18 November, 201015 yr by tahittiblue

Course I know what a franchise is! A franchise is an easy way to get economies of scale and national advertising for a small business which may or may not be good at what they do. The fact that they are a franchisee says nothing of the quality of their work. And although Arch Enemy won't be overly concerned if you complain the franchisee will be no less concerned about a complaint than a non franchise proprietor. And, off topic, how can you attempt to patronise me when you can't even spell and punctuate properly?

You have slated every suggestion here, and the only constructive post advised the lad to use an arch roller himself, I will repeat my earlier point; do you really think that a novice with an arch roller will do a better job than someone who does it for a living? I think not, and unless you have a suggestion, that looks like his best option.

I'll ignore the idiot comment, in light of the fact that you're clearly not very clever...

And, off topic, how can you attempt to patronise me when you can't even spell and punctuate properly?

its the internet son, doesn't have to be perfect english, i'm not taking an exam here and i have dyslexia, happy now?

and yes they might do it as a living (banded steels and arch enemy) but if they are crap whats the point getting them to do it because the person will have to go somewhere else to get it fixed

the best thing is to take it to a bodyshop with good reputation for doing them

if the guys in colchester i suggest going to jamie sharpe at sharpe concepts he is spot on and very decent on price

Edited 19 November, 201015 yr by tahittiblue

Of do as a friend of a friend has done and use a heat gun and a euro carpatrs catalogue folded in half, jam it in the arch gap and roll the car back and forwards! Pikey but apparently worked and dint crack the paint!!! Hahaha

Edited 19 November, 201015 yr by Pepe

Why didn't you say that then, seems like decent advice, why not just dish that out instead of just saying anyone elses ideas are crap?

And although perfect grammar isn't mandatory, you implied that I didn't know what a franchise is, you're making a judgement on my intelligence based on nothing, all I have to judge yours on is how you try to get a point across (with bad spelling and a foul attitude.)

And what's with the condescending 'it's the internet son'? You work in a bloody body shop how does that give you the right to go round calling me 'son' and 'a idiot'!?

saying anyone elses ideas are crap?

with bad spelling

firstly, where have i said other peoples ideas are crap? nowhere, i've just said from stories i've heard the places mentioned do crap work

secondly, dislexia

thirdly, get off your high horse, i can call you what i want, its a free world

and last but not least, i was asking you a question, you got it into your own mind that i was implying you didn't know what a franchise was

Edited 19 November, 201015 yr by tahittiblue

I think he may have thought u were implying he didn't know what one was by the fact you finished the somewhat reply with calling him a idiot!