Fender trimming tips...

[fortcollinsram]

I am going to be embarking on my first fender trimming adventure pretty soon...What all is involved? I want to keep the fender wells as intact as possible... what is the best tool to use to cut the fenders...what do you do to take care of the relatively sharp edges after you cut the fender...thanks for any tips/info you can provide...

Chris

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[pcorssmit]

Make sure you have plenty of beer before you get started. The sawzall works good for the first pass, but its kind of hard to control if you're not used to it. I've had decent luck with a 4" grinder w/a cutoff wheel, I've heard others have had good luck with an air body saw or an air nibbler. If you're having trouble deciding how much to cut off, you need more beer.

(gee I wish we had that little beer icon on this board.)

Pete

'83 K5, 350 TBI (ex 6.2), 700R4, NP208, Dana 60/14 bolt, 4.56s, Detroits, 3" lift, 15-39.5x15 TSLs
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[NeutralMan]

i just did one this week for my brother in -law i used
hammer 5 lb , nibbler , 5 in grinder . wire feed .
make sure you make a templet of what you want before you cut ,( the job he did well needed work so it took longer to fix ). he was reading a forum message somewhere that said to hammer the back inner fender on ther front "" BEWARE OF THIS "" you will push the fenders out at the door if you go to fare back against the cab. (it works but watch as you hit ) then i folded a hem and welded a backing plate
good luck

 

[ftn96]

Tape my brotha. Mark it out with tap. Step back, look under the fender well, step back again, re-position tape if need be, step back have another look, then fire up the saw.
The grinder did come in very handy though. You just have to access how much you want to cut and remove (if you have them) the plastic guards behind (re-ward) of the front fender just under the floor pan area so you can get a look at what is behind all that sheet metal. That way you can see what you need to cut.

Still trying to figure out why they have brail on drive thru ATM's??

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[UseYourBlinker]

Aight here's the tips I did.

Take a piece of string,and layout what you want to cut,then use a marker and trace the string line. Then I used duct tape to make my guide line. If you have a good paint job,like I did,use a razor blade and score the paint,so it does not chip!

I used a cut-off wheel to cut the first layer of metal, go slow and take your time! After the first layer is cut you can use the sawzall and cut the rest of the material.

To smooth out the cut's I used 120, then 180 wet &amp; dry sandpaper. Worked pretty damn good. Then touched up the paint,and used a spray rubberized coating on the inside of the fender,so it would not rust!

Check my link for pictures below... I didn't start drinking beer until I was done! Also it takes some time trimming all of the material out,so go slow.



Eric
from Freekmont,CA.
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[FRIZZLEFRY]

I too used tape to lay mine out before cutting.And I used a 3" die grinderfor all the cutting.

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[Confederate9]

you could instead of using tape of something u could "chalk a line" w/ a chalk line.... like construction

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[2Dogs]

Practice cutting in an area that will be removed - you can get used to the tool and make sure you are not overheating and burning the paint.

I cut out the inner piece first for practice.

I used a dye grinder (air) in the rain

Dave

Rehab is for quitters.
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[BigTex]

Am I the only one who used a circular saw with a cutting wheel? It was SUPER easy with that! The lines are perfectly straight. I also used some masking tape.

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[juanblzer]

close your eyes tight. grab a sawzall. chop away. body damage will do the rest.
Just being a smartazz.
He he
Juan

chrome sucks
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[**DONOTDELETE**]

LOL! beer and a sawsall indeed! plus do it at night so the neighbors can enjoy as well! makes a hell of a racket! get extra metal blades too. i managed to brake a few.

<font color=blue> Experience enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

</font color=blue>

 

[Greenblazer-AZ]

I used electrical tape and a 4" cut off wheel powered by an electric drill. It was a little hard to control, but I just went for it and it came out great. DON'T FORGET TO USE EYE PROTECTION! For the sharp edges go to an auto parts store and get door edge trim. It looks good and it's cheap.

If you knew the truth, you too would be against marijuana prohibition!
Blue '74 K5 Blazer Topless W/ 35 BFG Muds (See profile for pics)

 

[muddin4fun]

There will be a bunch of crap (leaves and stuff) inbetween the inner fender and the body. I used a plasma cutter, so I used an air saw and cut a hole so I could clean out the leaves and stuff first before I used a plasma cutter. So if you're going to use anything that causes sparks, clean that stuff out! I had enough to start a healthy camp fire!

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