Yupster
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Brentwood CA
So I've been recently contemplating the old cut and fold rear fender job on my 01 and decided to go for it. One thing that was holding me back was the existing Bushwacker flares. I searched everywhere and couldn't find anyone that had:
A: Bushwacker Flares
B: Cut and Fold rear quarter panels
So needless to say it was kinda tough to make the plunge and see what happens. My concern was cutting the Bushwacker flares and having the bottom of the flare open to filling up with mud and junk. There are plenty of other threads that discuss the the fender mod.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=29750&highlight=quarter+panel+fold
Or
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/cut-fold-rear-lower-quarter-panels-right-way-1007865/
I referenced both for the initial cut and fold method and I thought I would share what I did with my existing bushwacker flares. I know that Napier has a finished product to work with this mod but why spend the $$ when the only extra tool you need from the other cut and fold process is a heat gun; < $30 and handy to have around.
In all the pictures I'm using I had already completed the cut and fold process.
It was a bit of a pain to work around the flare so I would recommend modifying the flare before you do the cut and fold. In the beginning I was going to have the flair end at the bottom of the crease as seen in the picture below. I changed my mind after looking at some of the other pictures with the stock flares and after looking at the JCR CNF rear bumper, which is on order.
This is the first cut on the flare that I made. I just used my angle grinder, it smelled great and gave me a pretty clean cut and is easy to control. The important part about this cut is that you don't go all the way through on the flat inner part of the flare. You'll be using that part soon.
Next, I moved my tape line up to match the upper crease in the quarter panel. Basically the location where the stock flare would end in a 97+ XJ. Cut along the red lines, leave the tab on the right so we can fold that in later. Once again be sure not to cut all the way through the inner part of the fender flare! that's our fold line.
Next you'll need to cut a little part of the inner fender so that you can fold the flare up to cover the pocket. I cut in about 1". Cut the 1" fold line at about the same level as the new bottom of your flare. I started playing with the heat gun a little so you'll notice the left side is already a little warped.
Next you'll heat up 3 main parts of the flare.
1. The width of the flare (along the tape measure in the above pic)
2. The full height where you made the 1" cut.
3. The tab you saved on the outer part of the flare
When using the heat gun I would highly recommend using some leather gloves so you can mold the plastic. It gets HOT!
Note: be patient with this part and don't over heat the plastic. It can bubble or become to soft and get wavy.
Once warm enough to bend you'll fold the strip closest to the body toward the rear of the XJ. Then you can start fold the whole assembly up, you'll tuck the outer tab into the flare and get it somewhat level. I let the pieces cool down a little between folds to get it just the way I want it. If your main fold doesn't go just right you can heat it up and form it from the inside with a ruler or putty knife. Now it should look something like this...
Next I trimmed the flap and made some cuts so that I would have additional tabs to fold in to clean up the edges.
Next just heat up the tabs and gently fold them in under the flare. Once I had everything tucked in, I rounded the edges in a little bit to hold the piece in place a little better. I took some time with the front corner too and molded it in to get a clean corner. You can use a putty knife here too to help mold things in place.
The finished product
And that's it! With the Cut and Fold process and paint and everything I'd say it took me about 8 hours. I was taking my time though. Hope someone else finds this helpful.
A: Bushwacker Flares
B: Cut and Fold rear quarter panels
So needless to say it was kinda tough to make the plunge and see what happens. My concern was cutting the Bushwacker flares and having the bottom of the flare open to filling up with mud and junk. There are plenty of other threads that discuss the the fender mod.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=29750&highlight=quarter+panel+fold
Or
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/cut-fold-rear-lower-quarter-panels-right-way-1007865/
I referenced both for the initial cut and fold method and I thought I would share what I did with my existing bushwacker flares. I know that Napier has a finished product to work with this mod but why spend the $$ when the only extra tool you need from the other cut and fold process is a heat gun; < $30 and handy to have around.
In all the pictures I'm using I had already completed the cut and fold process.
It was a bit of a pain to work around the flare so I would recommend modifying the flare before you do the cut and fold. In the beginning I was going to have the flair end at the bottom of the crease as seen in the picture below. I changed my mind after looking at some of the other pictures with the stock flares and after looking at the JCR CNF rear bumper, which is on order.
This is the first cut on the flare that I made. I just used my angle grinder, it smelled great and gave me a pretty clean cut and is easy to control. The important part about this cut is that you don't go all the way through on the flat inner part of the flare. You'll be using that part soon.
Next, I moved my tape line up to match the upper crease in the quarter panel. Basically the location where the stock flare would end in a 97+ XJ. Cut along the red lines, leave the tab on the right so we can fold that in later. Once again be sure not to cut all the way through the inner part of the fender flare! that's our fold line.
Next you'll need to cut a little part of the inner fender so that you can fold the flare up to cover the pocket. I cut in about 1". Cut the 1" fold line at about the same level as the new bottom of your flare. I started playing with the heat gun a little so you'll notice the left side is already a little warped.
Next you'll heat up 3 main parts of the flare.
1. The width of the flare (along the tape measure in the above pic)
2. The full height where you made the 1" cut.
3. The tab you saved on the outer part of the flare
When using the heat gun I would highly recommend using some leather gloves so you can mold the plastic. It gets HOT!
Note: be patient with this part and don't over heat the plastic. It can bubble or become to soft and get wavy.
Once warm enough to bend you'll fold the strip closest to the body toward the rear of the XJ. Then you can start fold the whole assembly up, you'll tuck the outer tab into the flare and get it somewhat level. I let the pieces cool down a little between folds to get it just the way I want it. If your main fold doesn't go just right you can heat it up and form it from the inside with a ruler or putty knife. Now it should look something like this...
Next I trimmed the flap and made some cuts so that I would have additional tabs to fold in to clean up the edges.
Next just heat up the tabs and gently fold them in under the flare. Once I had everything tucked in, I rounded the edges in a little bit to hold the piece in place a little better. I took some time with the front corner too and molded it in to get a clean corner. You can use a putty knife here too to help mold things in place.
The finished product
And that's it! With the Cut and Fold process and paint and everything I'd say it took me about 8 hours. I was taking my time though. Hope someone else finds this helpful.
