I cut the inner fenders out...

[dafun1]

The big tire thread that has been going lately pushed me over the edge! I stole the idea after searching and finding PKP80's rig on this forum. I don't know if he is the only guy to completely remove the wheel well side of the front inner fender, but I couldn't find a post about what was done so I took some pics.

I'll start by saying my vehicle is a 1996 FZJ80. I have homemade snorkel so I'm not worry about the stock air intake. I think this mod is best suited for those with snorkels becuase the whole idea of the stock intake engineering was to keep it in the protected quarter panel area. When you cut the inner fender off, you obviously lose that protection. Here's the start:

 

[dafun1]

I used a sawzall and angle grinder to cut and clean up. Here is after a coat of black herculiner and a shot of the now scrap inner fenders:

 

[PabloMac]

I missed the "why" part.

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

why? (instead of segmenting and adding material in order to expand them) "metal tech style". I like inner fenders for the way they act as a "fender" and for the support they give the outer sheetmetal.

 

[dafun1]

Maybe for an extra 4-5 inches of clearance for "big tires" like I said at the start of this thread. Metaltech style is great but there is also one little problem...you can't ever remove the outer fender again with out cutting where you welded it to the inner fender. The outer fender bolts into the body with at least nine bolts after the inner fender is cut, and that is more than enough support for me.

I plan on running 37-38" tires on my current setup OME 851/862 combo with a 1" body lift. The sawzall and angle grinder are not for the faint of heart...

 

[julstirn]

hhhmmmmm i wonder how it will help with clearance, eager to see

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

if I were to cut the fenders I would roll the edge so they would bolt up to the inner fenders stocker style.

 

[PKP80]

Dafun, you made quick work of that discussion. NICE!. I would recommend using some industrial rubber or you could weld in some metal to cover the openings on the inner wall. nice work

 

[dafun1]

Initial cut on the outer fender needs some tweaking, but overall increase hub to flare measurements up front are now around 28" up from 23.5". I would say I now have room up front. The rear will be simple because you can only take about an 1" to and 1.5" of the lip without creating a much larger problem by getting into the fender tub like every knows.

I have pics of the outer trimming, but I need to round some things and I will post after I clean up the lines a little...And I do agree with PKP80: you could fit 37's on a stock vehicle. I like the 2-3" of lift range and decided that is where it ends and the cutting begins. Pics to come...(though some of you are in utter disgust ).

 

[dafun1]

Here's the pic after I cleaned things up. Paint is next after I post these pics if it will stop raining outside (I don't have a garage or a carport). I put some asphalt based undercoating inside the wheel wells. Critique away...But I'm sure I can run 38's now...at least up front:

 

[dafun1]

And her is final pic after a layer of herculiner:

 

[dafun1]

Hub to fender edge measurements just under 29":

 

[bugsnbikes]

You need to get that sawzall into your rear! hehe.

get hackin and post up some pics. I think you may have your hands full in the rear cutting

 

[dafun1]

Those are ironman medium lift springs almost identical to the OME 851's. Plus I have a 1" body lift. The rear has OME 862's plus the obvious 1" body lift and measures around 23" hub to fender edge (I guess I could put what lift I have in my signature ). And I have stock shocks so I now have more uptravel than down in the front (but that is subject for another time). I will take as much of the rear as I need with out getting into the rear fender tub and then create a much bigger mess by having to weld in sheet metal.

From what I can tell on the rear, with stock control arms, the trim will need to happen more to the front of the rear wheel well. I might trim the back corner like Nay, Creeper and others have, but again...if I don't have to weld, I won't. I only have a buzz box so it will be a little more time consuming and unpredictable with sheet metal. I know Nay made it work with screws and a liquid metal/JB weld type of material when he cut the rear corners. I really like your build by the way Nay if you are listening. Very inspirational!

At some point rear bumpstop extensions and wheel spacers come into play. Getting custom wheels with the right backspacing is just too much money to ship to Guam...but wheel spacers are small, light and cheap to ship. Rear bumpstop extensions are easy to make and even easier to order.

