RAD4Runner
Senior Member
Tapatalk Sucks - Hell YEah!
Tapatalk Sucks - Hell YEah!
Tapatalk Sucks - Hell YEah!
Is it safe to cut bottom end of front fender, next to door?
- Thread starter TheManOutside
- Start date
TheManOutside
New member
Alright, so I think I get what I'm gonna do now (hopefully) i know im overthinking this but who cares
So this flap thing I'm pointing at is what I guess I'm gonna flatten inward with my good friend mr. sledgehammer.
As for the fender chops I took a look for the fender bolts, and there's 3 by the looks of it. If I were to cut the fender I would only be getting rid of one (I circled the 2 I'd keep, X'd out the one I'd be chopping off). Do you think the fender would flap if I were to do this?
This is kinda where I would cut the fender if I had to make more tire room
So this flap thing I'm pointing at is what I guess I'm gonna flatten inward with my good friend mr. sledgehammer.
As for the fender chops I took a look for the fender bolts, and there's 3 by the looks of it. If I were to cut the fender I would only be getting rid of one (I circled the 2 I'd keep, X'd out the one I'd be chopping off). Do you think the fender would flap if I were to do this?
This is kinda where I would cut the fender if I had to make more tire room
Bad_Vision
Moderator
You can always weld in a extension tab to hold it in place. But keep in mind you can also just get a little more night for about 600$ with new leafs front and rear. If you want to retain the look and it's not a toy truck this is a better option. But I think the fiberglass high clearance fenders are cheaper then that even. I don't like cutting myself as it can have its own downfalls like sharp edges and can look really goofy sometimes.
TheManOutside
New member
I don't own a welder, this truck is my daily driver but I like to go wheeling whenever I can. I also just got new leafs front and rear, and fiberglass fenders are too expensive right now. I'm just looking for a quick and easy fix so I don't destroy my tires.
Bad_Vision
Moderator
Then the toss up is destroy some steel and risk tire slice or don't wheel until you have leafs that actually have a positive curve because from the pictures they look flat.
TheManOutside
New member
I honestly don't know why they're so flat. I just got them a few months ago, and the rear ones have a ton of curve. Maybe I should add a leaf. Idk
Bad_Vision
Moderator
What leafs did you get?
TheManOutside
New member
Old Man Emu Dakars. The light one's I believe, but still they shouldn't be that flat already. :/
KidVermicious
New member
The fronts leafs on a solid axle truck don't have a huge amount of arch, they were nearly flat from the factory. Don't sweat the lack of arch.
TMO, depending on how much stickout you have, that might not be enough fender trimming. I had to trim the entire fender out to get full stuffage and that was with skinnies. Check out this post for my first attempt, you can see the body seam cut but not pounded flat yet. Scroll down a couple posts for the finished product.
BV has a point about the raw metal. I never did anything about mine, but ideally you'd want to get something to finish it off. Roll it, or even trim it out in some vacuum hose or something.
Bad_Vision
Moderator
I have always used skyjacker soft rides and my front always have + 3" curve using 5" all leaf lift. Sounds to me like you didn't get what you needed to clear your tire. Go bigger and sell the OME leafs it was a mistake.
TheManOutside
New member
Alright, so I finally got around to sledgehammering, and I noticed something very odd...
Here is the space between the driver side tire and the inner fender/body that is rubbing, AFTER I smashed it in a little bit.
Now here is the passengers side, which I never noticed any rubbing, WITHOUT any smashing at all!
It's not even close to rubbing! (I ended up smashing it in a little bit anyway, so it's even more of a gap now).
What is going on?? It seems my drivers side tire is slightly further back than the passenger side. I looked at the leafs shackles angles, and this is what I saw:
This is the passenger sides shackle angle:
This is the drivers side angle:
It's very hard to see, but there is an angle difference between the two. It seems like the drivers side has more an angle, which I guess is pulling the tire back.
What do I do about this? Based on my knowledge (which isn't a lot haha) I need to either get new shackles or add-a-leaf to the front. But I really have no idea. Does this just stuff happen??
Here is the space between the driver side tire and the inner fender/body that is rubbing, AFTER I smashed it in a little bit.
