Offside Rear Wheel Arch Repair

Been a few days since I was last in the garage but managed to grab a couple of hours this evening. I have to repair the wheel arches before the new rear floor panel can be fitted. 

Before I remove the bump stop plate I wanted to make sure that I had a good repair panel for the arch, so I went to work to make a custom one.

Below is what I need to create.

I thought the best way to reproduce the curve was to copy the better nearside arch.

I remember watching CarSOS on TV an they had a good method to get your cardboard template as close as you could.

As you can see by keeping the cardboard steady and using a hammer to gently tap around the line the cardboard falls away to leave the shape you need.

From that I flipped it over and created the full template and cut out the metal panel.

Close enough for now. I'll see how this matches up when it's time for the floor panel to be welded into place.

I finished off the evening by treating the rust in the supporting member. This involved using a wheel wire brush and sandpaper on the hard to reach places. Then coating in rust converter which should seal the metal for the time being and stop further rust. I will paint with chassis paint later on.

Good progress for a couple of hours!