quick question about rear fender trimming....in the process now

hey guys, im working on cutting my rear fenders a little bit right now...basically cutting the flares up and across and then cutting the metal about an inch and a half off below the flares.....

if you go to tntcustoms.com im doing it just like the grey cherokee on the home page....

my question is if i cut about the 6 or so inches of metal off there (its a seam) will i lose much structural intergrity? should i just cut it off, or cut a little less and then fold and hammer over?

hoping for a pretty quick answer so i can get to work! thanks!

fold and hammer

Here's how I do it. Cut the first lip off, then multiple slits all along the pinchseam, right up to the second bend. Then hammer over that slit section, and then hammer the whole lip up and out. This will give you a little flare and more clearance. Since you are relocating the flares you should be able to skip that step.





Both XJs are done like this. My bro's with 33" trxus and mine on 34" LTBs. Both stuff perfectly.



Edit: I just reread the post and I think you are talking about the lower rear quarter panel. My bad. You are going to want to cut and fold that section. Cut everything but the outer sheetmetal off. The part you see is what should be left. Then just fold that sheetmetal up and rivet/weld it up. Also might want to add some silicon there to keep out moisture. :wave:

cool thanks for the replies guys....got it all cut, folded, and hammered over.....came out perfect

thanks again

Damn that was pretty quick. Good job.

Is this the same for all year XJs? I have a 98, but it looks like the seam is only 1/2" or so up into the fender. Thanks.

-red-

Are you talking about the fender trimming that I posted pics of or the rear quarter panel?

Both XJs in the pics are 2000s. All XJs have the same main body shell, so it should be the same.

I was talking about the fender trimming. How far up into the rear fender did you cut? Thanks.

If you look at the fender without the flare on and not cut at all, there's two ridges or bends. What I did, was cut that outer ridge off, leaving just the first one. This step isnt really necessery but I think it works better. Then I cut the slits right up to where the inner bend is. then folded all of those slits over. So whats left is just the inner bend peice.

gotcha. thanks.