RWA owners..I need a measurement

[64rocksprite]

Can someone with a RWA do me a favor and measure from the fender bead down to the top of the wheel arch? I know its along a tangent...but it will be close enough.

Thanks!

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I'd measure mine, but then you'd have to choose if you wanted the short measurement from the right hand side, or the long measurement from the left hand side. :wink:

 

[Baz]

Trevor, you're so right.
9 1/8" on the drivers side, 9" on the passenger side?????
I even measured twice.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Mine are far more different than that because of a mistake I made when doing the body work after the cars were grafted together. I might go measure just for giggles.

 

[64rocksprite]

Thanks Trevor and Barry
If it's roughly 9"..thats what I'm looking for.
At this point I have been trying to estimate from pictures...which depends greatly on camera angle!!

Appreciate the help...off to the sawzall!!

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Somebody wants some bigger tires I can tell! With the Bugeye Bonnet going on I'm tempted to do the same.

 

[64rocksprite]

Jim,
You got it!! My 175's just would not fit. I tried everyone's suggestions of 'rolling' the lip..still not enough room.
I like how the pass side came out.
Is it a <span style="font-weight: bold">perfect</span> circle? Naw..but I think it looks OK.
Everything I read on others making this mod was "used a pen on a string..and cut it out"
Seemed they were going really high into the body..not sure I liked how high other folks were going.
I tried to match the front the best I could, measured up from the bottom of the rocker.
It took me 4 tries of picking up the sawzall..then setting it down, thinking "do I really want to do this?"..Then I just said "GO". That first slice of the balde into her...that was scary

Gotta say..I really like the look with both wheel wells being round.
Now...I just have to re-produce this on the Driver side!!

 

[jlaird]

If you have a car with the long springs not the 1/4 elipics that non rounded wheel well was put on for strength. You just may need to add some braceing.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

So post a pic and we can vote on this one. Are you making an inside edge for strength.

 

[tony barnhill]

Here ya go:

https://www.theautoist.com/flaringwheelwells.htm

 

[64rocksprite]

Jack - this is a 1/4 elliptic car..but I am still looking at how to run a piece of square tubing from front to rear (above the arch) to help tie it together.
On the lip, I am still working that out..I am thinking of small angle iron..done in 4-5 sections so its easier to bend, but gives some rigidity. Making them match up at the ends will be tedious.
Here are some pics:
Oops..too big..I'll have to take some lower res shots and send them later.

I need to go get my buddies mig welder!

 

[tony barnhill]

Did you see my link above your last post?

 

[jlaird]

On a quarter ellipic car it will of course make no difference at all. Heck the rear of the car is not even needed to hold things together.

Cut and enjoy.

 

[64rocksprite]

Tony,
I did, thanks for posting it I had not seen that before. I think I'm past the point of using it though.
If I had seen that first, I would have tried that. All that sheet metal is gone now. (doh)
I put my new rims/tires on and pulled it out for pics, but they are too big to upload. I took some pics with reduced resolution..but the car is inside now (wife has me parked in!) I'll get those uploaded tonight.
The site I studied as much as I could was "the Mite":
https://the-mite.com/mite21.htm
If you scroll down that page a bit..you can see what he did. Very nice cut..VERY round (nice job!)

 

[drooartz]

Don't forget, Jack, that the original RWA Midgets were 1/2 elliptic. Probably not that big a deal -- they went back to the square arches to meet some new safety regs in late 1974.

Can't wait to see what you've come up with, 64rocksprite.

 

[tony barnhill]

Just got back from your web site...HOLY COW!!

 

[64rocksprite]

Tony,
No kiddin' huh? That guy is a master fabricator!! Not much left of that Sprite that is BMC! Pretty neat car though.

 

[64rocksprite]

OK..finally, my phone is the only thing that takes pics small enough to load..
I wish I could send the others. I had one of the whole car outside..so you could see both wheel wells..maybe I can work on shrinking that one.
See what you think.

 

[tony barnhill]

Man, those wheel arches are HUGE!

 

[drooartz]

Looks like good work. You're a brave soul to start cutting your car like that.