Fender swap?

I've got a 95 XJ that I was planning on trimming the fenders under the side marker lights so they were flush. Well now it needs new fenders and I found that 97 and newer fenders seem to be like this already. Does anyone know if they would be a bolt on swap? The plastic fender mounts don't matter as eventually I'll be mounting TJ flares, but will the fender itself bolt right up?
TIA!

No, The upper body line want match your header panel and your header panel won't bolt to those fenders without modifying them. It would be easier and cheaper to get the right fenders and cut them off or get the complete late model front end. hope this helps

Is the header panel the piece that says Jeep on it? cause thats in 3 pieces and also needs to be replaced, along with the grille, passengers side lights and trim, and bumper. I went off the road and damaged most of the front end, but at least it justifies getting an aftermarket front bumper to protect the new parts!

If all those parts are getting replaced, would they all fit from a newer XJ?
I would imagine the parts will cost quite a bit more though....

If you are replacing the header and grille with the fenders, yes it will all fit the older chassis. And yes, the parts will cost more. They shouldn't, but the Chinese fender sources haven't started offering the low-cost sheet metal for the newer body style yet. Quadratec's prices for the new fenders are about double the price for the old style, which doesn't make sense at all because the newer one actually has less metal in it.

If it's that much more, I'll just get a mix of new and junkyard parts! My dad said he managed to find a guy online willing to sell him new fenders for like $55 each. Is that a pretty good price or should I keep looking?

If that's for the new style, it's half what I've seen them selling for. It's about average for the older style.

If you swap from the old style to the new style fender you will also have to relocate your vacuum canister. Currently it is on the passenger side on the bumper or the area of the fender you are planning to cut. I can’t remember exactly where it was; I moved mine a while back. Relocating it is no big deal, just pick a spot in the engine bay and run some tubing to it. The canisters don’t hold up well to a saws all and cost $9.97 at the dealer. Ask me how I know :laugh3:

The $55 was for an older one, a stock replacement for my 95.

I'm pretty sure I'll need a new vacuum canister, since my bumper and fender on the passengers side are currently residing in the fender well and under the radiator......

When I said I went off the road in an earlier post I was kind of vague....I landed in a stream nose down after going off a 6 foot stone wall, so the whole front end is shot. I also need a new airbag. Luckily I always wear my seatbelt and I drive a Cherokee. If I was in any other vehicle I probably wouldn't have walked away....

Also, after all this damage, it still runs and drives! I'm back at school without it, but I've been told that it will turn all the way to the left but only about a half turn of the steering wheel to the right. Hopefully that's an easy fix. My mechanic back home is dealing with that.

I'd post a pic of the crash, but I only have them saved on my computer, no host site and I'm not sure how to set one up.

If you have to replace the whole front end anyways, I’d build a new grill. Mine is made out of expanded sheet metal (rows of 1/8” holes) and painted black to match the body. It does a good job of keeping the bugs, gravel and chunky stuff out of my radiator and still has good airflow. It was pretty easy to make. A buddy cut the metal to the correct dimensions and put a 90-degree bend on the top for me. The front of the XJ is actually rounded, so you have to cut a v shaped relief notch on the top lip of the metal to get it to lay flat. I epoxyed blind nuts in the factory bolt holes. After that it was just a matter of lining up the grill in the face piece and drilling the holes for bolts. It bolts into the face piece using 8 bolts in the factory locations. The whole thing including painting only took an afternoon working at a leisurely pace. The only thing I would change is to add another 90-degree bend at the bottom. I’m not able to post pictures here. If you want to see what it looks like PM me with your email address and I’ll send you a picture.