89blackhawk

wanting to remove my fender flares on my xj
got an idea of how its done but dont wanna screw anything up
anybody got any advice?

csmart30

pretty straight forward, use tons of pb blaster, let it soak, I just took mine off for the first time last week and didn't wait very long for the PB to set in...broke a majority of the bolts but just ended up using some bolts, washers, and nuts to put them back up, a little bit of a PITA but nothin too bad. You got this man

89blackhawk

hey thanks man. helps alot. i was worried about breaking the bolts taking them off. but i mean i can always find others. have you thought about doing the cut and fold?

csmart30

Yeah I'm probably going to do it sometime soon, but since its my DD I have to have flairs out here in utah... and doin the cut and fold, then having to find a way to secure flairs and make it look good , I'll just stick with this til I figure it all out

96Cherokee113

If you're looking to keep your flairs, you'll definitely want to let the PB Blaster soak in for a little while. On the rears, I didn't break any bolts with out even using PB Blaster. On the fronts, I broke almost every bolt. I didn't care though because I was cutting my fenders and it was easier to just break the bolts then take each and every one off. Here's a picture after the trim since you asked about the cut and fold.

mike.2492

Here are some links that I found. Hope that they help. http://www.ajeepthing.com/fender-trimming.html
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/t...a-pics-473056/ (this one shows how the guy put on new fender flares with out screws)

89blackhawk

yeah that looks
pretty good. im just scared to do the cut and fold cus i know it can screw your fender up if you dont do it right

mwdouglas

i cut and folded mine after removing fender flairs heres a couple shots

mwdouglas

right now they look a little rough cause i used tin snips and then rolled everything but am going to go back with a cut off wheel and clean them up

96_xj

All i did was i cut just below the pinch seam all of the way around and then i took a rubber mallet and "folded" the rest inwards. No way to mess it up IMO. It looks clean and smooth too. But yes lots of PB blaster... i live in rust free az where i have not had a seized bolt and i never use any penetrating oil, but i broke most of the fender flares...

96Cherokee113

All you have to do is cut vertically between the spot welds. Make cuts closer together around the corners for a cleaner fold. And don't cut all the way to the edge of the fender, otherwise you'll see the cut marks. Leave like 1-2 mm so when you fold it over, it's a nice clean seam. Also, the paint will flake off, so have a can of pain ready to cover up the bare metal. It's pretty simple. But remember do the passenger side first, so you'll a little experience before you do the driver's side which you'll see more often

mwdouglas

that was my prob my vert cuts were to long then when i folded you can see were i cut

89blackhawk

thanks alot guys you were alot of help