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Right way to do fender trimming

brans87

brans87

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Curious about how to correctly and make look decent/good fender trimming. So can I hear what you guy's recommended?

Would be 4 inch lift with zero rates placed where needed and 4.5 flip from DIY4X in rear.
 
What size tires? 35's you'd probably need no trimming, 40's you'd need to be fairly aggressive. I prefer a zip cut disc for the rough shape, then clean-up and smooth out with a flap disc.
 
Thnaks to Stephen at ORD for making wheels in my head turn now I ? 35's vs 37
 
I used a cut off wheel for the actual cutting. For me, the biggest thing is to draw out the cut so that it sort of blends and looks smooth when done. Anybody can hack a 45* chunk out towards the bottom without much planning, there's no reason it can't look good when done.
 
Wish I never did, but they are only aftermarket fenders anyways.

It's all in what you want.
If you have a decent set of GM fenders it's an investment to replace them.
Make a nice single cut if u do and u can always weld or braze the pieces back on .
Also u can weld the lip back on the trimmed section for the original look.

I went back quite a bit at the lower edge to fit 38's years ago and had to weld up a piece to cover up a hole that was left from cutting into the secondary structure to the outer section of the fender.

Imho for a driver go with what tire will fit
37's are a tad big for that lift I would say.
Depends on your back spacing also as to where the tire sits in the ww also

All in what u want, nothing is irreversible, just time and cash.
 
Flex it in a controlled environment. Engine hoist on the back wheels is sufficient.

Lift a back wheel. Till it hits trim a bit off, flex it more, trim a bit more. By the 3rd time flexing it you should be getting close. Using this method I am typically amazed how little stuff needs trimmed. You need to turn your tires while doing this too.

Trim exactly what you need. Then go back and make it all smooth and pretty.
 
This is how I like mine. 4" and 39s which were 37.5 ish. Axle was moved forward a little. Two inches maybe? Clearance for days.
20120728_192734.jpg
 
The ultimate way is to section it out and weld the factory lip back in, but it's an intimidating job unless you're experienced with body work.

See Pumpkinator here: https://ck5.com/forums/threads/new-meats-and-spare-front-fenders-installed.314470/

Or Ryoken here: https://ck5.com/forums/threads/87-k...-up-to-stay-tuned.194154/page-97#post-2644986

Other guys have done it, too.

There are also various types of fender flares (soft and pre-formed) people have used to dress the openings, if you don't like the cut fender look.
 
Little hesitate on 37's vs 35's cause we all know I can pull 35's off no problem. This truck is driven on weekends and 1-2 days a week at most.
 
I firmly believe you could put the same brand of tire on in a 35 and a 37 and the difference in driving it would be so small as to be a moot point.
 
That seems kind of great. How did you make the middle add-in piece? What does it take to make the inner fender fit?

Do you happen to have pictures of it finished?
 
Inner fender seems to be the hard part with the sectioning methods. I was unsuccessful finding a shop around here to do it right for me. I have about 5" of total ORD spring lift with 35's and I think it will hit if I max out articulation up front.

It would be awesome if someone would just start stamping out fenders with big openings that we could bolt on. Maybe the market isn't there since fewer and fewer people care what their K5 looks like.
 
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