Fender trimming question

drew and not u · Mar 11, 2007

Well I trimmed my front fenders last week and all went well. Now I've started on the rears. I noticed that there is a pinch seam all the way around the edge of the fender, and I'm concerned that cutting it might make it all come apart. I searched around but couldn't seem to find any guides for the rear fenders. I've seen lots of XJs on here with trimmed rear fenders and just want to make sure I do it correctly to prevent any real damage. So if anyone has any tips or input it would be well appreciated.
Thanks guys!

family TJ · Mar 11, 2007

Don't cut out the pinch seam unless you are going to reweld it. Cut relief cuts and bend the metal over. It keeps the edge from being charp and cutting your tires and helps keep it from leaking. I cut a bunch of lines and bent it over and it looks pretty good. Are you using TJ flares, flareless or someinth else?

TNT · Mar 11, 2007

I cut way past the pitch seam and rewelded the entire length. I used MJ flares raised about 3" in the back, extended the opening to the rear also, removed the factory tire dent and can stuff 36" tires with 5" of lift. The front part mounts on the rear door. I also filled the gap for a stock look. My rear 1/4's are cut off at the bottom of the taillights.

I did this to match my front flares.

98XJSport · Mar 11, 2007

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=90022

steelmen · Mar 11, 2007

TNT said:
I cut way past the pitch seam and rewelded the entire length. I used MJ flares raised about 3" in the back, extended the opening to the rear also, removed the factory tire dent and can stuff 36" tires with 5" of lift. The front part mounts on the rear door. I also filled the gap for a stock look. My rear 1/4's are cut off at the bottom of the taillights.

I did this to match my front flares.

could you email me pics? [email protected]

or post some up for eveyone to see

thanks

Sam

NighthawkXJ · Mar 11, 2007

This is what i started with, i did a bunch of stuff that day so forgive me that it looks different than yours in the end.
33s 3 inch aal with rustys flares, and uncut quarters.

Took the end cap and the flare off.

here is from the side stock.

here i marked where i cut with the yellow, i lost my pic of in progress some place.

Here is what it looked like done, no more rubbing for me.

with the flare back on and 5 inches of lift and cut bottom quarters as well.

TNT · Mar 12, 2007

steelmen said:
could you email me pics? [email protected]

or post some up for eveyone to see

thanks

Sam

Here's some pics. I'll be cleaning up the surface rust and painting/rustproofing it soon.

Spring will be spent removing rust, painting and getting it prepped for a few more years of use.

The pictures are with 5" of lift and 33's on level ground.

drew and not u · Mar 12, 2007

Thanks guys, I ended up cutting into the seam at the top of the screw holes. I'm going to go back and cut more and then weld it together. Overall I think it turned out really well, and now it clears the 33"s I was waiting to install. I'm going to get another inch or two of lift for the front, and then it should be all set. As it is, it only rubs slightly when flexing alot. I got some door edge molding at advanced auto just to try out, and though it's hard to tell in the pics, I think it came out really well, I'm going to use it on the back as well. Tomorrow I'm going to go back and sand and paint the remaining part of the flares black, mostly to keep it from rusting. Anyways, here are the results:

drew and not u · Mar 12, 2007

edit: oops.

TNT · Mar 12, 2007

So how well do they stuff when fully flexed?

Heres a couple pics of mine before I raised the rear flares. The rear openings are trimmed and the front flares are raised. My XJ has 3.5" of lift with 33's in the pics.

I can steer from lock to lock when fully flexed without any contact.

drew and not u · Mar 12, 2007

Right now they stuff fairly well. If flexing alot it rubs a bit at full lock, but the additional lift I plan to add in the front should solve that.

mattyj · Mar 12, 2007

drew and not u said:
Right now they stuff fairly well. If flexing alot it rubs a bit at full lock, but the additional lift I plan to add in the front should solve that.

remember, extra lift doesnt change clearance at full compression...... bumpstopping does!

mattyj · Mar 12, 2007

drew and not u said:
Right now they stuff fairly well. If flexing alot it rubs a bit at full lock, but the additional lift I plan to add in the front should solve that.

remember that extra lift is not going to change anything at full compression.....bumpstopping does that!

matus2 · May 7, 2007

yeah but seriously..

remember that extra lift is not going to change anything at full compression.....bumpstopping that does!

TNT · May 7, 2007

matus2 said:
yeah but seriously..

remember that extra lift is not going to change anything at full compression.....bumpstopping that does!

So does fender cutting/reworking. I just started raising my front flares up to the next bodyline and can remove some of my bumpstop length and gain a couple of inches of stuff/uptravel compared to when I cut and raised them the first time. My goal is 5.5" of uptravel with 5" of droop.

The way my rear fenders are done right now I could have wheeled with 33's without any lift or added bumpstops...

The way they were cut in the pics when I had 3.5" of lift I ran my 33's for a few weeks without any lift and the only rubbed slightlyup front when the swaybar was disconnected and on the rear flare lightly. The lift and 1.5" front bumpstops and MJ rear bumpstops cured that.

When I went with 10.5" travel shocks and added 2" of lift I had to add another 1.5" of bumpstop to the front. The rear just barely cleared.

Fender trimming question

drew and not u

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family TJ

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TNT

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98XJSport

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steelmen

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NighthawkXJ

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TNT

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drew and not u

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drew and not u

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TNT

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drew and not u

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mattyj

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mattyj

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matus2

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TNT

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