Technical questions and answers about the Mazda Bongo
Moderators: Doone, westonwarrior
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marmaduke
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by marmaduke » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:44 pm
Hi I have been searching the forum about rear wheel arches repair and replacement. Most posts on this topic advise to replace them with a Ford Transit 00-06 Mk6 wheel arches however I am unsure whether these are for a SWB or LWB transit. Also does anyone know if the SWB and LWB are the same?
Would appreciate help as I have to take the van for MOT next month so need to get the work done asap.

Thanks
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mister munkey
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by mister munkey » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:48 pm
LWB.
All info
HERE

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marmaduke
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by marmaduke » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:59 pm
Nice one...
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stuc
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by stuc » Mon Feb 14, 2011 10:48 pm
Hi somewhere else on the forum someone said VW T4 arches also fit does anyone know if this is correct as the transit ones look too short at the back and need quite a bit of work to make them look original.
Do what you like.Like what you do.
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mister munkey
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by mister munkey » Mon Feb 14, 2011 11:04 pm
Just done a search for T4 Arches, it came up with 85 pages of results.
Went back through the first 45 pages & can't find any reference to T4s being fitted on a Bongo. If its there somewhere, its a pre - 2009 posting . . . . .
Ran out of time now. Din dins on the table.

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Doone
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by Doone » Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:02 pm
I can't find anything on the forum that says the T4 wheel arches will fit the Bongo. But someone may know different.

(The forum does mention that T4 centre caps fit some Bongo wheels and that T4 external sunscreens fit.)
Allans Garage retired. Try PGS (Plymouth Garage Services) or Mayflower Auto Services Plymouth
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mp3oplecarrier
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by mp3oplecarrier » Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:20 pm
I'm planning on having a go at this myself come the spring, I have a Mig welder in the shedwaiting for me to have a play with... One question though... is it just the outer skin of the bodywork that needs welding, or do you have to weld to the inner arches as well?
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g8dhe
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by g8dhe » Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:29 pm
Interested in this as well as ours will need doing very soon, the Lush projects body diagram;
http://www.lushprojects.com/bongopartsm ... o=.html#26
suggests that 70-112/113 might be spot welded to the outer body skin as I can't see any sign of fixings ? Hence where the moisture gets trapped ?
Geoff
2001 Aero V6, AFT, full side conversion.
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stuc
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by stuc » Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:44 pm
Hi depending on how bad the rust is the inner arches may be corroded as well. Mine are really bad so i will have to replace the inners. You can fabricate and patch them if not too bad. My panel beater has suggested that whatever outer wheelarches i buy,i should buy 2 sets for each side then he can cut the section needed for the inner and weld in the new section and then the outer will match the shape excatly when laid on top. Be very careful with the MIG when welding the outer arch on as it is very easy to distort the rest of the panel with the heat generated and would lead to a lot of filling. We were thinking of maybe bonding the the new outers on to avoid this.
Do what you like.Like what you do.
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g8dhe
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by g8dhe » Thu Feb 17, 2011 11:33 am
Well just to add to the pricing info.we got a quote (written) yesterday to repair our two rear arches, the offside has just popped the paint for a couple of inches at the bottom and the nearside has rust stain markings in the same place just the lowest couple of inches again The quote from a firm in Sussex was for £570 inc materials and VAT, given the size of the problem he didn't think that it would be worth getting a pair of arches and would fabricate as needed going a couple of inches beyond the existing rusting areas but he did include in the cost one arch replacement to cover himself. Painting would cover the whole lower area on the rear quarter on both sides and the sliding door to ensure colour match.
Geoff
2001 Aero V6, AFT, full side conversion.
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tallbongo
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by tallbongo » Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:52 pm
I've been getting quotes for this and some other bodywork too (tailgate and a little around the front arches). The rear arches came to £290 + painting costs, which seems ok. The painting costs are alarming me. I've been quoted £120 per panel or part of, with no reduction for the fact that three of the panels needing work are the same colour and adjoining.
This suggests to me that the painter is just going to belend in the areas affected. I'm considering a getting quotes to respray the bottom half silver up to the seam.
Opinions and experiences of respraying costs would be welcomed.
95 N Reg 4WD Manual AFT Bongo

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321Away
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by 321Away » Thu Feb 17, 2011 3:33 pm
From experience, cutting out and fabricating as needed is at best a temporary solution, as if your arches are rusting in 1 place, they'll be rusting alla long the seam. Said before, the bongo's have a seam of tape running over the arch which collects and hold the water allowing it to rust from the inside out, cut a bit of your outer panel away and you'll see it, about 15mm wide follows the curve of the arch and is sandwhiched between inner and outer arches, The only way to stop it is to cut out the arches,replace, seam seal and underseal inside and out to death, thinning some down to ensure full penetration.
Julian
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g8dhe
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by g8dhe » Thu Feb 17, 2011 6:41 pm
321Away wrote:From experience, cutting out and fabricating as needed is at best a temporary solution, as if your arches are rusting in 1 place, they'll be rusting alla long the seam. Said before, the bongo's have a seam of tape running over the arch which collects and hold the water allowing it to rust from the inside out, cut a bit of your outer panel away and you'll see it, about 15mm wide follows the curve of the arch and is sandwiched between inner and outer arches, The only way to stop it is to cut out the arches,replace, seam seal and underseal inside and out to death, thinning some down to ensure full penetration.
Julian
Julian thanks for that and taking on-board what you say, partly why I thought I'd post what was described as the fix.
I take it that this "tape" sits between the green Outer arch and the Blue inner arch on the modified diagram below ? Is it some form of double sided body tape ? Or have I got the wrong end of the stick ?

Geoff
2001 Aero V6, AFT, full side conversion.
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SimonT
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by SimonT » Thu Feb 17, 2011 10:27 pm
This is a pic of a bongo with these thin plastic arches you see sometimes, which looks like an excellent solution.
I am not sure who the owner is, so I hope they dont mind me posting a pic,
but I would love to know what arches these are and where you can get them done.

Simon from Exeter
Bongotastic !!