35" MT/R's On The Way; I'm Committed Now

Damn Gerald. Your X is gonna look like that SuperDuty with the 46's stuffed with only 6 inches of lift! It'll look good!

Guess you should probably start talking to Jefe

Get us some pics when youre finished...

I smell a SFA project coming along.....................

Robb

Hehehe. This is kinda like me ordering 33s with only 2" of lift then going, "Hmmm, now I've gotta fit them!"

Well, after trimming a bunch on mine I finally went with fiberglass in the front. I can tell you your trimming won't be limited to the corners of the wheelwells, but will include the top lip also. If you can cut into the top lip and still hide it with the flares then great, but I have a feeling it's not going to be enough, sorry. My new fenders go on tomorrow and I'll let you know how they blend into my factory flares from the front door back.

Good luck Krusty!

yeah I'm saying go glass. when I get new tires that's what i'll be doing

.............and a bulk-size pack of blades!

With only 5" total lift and 35s, you should be rubbing like crazy and I think the flares are as good as gone.

Robb

edit: this post doesn't make much since because the previous post has vanished.

Gerald, If you can, please post pics of the trimming! I am interested to see how that will work with the factory fender flares. If you can get this pulled off, hopefully I can fit a 285/75/16 with just a 2.5" TT.

Jason, I can tell you right now you're gonna need to trim a whole lot! I couldn't even save my smaller-than-yours flares in the front from a large cut out of their apex. With fiberglass though, no problem.

You read my mind; I already PM'd Jefe.

No I am not going overboard gonzo SFA/SAS or anything like that. I enjoy being a "sleeper" on the trail amongst J**pers who make fun of me before the run and then I get to watch them watch me while I outperform them If I go to the next level then I'll get a cheapo like an old Ranger or Sammi that I don't care if I roll and mod the heckoutta it. But sheesh, I've already done Moab Rim and Golden Spike and Schoolbus as I am now. I'm having fun as is. Future plans for Herc include a possible front locker and winch, and I have figured out how to get a 3" torsion twist lift. But that's gonna be about all Herc is going to.

Alec, I've got a 3" body lift on top of the 2" suspension lift and a 35" tire only has 1" more radius than a 33". So I can fit a 35 and do no trimming up top and still have 2" more play than you do with a 33. But evenso I will probably trim anyway just because I can under the EB flares - all around, not just at the rear.

I don't think this project will present any challenges that a SawzAll and sixpack won't fix

yeah, I guess the MTRs are actually closer to 34", whereas my ProComps are pretty true to 33" (I measured ) With the bl and only 1 more inch of tire you'll be fine up top. I do know however, that your 33s still rub sometimes at the front doors, so you'll need to cut a good 2.5-3" from the rear of the fender to stop the rubbing.

What backspacing, rim width, and tire width are you going with?

.............and a bulk-size pack of blades!

Sorry 'bout that Robb.... I edited my post and reinserted it after your response.... you guys post faster than I can think, LOL.

'99 Eddie Bauer flares have two lips on a compound curve. I plan to trim off the outside curve leaving the flare to look like a simple curve like XLS flares or Bushwhacker flares. That will give me another inch of clearance to the flare, and then I will SawzAll out a couple inches of sheetmetal under it. I am already currently running 33.5" tires and 35" MT/Rs are something like 34.6", only another half inch of radius, so I hope that will be enough. But you may be right.

Jason, I am sure you are aware of my second post article in my registry link that I give with every post I make in my signature line "Gerald's Truck". Click on it and re-read it. I ran 285/75r16 with a 2" TT and one inch hockey puck lift for quite awhile and I detailed what trimming was required in that article to do it.

Originally posted by Alec
What backspacing, rim width, and tire width are you going with?

Click to expand...

"Star" style rockcrawler rims, 15x8, stock 4" backspacing, Goodyear MT/R 35x12.5x15 tires.

The 8" wide rims w/stock backspacing will place my tires 1" further out than stock since stock wheels are 7", but I am using 1" spacers, so I will remove them in the front to maintain the same stance, since I know that another inch out when the wheels turn will require a LOT more SawzAll work. I will keep the spacers in the rear though. I'd love to keep it wider if possible but I can already tell that there's no way I'm gonna be able to keep those spacers up front unless I want to really hack out lots of sheetmetal on this thing, and I'm not willing to do that. Herc is going to keep its DD look and usefullness.

Don't be afraid of the Sawzall the Sawzall is your friend

Originally posted by GJarrett
I don't think this project will present any challenges that a SawzAll and sixpack won't fix

Click to expand...

Sounds like South Carolina is rubbing off on you, Gerald!
Welcome to BigDawg status!

Why does everyone act like noone has fit 35's w/ only 4.5"-5" of lift before?? I've been doing it for almost 10 months now.

Here's a link to the writeup I did (for anyone that hasn't seen it yet): Dead Link Removed

Good luck Gerald. . .its good to see you've finally decided to go for it.

As for cutting above the wheel like Alec mentioned. . . I do rub a hair there, only after hitting a bump too fast. Yes it does tear up the tires pretty good, but I fear that if i removed the lip of the fender that it'd loose all structural integrity and start to look like crap after a few months. Mine are bad enough as is after 10 months.

I wish you well, my friend...

--Sean

35" tires??????

Why so small?

35's should be no prob, with the right amount of trimming. I pounded back all the crap on the back of my front fender to the firewall. I'm running 37" MTR's with 5" of lift, though I'm still rubbing a little. BTW, I had to completely lose my from bumper and I still rub on front of the front fender. Anything is possible.

Good luck!

Dale