I am trying to address my fender flares popping out of the clip all the damn time. I think I want to run bolts through the flare, the retainer and the fender wall. In order to do this, I need to remove the stock bolts from the clips. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best way to remove the welded stock bolts?

Thanks!

 

For starters need to know what year XJ.
My experience lies with '97 and up.
The only way IMO to do it right is to unbolt the brackets from the Jeep, reattach the fender flare to the bracket off the Jeep, and reattach everything in one shot.
There are tabs on the fender flares that go in slots on the bracket.
Here is where the problem lies in that.
The studs on the brackets, that you will access from inside the wheel well, like to snap.
There is a fix though.

 

Clip? You mean the retaining bracket the flares snap onto? There should be little ridges on the flare that grip slotted tabs in the retainer. The tabs may simpy need bent a little for a tighter fit to the flare? The flares snap onto the retainers, and then fitted to the body. The studs in the flare brackets like to break off. Even those without any rust. The best way i found to remove those studs is a Dremel. Anything that cuts steel will work. Drill them out and epoxy stainless steel bolts to the retainer with an epoxy. Add some lock washers and nuts. Or use locknuts. You should be good to go. The other fix involves welding new studs to the retainers.

 

Yes, I meant the retaining clip/bracket. I have found that the flares just don't like to stay clipped in, bent to grip or not. I want to try drilling out the studs and running bolts through the flare, the retainer and the fender wall altogether. I have two sets of stock flares so I can experiment a little.

Thanks for the Dremel idea; I was just wondering if anyone had had any luck just popping them out with a hammer or the like.

 

So you have been taking off the brackets to put them back on and it is still not holding?
I busted a couple studs. I just replaced them with nuts and bolts on the bracket.
What worked for me was taking the bracket to my bench grinder.
Grind down the back, not the stud, to where you get it wafer thin.
Then take a hammer and on a piece of wood whack the stud.
This pushes the flat part you have been grinding out a little more to be able to grind it a little more.
At this point you should be able to fish out what is left with a crappy screw driver.

 

Yes, I have been removing the brackets each time. Way too much effort for what it is. So many studs!

Your way seems like a good way to do it too. Thanks for the response!

 

97-01 the flare and retainer brackets need completely taken off to snap the flare back on to the retaining brackets.

 

This is how I did it. I had to remove the fender from my 96 to knock out a dent in it forward of the wheelhouse. There were cinch washers used on the studs just inside the fender between the wheelhouse liner and retaining nuts. Those cinch washers gave me a fit so I worked them away from the fender on each stud and broke them off with needle nose pliers. I did not bother getting new ones. I assembled the 3 brackets (with the welded studs) through the fender flare, assembled that to the fender, slid the wheelhouse liner onto the studs and then ran the nuts down.