With spridgets, you can do a couple of things to
a) allow wider rims and tyres
b) prevent rubbing (usually (always?) in conjunction with 1)
First thing to try is to fold the horizontal tab back up into the
wheel arch. This is often enough. Use a hammer and dolly, but cover
the dolly with a cloth of some kind. Here is what it looks like:
outer panel inner guard
| |
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\./ \./
| / \
| / \
| / \
|/ \
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/.\
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| Fold this tab up into wheel well. It gives you about 1/2"
The second step is to beat the inner guard outwards towards the outer
panel (with hammer and dolly again). This is a permanent deformation
of the inner guard and will buy you some additional clearance on bump.
The final step is to pump out the guard with a bottle jack and two
pieces of wood. This is a DIY flare. One block of wood rests against
the axle housing cutout, the bottle jack rests horizontally on this
block of wood, the second piece of wood (preferably with a curved
face) resting on the inner guard, (a large dolly will also do), jack
the panel out. This works *much* better if you have done step 2
above. In either case, you have to pump beyond what you want and let
it spring back.
Yes, it will cause the paint to crack if you pump it out much. You can
also cause bump or creases if you try too much at once, use a sharp
cornered block of wood, or too small a block of wood. The good side is
that if you are patient and careful, you can have a car which looks
original to the casual glance, but will fit up to 13x6" and 185/70
tyres without too much trouble.
Mike
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Mike Gigante Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
3D interactive graphics, Virtual Reality, british sports cars, and wine
http://mega.cgl.rmit.edu.au/~mg/ mg@mega.cgl.rmit.edu.au
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