Need to mount Bushwackers higher to match trimmed fenders

Guys, I'm getting ready to mount a set of Bushwacker flares on my Cherokee. I've done a significant amount of trimming on the wheelwell openings, and to avoid losing clearance for the tires, I'll need to shift the Bushwackers higher than they are intended to be mounted (about 1-1/2" or 2" on the front, and maybe 1" or so on the back).

The problem I'm seeing is that this will take the top edge of the flares up higher than the upper body line in the fenders. I'm curious -- has anyone else done this, and if so, did you trim the Bushwackers to make them match the body line, or did you use something as a filler between the flare and the upper part of the fender?

Another small issue will be that the shape of the flare will no longer match up with the lower body line either, but I thought I could possibly use a small piece of dense black foam or something to fill this one.

Thanks

TTT

Anybody have any ideas for me?

I don't think it will work.

Have you cut so much steel away you have none left for the fasteners?

My fenders are cut back within 1/2"-3/4" of the Bushwacker fasteners. Almost all of the internal material on each flare has been trimmed back to within an inch or so of the visible edges.



This is looking past my front tire at the back of the front flare. It shows the trimmed steel and 3" of missing internal plastic from the Bushwacker.

Hmm, no help man, I didn't opt for bushwackers, just kept stock flares and trimmed out my fender metal enough to clear my 33s.

Does Bushwackers website have any ideas/suggestions? Maybe their customer service has dealt with this question before? Good luck

BTW, which university did you graduate from, and when? I'm from KS, and have two buddies that graduated from the department of Mechanical Engineering a couple years ago @ KU, and I have one buddy up here in WA that got his from K-state a few years back. Just curious.

Just my two cents. If you actually wheel your rig, don't put bushwackers on it.

why not?

Some people have had problems keeping Bushwackers mounted to the body when the flares come in to contact with fixed or heavy objects.

My old '93 has had Bushwackers on for 5-years and has been driven offroad regularly in Europe in mud, forest and mountain terrain without a problem. It has dents in the sides from trees and the Bushwackers have a lot of deep scratches in them but they have never come off. They are made from the earlier softer plastic Bushwacker used to use that paint wouldn't last long on.

My '01 has only been driven offroad in Utah, Colorado and California. I haven't hit any trees or rocks but I broke two of the fixings on a rear flare when I snagged the tire on an RTI ramp. I was using the ramp to see how much of the Bushwacker's internal return needed to be trimmed to clear the tyres and I didn't cut enough away. I don't like the material the new Bushwackers are made from, they were great five or six years ago.

On both my Jeeps the Bushwackers are mounted using nutserts in the body and for legal reasons the tire tread is covered by the flares.

The problem isn't that I don't have any metal to fasten the flare to; I was just wanting to shift the flare up high enough that it won't cause tire clearance issues at full up-travel.

I've trimmed the fenders to the point that I can fully articulate with 33's on the 3" lift and not get into the sheetmetal (with extended bumpstops), but it looks like if I mount the Bushwackers in their intended location, I'll probably lose at least an inch of up-travel, if not more.

One thing I hadn't previously considered is trimming material from the inside of the Bushwackers to try to gain more tire clearance. Were you able to gain a substantial amount of clearance by trimming them?

Thanks

Vince said:

I don't think it will work.

Have you cut so much steel away you have none left for the fasteners?
...

This is looking past my front tire at the back of the front flare. It shows the trimmed steel and 3" of missing internal plastic from the Bushwacker.

Click to expand...

K-State in 2000, in mechanical engineering.

adamusmc2002 said:

BTW, which university did you graduate from, and when? I'm from KS, and have two buddies that graduated from the department of Mechanical Engineering a couple years ago @ KU, and I have one buddy up here in WA that got his from K-state a few years back. Just curious.

Click to expand...

Sorry for the delay responding. Cutting out almost all of the internal plastic from the Bushwackers makes a big difference. I couldn't say if it would give you the clearance you need on a 3" lift with 33s. My '93 was running a 4.5" lift on 33s and my 2001 was 8" on 35s when they were done.

The downside with trimming the Bushwacker inside edges is that it reduces their structural rigidity (maybe that's an advantage). Depending on your wheel backspacing I would start off by cutting away material leaving an inside edge of roughly 1.5" remaining. Be careful, they are not cheap to replace, take your time. You may have to cut back even more, particularly at the very top. You may have to curve the cut in to 1" or so at the top of the tire stuff to clear the tire bulge in both front and rear. Radius the lower corners to avoid them snagging tread blocks. If you have a 4-door, the flare sides that are hidden when the rear doors are closed will need to be trimmed as well.

What's the best way (best tool) to cut them?