- So you're ready to pull the trigger on some over fenders
or a wide body kit for your car.
Well, first of all, congratulations.
And second of all, before you decide to take the
closest angle grinder you can find to your quarter panels.
Let's just go through and break down some of the things you
might want to know and put together a quick guide
for installing over fenders on your car.
Real quick, before we go ahead
and jump right into this video
if you are in need of some new wheels, tires
or suspension to go with that fresh new body kit
make sure to hit us up over a fitmentindustries.com.
It's literally what we do.
It's kind of in her name, kind of a thing.
Anyway.
First things first, are you sure you want to do this?
Not sure if you know this, but this is going to
be a pretty irreversible thing
that you were about to do to your car.
So, sound good?
Good to go? Thought so.
The next thing your gonna want to do is pick out
which kit you are going to want to go with, obviously.
If you go browsing around the internet right now
you find all sorts of different over fender, wide body kits
for pretty much any car imaginable.
And the prices can range anywhere from like a couple
hundred dollars upward to four or five or
tens of thousands of dollars.
The biggest thing here is that you're typically going to
get what you pay for when it comes to the overall quality
and fit of these kits.
And that is going to be the biggest determining factor as to
whether or not you're going to have a good time
with this process, or, you know, you're going to run in
and fight everything along every step of the way.
Obviously, we all know the big names in the industry,
Pandem, Rocket Bunny, Liberty Walk, Varis, et cetera.
And you probably also know that you can get
very similar versions of those kits,
but for like a lot less.
Now, I'm not saying that every kit that isn't one
of those big brands is going to be a replica kit
or isn't going to fit well because that's just
really not the case.
There are a lot of smaller brands out
there that make original kits for these cars
that fit really, really well, but general rule of thumb,
you're going to get what you pay for.
Best thing to do here is find some people who are
or have ran the kit that you're looking at, reach out
to them, ask them how the kit fits, how the install went
and if they would recommend it.
Nine times out of 10 they'll have no problem
giving you some insight into how everything went for them.
Which brings us to the next fork in the road.
Is this something that you're going to tackle by yourself
or are you going to pay a shop to do it?
This is important, especially if you go
with one of those lower tier body kits.
Because that means you're going to have to do
all the work that it needs to make it fit properly
or you're going to have to pay someone else to do it.
And typically that kind of work isn't the cheapest.
So really got to use your best judgment here.
If this is something you're going to tackle yourself
or do with a couple of friends,
do your research.
I know I sound like a broken record
at this point, just saying, go do your research.
But even just looking at a few forums
or watching a couple of videos on something you're
about to do for the first time can help tremendously.
It might even give you a little heads
up into some things about your car specifically
that might be a little different from something else.
And then you can be prepared for it so,
it doesn't take you off guard when you're
halfway through the process
and then you just end up never finishing it.
For instance, on my RX-8 we just did,
it was nice to know ahead of time, about how much
of the rear fenders we were going to actually
have to cut out.
So we'd accidentally cut too much
or leave too much on there.
And that we were also going to have to watch
out for the headlight brackets upfront
because it causes some issues with the mounting hardware.
So what else are you gonna need to get the job done,
if you're going to do this by yourself?
It's a great question.
Glad you asked.
Here's a short list of things that you're
going to need to make sure you have handy to get
this done properly.
Masking tape being number one preferably the blue stuff,
the wider the better.
An angle grinder with multiple
cut-off wheels and flapper discs.
A Sharpie, a welder, some sort of sealant
like a silicone, RTV or bedliner, a drill Cleco fasteners.
And if you're using rib nuts you're going to need
the rib nut tool as well, to actually get them installed.
And then of course, your general hand tools, screwdrivers,
sockets, all that sort of stuff.
Getting started, you're going to want to mock everything up.
Lay down some masking tape that is larger than the area
that the kit covers.
This way, when you mock it up,
you'll save your paint from scuffs and scratches
of moving the new piece around, make sure it lines up.
And then make sure that everything fits
the way you would like it to.
And if needed, cut some stuff away.
Say in areas that are needed until everything fits snug.
