Chop out those wheel wells

[snailwagon]

Can anyone give some insight on enlarging the rear wheel wells. I have seen some pictures, but none are detailed enough to show the wheel tubs and the wheel well/door junction. The front is a breeze, a stock fender and some 1" round tubing with lots of trimming can make a decent tube fender.

If the rear doors were not so damn close to the tires this wouldn't be a big problem.

 

[pr0ject42]

Move your axle back

Seriously, if you are going to do that much fender trimming, relocating the axle shouldn't be that much more of a pain in the ass. It will help the already abysmal departure angle of the pig and keep the fender trimming a little more simple. It might be a good time to link up the rear!

Just keep in mind how much spline is left in your rear drive shaft. Don't what that thing coming apart on the trail, or the road for that matter!

 

[Wayneraintree]

anyone thought to put 63" chevy springs on the rear? That would stretch the wheelbase and relocate the rear axle a few inches back.. then trim the wheel wells.

I am procrastinating on tubing the front fenders and trimming the rears, looking for ideas as well.

 

[LC_Hamma]

Yes, moving the rear axle back is the *best solution I can think of w/o cutting into the rear doors. I've contemplated doing the same thing. Since the rear wheelwell opening is ovaled, it's not like you can go buy prefabbed ovaled wheel tubs as all the one's I've seen are radiused (maybe trailer fenders would work). So, getting any heighth to the wells means tons of fabwork so I decided to just live w/ 37" tires. There's a recent photo of a PIG on Pirate (Any Clean 55's Out There) w/ the mod you are wanting to attempt, but he didn't finish the bottom of the doors & I don't know about his refabbed wheelwells.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=519801

 

[clemson55]

Your wont really be able to trim out anything in the rear wheel wells. I trimmed the little area where it bulges out along the edge of the well but when you do that you basically seperate the inside of the wheelwell from the side of the vehicle.

 

[Wayneraintree]

I have to say that with my 38's, the tires don't really rub in the rear. I am stock springs over with 2 added leaves in the rear pack. They go into the wheel well then stop about an inch from the stock flare. I admit I have much more droop than stuff (as articulation terms go). I get alot of stuff of the tire in the front, of which I plan to trim and that should do it.

I am running 1.5 " wheel spacers on all 4 tires/rims so they help keep the swampers away from the body about perfectly. I will post some pics of the flex when I get my camera back.. it was AWOL until the other day. It is on the way though, thankfully.

What size tires you running? Mine are 38.5 X 14.5 SX

 

[cruiser88]

for heavens sake a body lift would work just fine

 

[snailwagon]

The whole point is that pigs are top heavy and have no where the stability of say a topless 40 or a pickup. Because of this I like to keep the lift low and gain a little more stance. I'd much rather obtain extra suspension travel as opposed to just an increase in cg, like a body lift does. Anything with more than 1" isn't right on a pig. That is a lot of weight being levereged on body mounts, which I have ripped out already from hard impacts.Right now I do not run spacers, but 2.5"BS rims, and a 12.5" wide tire gets chopped a bit.

I've seen the thread on pirate with that pig and really like the wheel wells. The wheelbase of the pig is actually pretty nice and probably doesn't need to be longer. Pigs have way too much sheet metal.

 

[cruiser88]

well a SAW AND GRINDER IT IS THEN

 

[RHINO]

The whole point is that pigs are top heavy and have no where the stability of say a topless 40 or a pickup. Because of this I like to keep the lift low and gain a little more stance.

may be top heavy BUT,,,,, i have leaned my pig to 45* and a little past many times, pretty unnerving but no tip. the last time i tipped it i had just installed the clinometer(?) and it said 53*

 

[Pighead]

Which is why God created rust.

<snip> Pigs have way too much sheet metal.

 

[snailwagon]

Which is why God created rust.

Pigs must have a very special relationship with god then.

 

[Mark W]

Moving the axle back is simple.

We have installed the Chevy 63 inch springs under pigs. (Check out FJ55Tyrant's rig.

The half tons are too light for a Pig. Use 3/4 ton.

Making your own wheel well tubs is no big deal.


Cutting into the door to enlarge the wheel well is also a doable option.


Mark...