PO cut the fenders (rather poorly I might add) and I was wondering the best way to close these wheel wells up to keep crud out of the inside spaces?

 

Hope you like to weld.... you will definitely need to weld up the gaps on the rear quarters. Looks like he cut past the pinch seam.

 

The front some shove a pool noodle in the gap to seal most of it off.The rear since you didn't cut and fold it back its gonna take some welding to close up those gaps.

 

Ouch, the back looks rough.

 

The guy cut three but he didn't finish the passenger rear, I'm going to have to finish his mess I guess. Are there pieces I can weld in or should I just replace entire panels?

 

Just weld those two pieces of sheet metal back together. You don't even really have to lay a full bead, just some spot welds and seam sealer. For the last one, do the cut and fold method, or just cut it out and weld that one to match the other side

 

Exactly. It's not really that bad, it just sucks that the PO created a lot of unnecessary work for you.

 

There is a pretty substantial gap in the back, are there any aftermarket flares that extend a few inches inside the well that I could rivet on? I'm not sure I could get the gap closed up enough to run a bead.

 

Try using a clamp of some sort to pull the two pieces together.

 

Any large gaps, use some 16 ga sheet metal. Use cardboard and cut templates of the missing areas, cut your sheet steel, tack in place and finish welding. Or, now might be the time to just say f*ck it and go with comp cut rears, LOL

 

What do you mean comp cut rear?

 

 

^exactly that

 

Don't do that. It is a unit body. The inner to outer fender connection is structural. You need to weld it.

 

I thought I saw 4 inch or so flat inserts that could be welded in as a sealer and pseudo flare before, or was I just imaging it?