Visit our Popular Forums

69Silvrbelle · 07-10-2020, 01:09 PM

Alright braintrust!
In the restoration process, I have replaced my wheelwells with the dual axle ones made of a black poly I believe. The restoration has an entire new floorplan and I was wondering that after the black poly ones are installed do you cover those with a plywood cover or box built over/around the poly ones? There will be cabinets built over the wheelwells. I was thinking in a blowout situation the tire would come right through the poly and nothing stopping the shredding tire from shredding everything inside.

I would love a photo or two and all opinions!
Thank you, thank you!

Al

InsideOut · 07-10-2020, 01:19 PM

You could put a shaped metal cap (riveted aluminum) over the poly ones. I think they would take up less space than and be a bit more durable than plywood. However, in a catastrophic tire failure neither are going to be much help in protecting the contents of the cabinets over the wheel wells. It's more as a second layer of defense from moisture & debris if a small hole develops in the poly...

Shari

batman · 07-10-2020, 02:03 PM

69Silvrbelle,
I think it's a great idea to cover the inside of the wheel wells. My .02

In my 64 Safari the wheel wells are made of galvanized sheet metal that is pretty thick. However I still insulated and covered them with 3/8 ply and incorporated them into the cabinets, for example under the galley sink I made a shelf for storage and under the dinette is a covered shelf with power for 12v accessories, TV and phone jacks. Carry on!

-Dennis

Disco Stu · 07-10-2020, 09:47 PM

These were pretty easy to make, a bit of time went into the riveting though.

InsideOut · 07-11-2020, 10:46 AM

Ha! I found a picture of ours (a single axle)...double layer metal with insulation between the layers - posted for additional ideas. They are original to our '56 Safari.

Shari

P.S. Yours are gorgeous Disco!