The is pregnant with our second child and has been just a bit frustrated with the self indulged hobby of mine that has taken up two days out of a three day weekend. She's an incredible person, but my OCD behavior with the cruiser sometimes pushes the envelope. Sound familiar anyone?

 

[dafun1]

And PKP80...thanks for the compliment and advice. We'll see how/if I deal with the openings to the engine bay. Once I steal an idea from someone I just keep running man. Thanks for opening my eyes!

 

[Izeloz]

I like the idea, but I would be concerned about snow, mud, water, etc. getting into the engine bay and up inside there where it would be hard to wash out. Tuning in to see how it works out for you.

 

[PKP80]

And PKP80...thanks for the compliment and advice. We'll see how/if I deal with the openings to the engine bay. Once I steal an idea from someone I just keep running man. Thanks for opening my eyes!

Couple of things:
1. you can take a lot more out of the rear than you think, but there is a trick and I will do my best to explain it. what you want to do is split the seem between the inner and outer part of the rear wheel well this can be done in as simple a step as trimming off the outer part of the wheel well (the exposed quarter panel) to the point where the under side and outer walls meet. At that point what you want to do is separate the two and then out out (in small increments) sections of the inner wheel well (the part that is bent up into the interior of the cab). The idea here is to use the difference in length between the two pieces and then fold the longer piece (outer) over and onto the inner piece. Making small pizza cuts to the sides will help form the shape and some dolly and hammer action can fold over the pieces quite nicely.

I have notice that I had to actually cut ALOT out of the back portion of my wheel well and still have rubbing issues on my frame with 1" of wheel spacing. My old 38's were 14.5" and they also rubbed so go 2" of spacing at the wheels. I probably increases my rear wheel well height with the above method by about 3.5 inches overall.

I will disclaim by saying that it is a one way path b/c once you've made some major cuts you can't go back so I don't advise trying it unless you either don't mind the potential for mistake or you are confident in your metal skills. I included a few pics which I hope complement what I've written above. You can see how I basically folded the outer metal over and lined it with the door trim getting it as tight to it as possible. I carried that line through the whole wheel well.

2. I would seal those holes...it's a simple trip to the hardware store, get some epoxy and heavy gauge rubber strips. Cut to fit and glue.

I like the idea, but I would be concerned about snow, mud, water, etc. getting into the engine bay and up inside there where it would be hard to wash out. Tuning in to see how it works out for you.

If you're thinking about these things then you shouldn't be cutting much of anything.

 

[PKP80]

A couple more pictures...I don't have any of the rear section, but again I think these pics show the progression of the cut and bend where you can see the front portion complete and how the metal is being slowly bent over and under into the inner part. DaFun is having FUN

 

[dafun1]

Dude you have the all the answers man! And with pics this time as well! So what type of dolly did you use? You made the pizza slices in the outer fender to give yourself some flexibility bending each section in one at a time...very nice.

Let me make sure I'm tracking: first I'll cut the lip off the rear wheel well, then seperate the inner and out pieces, cut the inner well back just a bit, pizza slice the out fender a little, then bend each piece following the line established by the back of the door over the inner metal lip. Sounds simple enough, I've just never bent metal with a hammer and dolly, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it! I should have bought the tires first then cut my truck after I saw where they rub, but that would make too much sense .

And you say 2" wheel spacer huh? I don't know if I'm going with that wide of a tire though man. I like the 13/38-16 TSL Bias. It is 37.8" x 12.7" with a tread width of 10" and can be had for around $235 a piece. Though in that price range I could get the 36x13.50 or 37x14.00 Irok...so much to think about. If I go with the Irok's I'll probably do the 2" wheel spacers. I want a tire that is light and tough and the 36x13.50 measures 36.8" x 14.2" with a very beefy tread width of 11.8" but weighs only 65lbs compared to the TSL Bias ply mentioned above that weighs 73lbs. Heck my 305/70 retreads weigh 64lbs, so I might just go for the Iroks. Lots to think about...

 

[Bikeman]

Nice job guys. I have a second bone stock LX that I want to eventually do this to, first is the SUT chop!