rear wheel arches

[bongonic]

Hi to all do's enyone out there no were I can get rear wheel arches for my bongo as mine need to be replaced nick .

[francophile1947]

Contact the breakers that advertise on this site, but be warned that it's an expensive job to have done properly.

[johnnybee]

Hi Bongonic
I am having my Bongo rear arches done at the moment by a body shop in Earls Colne Essex.
The man has used a "universal" wheel arch which is widely available but does need work to make it look right, not a DIY job I would think.
I have seen the job before spraying and I am quite impressed.
I will let you know what it's like once the job is finished.

Only trouble is of course even if it's great Earls Colne is a long way from Boston.
You may find a body shop near you who can do the job.

John

[Bongo bus]

Hi Bongonic
I am having my Bongo rear arches done at the moment by a body shop in Earls Colne Essex.
The man has used a "universal" wheel arch which is widely available but does need work to make it look right, not a DIY job I would think.
I have seen the job before spraying and I am quite impressed.
I will let you know what it's like once the job is finished.

Only trouble is of course even if it's great Earls Colne is a long way from Boston.
You may find a body shop near you who can do the job.

John

Sounds good...don't forget to show us a pic when its finished

[mikeonb4c]

Hi Bongonic
I am having my Bongo rear arches done at the moment by a body shop in Earls Colne Essex.
The man has used a "universal" wheel arch which is widely available but does need work to make it look right, not a DIY job I would think.
I have seen the job before spraying and I am quite impressed.
I will let you know what it's like once the job is finished.

Only trouble is of course even if it's great Earls Colne is a long way from Boston.
You may find a body shop near you who can do the job.

John

This sounds really interesting as finding old breakers yard Bongos with good arches for cutting out and fitting may not be that simple looking into the future. It would be great to see pics and it would even make an interesting brief factsheet, along with the bodywork companies details for anyone else able to get there (or maybe so they can discuss with a bodywork specialist close to them). Good luck and hope it turns out good.

[mikexgough]

One has to wonder if there is any merit to do as in other Car clubs, when certain parts become difficult to find or unobtainable the clubs create a Spares section, folks contribute a member fee for "shares" and that determines the discounts they get on the parts.
The member fee collected then goes to produce said item(s)....when the cash rolls in in the small profit then more spares get added to the catalogue.....and so on
Maybe the first item should be wheel arches...?

[mikeonb4c]

One has to wonder if there is any merit to do as in other Car clubs, when certain parts become difficult to find or unobtainable the clubs create a Spares section, folks contribute a member fee for "shares" and that determines the discounts they get on the parts.
The member fee collected then goes to produce said item(s)....when the cash rolls in in the small profit then more spares get added to the catalogue.....and so on
Maybe the first item should be wheel arches...?

Very interesting that Mike as I have wondered at what point will spares (such as bodywork panels) for Bongos become a viable 'cottage' industry much as happens with old classic cars. Not a subject I know anything about though

[johnnybee]

I will be happy to put pictures of the finished job (good or bad) on the forum so long as I remember how!
I am sure some one will help me out.
If the job is a good one and the man is up for it I will recomend him, although I know he is very busy and might not want any more publicity.
He has worked on a Bongo before removing a body kit but he deals mainly with classic cars, Ferrari, Darts and Cobras seem to be his staple jobs.

Mikexgough has a good idea I think.
I am a member of the TR Register and own a TR4A, many years ago they started "The New Spares Fund" we all put in a bit of money as a loan to produce just a few parts that were getting hard to find.
Now you can practically build a new TR from scratch.
The rear wheel arches on Bongos seem very vunerable to rust.
I can't imagine a repair panel to be that expensive to produce given how many could possibly be sold.
Depends on how attached people are to their Bongo.
Food for though anyway.
John.

[patnben]

Hi John,

Have sent you a PM.

Ben.

[Bin Bongoed]

I will be happy to put pictures of the finished job (good or bad) on the forum so long as I remember how!
I am sure some one will help me out.
If the job is a good one and the man is up for it I will recomend him, although I know he is very busy and might not want any more publicity.
He has worked on a Bongo before removing a body kit but he deals mainly with classic cars, Ferrari, Darts and Cobras seem to be his staple jobs.

Mikexgough has a good idea I think.
I am a member of the TR Register and own a TR4A, many years ago they started "The New Spares Fund" we all put in a bit of money as a loan to produce just a few parts that were getting hard to find.
Now you can practically build a new TR from scratch.
The rear wheel arches on Bongos seem very vunerable to rust.
I can't imagine a repair panel to be that expensive to produce given how many could possibly be sold.
Depends on how attached people are to their Bongo.
Food for though anyway.
John.

Tiz indeed a good idea. The info about the generic wheel arches, and how good it works in practice, will be very useful for the rest of us, and we don't all need to go to the same garage, just the knowledge that it works will be a huge help.

Re mikeonb4c's comment about the cottage industry, you'd think that there would already be enough interest in this subject for someone to specialise in it, and advertise on this site.

[mikexgough]

Happy to draw a proposal up for a "Spares club/section" and see what folk think

[mister munkey]

Theres definitely some mileage in this idea, another little worthy project for someone with time & experience of how this works.

I trust the Bongomiester can take this a step further . . . .

[johnnybee]

Hi Everybody,
I picked up The Bus yesterday and I am very pleased.
I will take some pictures tomorrow and e-mail them to Ben who has kindly offered to put them online for me.
Some observations.
The wheel arches are not quite exactly the same as standard.
The flair is slightly bigger and the arc of the arch is not quite the same.
But in comparison with the rusty originals it looks damn good.
I am being picky and I am sure unless you were deliberately looking for a difference you would not notice.
It will be interesting to put The Bus next to another Bongo to really see the difference.
The work done not only involved the rear wheel arches but included:
Repair scratches and digs in both bumpers and respray.
Fit bumper mounted rear fog light.
Remove mains electric socket, weld hole, fill and respray.
Repair minor blemishes and respray the whole vehicle below window line (this includes two Pheasant strikes on the Bonnet and nearside A post and a dent on the sliding door from a teenager using The Bus as a brake to stop the supermarket trolley he was riding in )
I have a really tidy Bongo again and I am very pleased with the job.
All welding has been waxoled inside and out so it stinks but at least it should last.
The whole lot cost £1500 so not cheap but worth it to me.
The Bus is in excellent mechanical shape and should last me another six years.
The man who did the job is Philip Ambrose contact him on 01787 221957.

[mikeonb4c]

Sounds excellent johnnybee and we'll be v. interested to see piccies when you get them posted.

[mister munkey]

Yep.

If you get six years out of your £1500, that works out about 68p per day.

Well done!!