Now here is the passengers side, which I never noticed any rubbing, WITHOUT any smashing at all!
It's not even close to rubbing! (I ended up smashing it in a little bit anyway, so it's even more of a gap now).
What is going on?? It seems my drivers side tire is slightly further back than the passenger side. I looked at the leafs shackles angles, and this is what I saw:
This is the passenger sides shackle angle:
This is the drivers side angle:
It's very hard to see, but there is an angle difference between the two. It seems like the drivers side has more an angle, which I guess is pulling the tire back.
What do I do about this? Based on my knowledge (which isn't a lot haha) I need to either get new shackles or add-a-leaf to the front. But I really have no idea. Does this just stuff happen??
KidVermicious
New member
More angle in the shackle would pull the tire up, not back. But up also brings it closer to the fender. Does your truck sit crooked?
Make sure your tires are at the same PSI then take some measurements for us. Measure from the top edge of the wheel to the fender lip, and then measure from the ground to the fender lip (through the center of the hub). Do both sides.
Make sure your tires are at the same PSI then take some measurements for us. Measure from the top edge of the wheel to the fender lip, and then measure from the ground to the fender lip (through the center of the hub). Do both sides.
TheManOutside
New member
Alright, I can get around to it in a couple hours when I'm home.
TheManOutside
New member
So I measured the tires.
This is the passenger side :
Top of tire to fender lip is about 7 1/4 inches.
From the bottom of the tire to the lip is just under 39 1/2 inches.
Driver side :
Top of tire to fender lip is just under 7 1/2 inches.
Bottom of tire to the lip is about 40 1/4 inches.
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KidVermicious
New member
That makes no sense. Your drivers side can't be simultaneously closer to and farther from the fender 
. Do me a favor and measure from the edge of the wheel instead of the tire, it'll be more accurate.
. Do me a favor and measure from the edge of the wheel instead of the tire, it'll be more accurate.
89FourRunner
New member
That makes no sense. Your drivers side can't be simultaneously closer to and farther from the fender
x2 before you get hasty and do anymore bending or cutting - lets see where you stand with your front end. Measure from the top of the rim (not the tire) to the bottom of the fender, as straight as possible. Make sure you are on perfectly level ground. this removes tire sizes from the equation and we can figure out just how much lift you have.
What is the number?
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TheManOutside
New member
That makes no sense. Your drivers side can't be simultaneously closer to and farther from the fender
Yeah I guess I have no idea what I'm doing :biggrin2:
Ok, so I measured it again but from the top of the rim this time.
Driver Side is about 14 3/4 inches, just under 15 :
Passenger Side is about 17 inches :
I have quite a lot of sag on my drivers side, which I noticed about a month ago, but haven't really worried about... Here's a absolutely horrendous panorama of the sag.
:wtf:
And yes, I'm sure the measurements are correct. At first, I thought there was no way they could be that different, but I measured each side 3 times and got pretty much consistent results.
KidVermicious
New member
That makes more sense, and matches what you're observing with the DS tire closer to the body.
You said you've got relatively new OME springs on, yes? How long have they been on? And when you installed them did you put the A spring on the drivers side?
You said you've got relatively new OME springs on, yes? How long have they been on? And when you installed them did you put the A spring on the drivers side?
89FourRunner
New member
Just below 15" is close to stock ride height, which helps to better understand the rubbing issue under flex. Something isn't right, that is a huge difference between passenger and drivers side.
I think OEM solid axle height is in the realm of 13.5" to 14" between the top of the rim and fender opening.
Do you have the springs installed on the wrong sides of the truck? One pack is for the drivers side and the other is for passenger, they are not the same because the spring perch distance on the axle is not the same (I believe). So if they were on the wrong side, the lift would be off, and maybe (and this is just a made up example) they are supposed to be 16" and 16", understand?
I think OEM solid axle height is in the realm of 13.5" to 14" between the top of the rim and fender opening.
Do you have the springs installed on the wrong sides of the truck? One pack is for the drivers side and the other is for passenger, they are not the same because the spring perch distance on the axle is not the same (I believe). So if they were on the wrong side, the lift would be off, and maybe (and this is just a made up example) they are supposed to be 16" and 16", understand?
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