- Clearance for Bigger Tires -

Tools Used

  • Die Grinder
  • Body Air Saw
  • Milwaukee Hacksaw
  • Painters tape
  • Pen/Pencil
  • T-15 Torx bit (remove fender liner)
  • Spray paint (prevent rust on cuts)
  • Clip remover

Specs

  • Current
    • Fuel Vector Wheels 17×8.5 +7 offset
    • Toyo Open Country AT II 265x70x17
  • Going to 
    • Kenda Klever R/T KR601 LT35/10.50R17 

Removed Wheel Well Liners

  • Using t-15 torx bit
  • Dont forget the top one that uses a clip

Remove Waffle & mount

  • Using t-15 torx
  • Upright mount uses 10mm socket or wrench

Remove Trim & Insulation

  • Using t-15 torx and a clip remover
  • I shoved the insulation up and out of the way

Mount 35

  • Turn wheels to each side until it makes contact with the fenders
  • Keep contact with the fender and  estimate its course of travel and draw your cut line

Tape Fenders

  • Based on where I made my marks on the inner fender I lined up the bottom marks on the outside and tried to match it with the curve of the existing fender
  • Basically I just eyeballed 

Started with small cuts

  • Just enough so the tires can clear just the fender
  • Turn wheels again so you can reevaluate your inner cut lines
  • This also gives me practice cutting the sheet metal, improving my accuracy for later final cuts

Taped Inner seam

  • Based this off what Oxidizr did
  • Made a small cut with a hackzall
  • Put the tire on a ramp and turned in to check clearance and estimate how much more to cut

Cut the inner pinch weld

  • Using the tape as a cut line
  • I put edge guard on the fender as the saw would contact it

Deburred the cut

  • With a right angle die grinder and deburring stone

Final fender cut

  • With a air body saw
  • Line drawn with a sharpie based on my eyechrometer and a steady hand

Cut front rail

  • Remove the wire before you get ready to cut
  • Hacked off with the hackzall
  • Not sure if this is needed, but followed Oxidizr and I’d rather have more clearance than not

Cut Body Mount

  • Had about 1inch clearance here, decided to be on the safe side and cut a bit off.

Test

  • I drove it up the ramp and turned both ways to check clearance (safety police ignore this)

Prep for Paint

  • Cleaned up the bare metal areas with a sanding wheel and wire wheel
  • I had some areas where the hackzall made contact due to the length

Tape off and Paint

  • Used some rustoleum white paint

Reinstall Well Liners

  • Mount it back where you still have mounts
  • Assess where you are now missing mounts and see of there are any holes on the body you can zip tie them to.
  • I utilized 2 spots on the front fascia and one on the rear underside of the body.
  • For now, this will do until I come up with a more permanent solution.

Fronts Done

  • Take a test drive somewhere you can get some decent articulation and trun the wheels
  • Tires rub a tiny bit on the wells from where they still protrude to accommodate the now cut inner fender well pinch weld. No big deal.

- Rear -

Rear Cutting

  • Only needed the inner portion cut of the fender in front of the tire
  • With a hackzall
  • Based on yt dude
  • It will clear on ramp, but I did this for heavier articulation

Test

  • Clears on a ramp even without the cuts

Done

#staycollected