Next, either you can tape it up
or use some help from a friend to hold the piece in place
while you trace around the area of the over fenders
with a Sharpie to give you the outline on the masking tape.
This will give you a reference to create your cut line as
to where the actual outside of the panel is going to sit.
Now, start more conservative.
You can always cut off more if needed.
Once you get your outline drawn and
you're happy with everything.
Triple check that it's time to start cutting.
Now, obviously this is going to be the scariest part of
the entire process.
Make sure you first removed any fender liners
or any other pieces that might get in the way.
So you don't accidentally cut them.
Start off by cutting on the inside of your cut line.
Like I said, you can always shape it, cut out more later
if needed and make it look nice and neat.
Also make sure not to cut too deep, especially in the rear
because you're going to need that inner part
of the fender wall to remain so, you can create
a new seal and fender wall.
Once you make your initial cuts,
make sure you clean it up a bit.
No jagged edges, no bits of metal hanging around.
And this is what you can use your flapper disc for.
Really clean it up and works great for that kind of thing.
Once you're happy with your cuts, it never hurts to
do a quick check of your wheel fitment.
Cycle, the suspension with the wheel on it
to make sure that there's enough room
for it to travel all the way and also kind
of get in there, turn the wheels, make sure
nothing hits, all that sort of good stuff.
Make sure you're all good with what you're
going to want before you seal it all back up,
the rears specifically.
Not only does that inner fender wall keep dirt and moisture
and all that other bad stuff out of the inside of your car,
but it also does provides a structure to the car itself.
And if you just leave it, it causes you a lot of issues
down the road.
The most common method here is to cut little finger slits
into that fender wall that is left and then using a hammer
pound them outwards and upwards to make that new wall.
You're going to want to take a wire brush, remove any paint
from the edge of the outside fender and the coating
from the inner fender wall
and create a clean area to weld together.
Weld your new tabs to the outside of the fender.
Take your time, make sure you don't overheat the area
cause it's really prone to warping
and all that kind of stuff.
It's not that great.
If needed use some scrap pieces of sheet metal,
the weld in areas that might be any gaps.
Really just get it all sealed up so,
you can't see anything on the inside.
Once everything's cleaned up from welding, use some sort
of sealant to make sure that there's no possible way
for any moisture or anything else to get inside.
So there, your hard part is done.
Probably the most tedious part of the entire process.
Probably the part that takes the longest
and all that's left is to throw the kit back on
get everything lined up again, start drilling
mounting holes, and then add your hardware.
Take time with this, as well.
It is also an important part.
This is going to be, what's holding your kit on
and you don't obviously want it to be crooked
or out of place.
Clecos are a great way to make sure
everything stays in place.
Install your mounting, hardware, bolt everything on
and you're pretty much good to go.
Now for the most part, like I said, you're done, that's it.
The only thing that's left, is to make sure
that your new wheels are going to fit without any rubbing.
It's not really uncommon that you might have to trim some
of the inside of the kit down or cut out some extra room
in there to make sure that, you know,
if you're running the more aggressive wheel tire setup
or if you're on air suspension that everything, you know,
comes down nice and neat and you're not bashing wheels
into your brand new body kit.
And then it's off to paint or wrap,
whatever you might choose.
My biggest tips here are basically use the
correct tools for the job.
It's going to save you a lot of time and
you're going to have a cleaner outcome.
Take your time, do not rush this process.
I know it's super exciting to see the transformation.
Sometimes you just want to get it done, out of the way.
Don't be afraid to ask someone for help, if needed.
Throw some cash to someone you know to help come
out with the cutting or welding,
if you're not comfortable with doing it yourself.
Your mind will be just so much more at ease
knowing that something was done correctly
and it's not going to cause issues down the road.
And of course, you know, do your research ahead of time.
Those are some of the biggest tips we have.
If you're looking to install some
over fenders on your car.
Again, wheels, tires, suspension at fitmentindustries.com.
And if you have any other questions
or want to see us do a guide on something else.
Drop it down in the comment section below.
But I'm Gels from, from Fitment Industries.
We'll see you later.