ddurgin91

Okay, before you flame me for bringing up something that's in many other threads, keep in mind that before I started trimming I spent a good week or two reading threads and researching this the best I could.

So after doing all this reading, I decided to start cutting the front fenders. This was a fairly easy process and afterwards, as you can see in one of the pictures I uploaded, I decided to go with 1/2" Armaflex Pipe insulation. The installation was a little tricky and it ended up a little wavier than I wanted but the cool thing is the 6 foot segments are only 5 bucks a piece and the stuff is pretty easy to remove with some acetone and a rag.

Now, on to the rear. As you can see in the picture, I went with the standard cut and fold, but I ran into some issues. Quite a few of the cuts went further than I expected, and once folded back you can still see some gaps at the end of the cuts. I have more of that Armaflex foam, so I could just cover it up, but it seems like you lose some of the clearance you just made when you put on the armaflex, as it is quite thick.

So, my question is, would it be a better idea to use the armaflex to cover up my horrible workmanship, or take my little 70amp buzz boxx and tack up those little gaps and grind them flat before spraying herculiner or whatever on that lip that's left over, OR, cut as far as I feel like and get some fresh steel and weld that in so I don't have to worry about the spot welds anymore? I'm no expert welder, but I do have enough skill to put down tacks and short seams. Just wondering if anyone else has been in the same predicament and might have an answer for me. Thought I was granting myself some cheap tire clearance but now I'm starting to regret it. Thanks in advance.

dirtyjerz

personally i'd bondo it but seeing how you already did the front that way you might as well do the rear to match

JwottXJ

Which ever way you think is easier cause once you paint it you won't be able to see any marks

ddurgin91

Well that's kinda the thing, I can always take the foam rubber stuff off of the front, originally I was trying to find some smaller rubber edging similar to the stuff I had on the cut fenders on my VW squareback years ago, but I have no idea where i'd find it. IT was pretty similar to door trim/seal.

I would use bondo but I'm not a fan of it, I prefer to fill stuff with metal... Just wondering if cutting further into the rear quarters and filling the gap with new sheet would be worth the time and effort for the results....

I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my Jeep, so all of this Armaflex/cut and fold crap is starting to stress me out, just looking for the best long-term solution.

ddurgin91

I'm not sure if you can see in the picture of the rear quarter I already cut/folded, it's not just marks from paint chipping off, I actually cut too far into the quarters, so even when it's folded over there are gaps. Easiest to see in the front corner

JwottXJ

Oh yea, didn't see it was that bad... I guess tacking it up is the way to go

HYRYSC

I don't think that you will regret it in the long run, but sometimes things take a bit more work to make it look the way you want it too. I know that when I mess up on something, it seems like there is a spotlight on it because I focus on it, but if you step back and take it all in, overall it's not bad.

With that said, gaps in the rear quarter are not hard to deal with. You can either undercoat it and put fender flares over it, you can cover it with JB weld, bondo etc, sand it smooth, paint it and call it a day. Regardless of what you do, I think gaining clearance this way for larger tires is much better than raising the COG of your jeep.

HS00XJ

I used a trim at a local truck accessory shop i think it was called van trim



And i glued it on with some seam sealer.

riderjay253

carpet seam sealer or? would like to see the side where the lip goes away and the gap is in the unibody where i filled with rtv, i feel like edging wouldnt stay on there ill take a photo tommaro

HS00XJ

Auto seam sealer.my trim has metal inside that I also squeezed with pliers.its held up over a year.

HS00XJ

idk if you can see it good but here the only pics I got right now

caronaxtr

Was in the same boat, had to do the cut & fold because of rust issues. Stressed out over cutting body panels. After doing the cut ' fold, I grabbed a flap wheel for the 4.5" grinder & smoothed out the jagged tabs, primed & used Monstaliner on my quarter panels. It's thick and 2 coats really covered up any issues. Depending on where u wanna be down the road (trail rig or mall crawler) it may be a route.





Also... Really like the rims.

HS00XJ

ive always wondered does that bed linner stain when mud gets in it.weve got red clay down here so ive been afraid to use it cause orange fenders would suck.lol

sreeb

Slap some (automotive) seam sealer on it and call it done.

riderjay253

thats a great bumper i want one that wraps around, is it custom?