Freshmeat
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- July 26, 2008
- Messages
- 482
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- Denham Springs, LA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1994 Ranger STX SC
I've been getting a few PMs here and there regarding more details on my fender trim, so I figured I'd take pictures of all the important points and give a brief rundown on each section.
Here is a profile shot. For the passenger side, imagine the negative of this. Notice that the cut went close to the rearward bottom bolt (I removed one or two) but I did still retain at least one factory lower bolt to help secure the fender on the bottom side.
Here are the front sides. I lopped off the corners of the fender to clear the sheet metal, but ended up ramming the tire into the section of inner fender that comes to a corner with the fender. I did some digging and decided that it wouldn't hurt anything badly enough to just cut out the corners, but as with the lower section of the fender, I left at least one factory bolt to allow the inner fender to remain secure on the front edge. It would be terrible to remove all the front bolts, as highway speeds could likely throw the fender into the tire, which would go nowhere safe.
For the rear section of the inner fender I cut it up a good bit. I retained as much as I could for the sake of keeping mud and debris off the engine and other components and it's worked out extremely well, even in some incredibly sloppy conditions. Note that I cut a corner into the outer edge and pulled it back into the fender and zip-tied it to the inner framework of the sheet metal fender on both sides. Just take a box knife and carve a small hole to do the trick. Additionally, you can see where I cut holes on the inner edges to pull the inner fender back against the frame and looped zip ties through existing holes in the fame to keep it there. Some may argue that zip ties aren't strong enough, but these are industrial strength ties, DOT-approved to be used in the securing of latches on chemical drums. You should be able to find a plenty strong zip-tie at your local hardware store. Plus, I've beaten the crap out of my Ex and the zip ties have not shown any indication of failure at all, so I'm fairly confident in the choice.
Also note all the pinch seams I hammered down inside the front fenders. A 6# mallet and a beer or two to loosen up a bit beforehand and those pinch seams won't stand a chance! Just don't expect to be able to do anything with your hands for the rest of the day.
Finally... if you're going to the effort of needing to trim the front fenders, you're probably running enough tire to need to address the rear fenders, as well. I skipped addressing the rears and it bit me- or, in my case, my rear tires. I was on a trail ride and hit a tree. Didn't think anything of it- that's why I have this Explorer! The issue is that the tree ever so slightly pushed in the rear passenger quarter panel, which pressed that fender lip inward just enough to slice into the sidewall of the rear passenger tire on random bumps. Do yourself a favor and fold down that fender lip immediately and save yourself the hassle of fixing it at a trail head. I almost lost my right hand when I was pulling the rear passenger tire to address the issue with the fender lip and the hi-lift slipped out from under the back bumper, sending the Explorer crashing down. For the trail repair I just beat it down with a hammer someone had in his truck, but once I got home I gave it the full treatment with the same 6# mallet I used on the front fenders. Also take note of any pinch seams in the rear wheel wells and knock them down while you're at it.
...and, just because I'm all Narcissistic and love my Explorer... here's a shot of it in all its not-that-modified glory!
Here is a profile shot. For the passenger side, imagine the negative of this. Notice that the cut went close to the rearward bottom bolt (I removed one or two) but I did still retain at least one factory lower bolt to help secure the fender on the bottom side.
Here are the front sides. I lopped off the corners of the fender to clear the sheet metal, but ended up ramming the tire into the section of inner fender that comes to a corner with the fender. I did some digging and decided that it wouldn't hurt anything badly enough to just cut out the corners, but as with the lower section of the fender, I left at least one factory bolt to allow the inner fender to remain secure on the front edge. It would be terrible to remove all the front bolts, as highway speeds could likely throw the fender into the tire, which would go nowhere safe.
For the rear section of the inner fender I cut it up a good bit. I retained as much as I could for the sake of keeping mud and debris off the engine and other components and it's worked out extremely well, even in some incredibly sloppy conditions. Note that I cut a corner into the outer edge and pulled it back into the fender and zip-tied it to the inner framework of the sheet metal fender on both sides. Just take a box knife and carve a small hole to do the trick. Additionally, you can see where I cut holes on the inner edges to pull the inner fender back against the frame and looped zip ties through existing holes in the fame to keep it there. Some may argue that zip ties aren't strong enough, but these are industrial strength ties, DOT-approved to be used in the securing of latches on chemical drums. You should be able to find a plenty strong zip-tie at your local hardware store. Plus, I've beaten the crap out of my Ex and the zip ties have not shown any indication of failure at all, so I'm fairly confident in the choice.
Also note all the pinch seams I hammered down inside the front fenders. A 6# mallet and a beer or two to loosen up a bit beforehand and those pinch seams won't stand a chance! Just don't expect to be able to do anything with your hands for the rest of the day.
Finally... if you're going to the effort of needing to trim the front fenders, you're probably running enough tire to need to address the rear fenders, as well. I skipped addressing the rears and it bit me- or, in my case, my rear tires. I was on a trail ride and hit a tree. Didn't think anything of it- that's why I have this Explorer! The issue is that the tree ever so slightly pushed in the rear passenger quarter panel, which pressed that fender lip inward just enough to slice into the sidewall of the rear passenger tire on random bumps. Do yourself a favor and fold down that fender lip immediately and save yourself the hassle of fixing it at a trail head. I almost lost my right hand when I was pulling the rear passenger tire to address the issue with the fender lip and the hi-lift slipped out from under the back bumper, sending the Explorer crashing down. For the trail repair I just beat it down with a hammer someone had in his truck, but once I got home I gave it the full treatment with the same 6# mallet I used on the front fenders. Also take note of any pinch seams in the rear wheel wells and knock them down while you're at it.
...and, just because I'm all Narcissistic and love my Explorer... here's a shot of it in all its not-that-modified glory!
