Wheel Wells

[NJshofear]

I have a 89 sho and i need to trim the wheel well liners. I have two questions before i do it. First, How far can i trim. Second do i need to worry about repainting to prevent rust, or is it plasic that im trimming?

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89 SHO
Upgraded brakes,
17" mim asti wheels W/falken GRb fk451 tires (225/45/17)
Flowmaster 40 series mufflers w/custom 2.25 inch t304 stainless exhaust system.
Coilovers from IPT (when they come in)
Pioneer head unit, with 2 Rockford Fosgate 12inch subs, and matching amp (no too powerful but enough for me)
coming soon: SFC, new interior.

 

[94shoboy]

i have trimmed two cars now, i found out that 1. you can use a jig saw but it might chip the paint off because the table on the saw might hit hard 2. the easiest way i found is to use a sawzall, hold the table/gaurd off the metal about 3"
then use a rotary tool or grinder to smooth it off. i cut all the metal off the fender and part of the plasticand metal where the SHO body panels over lap. i cut the plastic back to the screws and the metal as far to the outside of the fender i could go so there was still a small lip, so that you couldn't see by looking at the outside of the car

 

[NJshofear]

Im still not sure what im cutting. in know i feel like an idiot. Can you kinda give me a good idea. i looked ant it seems like theres only about a 1/4 in i can cut off.
or am i cutting up so it looks like a second gen rear panel??
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89 SHO
Upgraded brakes,
17" mim asti wheels W/falken GRb fk451 tires (225/45/17)
Flowmaster 40 series mufflers w/custom 2.25 inch t304 stainless exhaust system.
Coilovers from IPT (when they come in)
Pioneer head unit, with 2 Rockford Fosgate 12inch subs, and matching amp (no too powerful but enough for me)
coming soon: SFC, new interior.

[This message has been edited by NJshofear (edited 11-26-2001).]

 

[sdpatt]

You would only be cutting the metal inner fender lip up to, but not through the spot welds. The inner fender lip is the 1" (approx.) wide fold of the fender that protrudes into the wheel well towards the tire.

I applied duct tape to the lip To prevent impact injuries to the metal and then trimmed it to the welds using a jig saw with a fine metal blade. This was done in several cuts to get the interference points between the tire and the metal fender lip and the plastic trim at the front of the fender opening. If you cut past the spot welds, the fender will lose its strength.

Yes, you should finish and paint the exposed metal from the cut. The factory finish was somewhat lacking on my car and the repaint was much smoother that the original. Here are a couple photos to show how far out you can get the tire and wheel on a Gen I.

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Scott

1991, 252K miles, glass hood, police grill, SVO shifter, Catz fogs,
K&N, 73mm MAF, Superchip, PP Y-pipe, Borla cat-back, 190 lph pump
Eibach/Tokico/polyurethane, SHO Shop front & rear strut braces,
16x7.5" Moda R1, 225/55ZR16 Bridgestone RE730, -1 deg camber x 4,
Class II hitch, Silver award at the SHOklahoma Car Show

[This message has been edited by sdpatt (edited 11-26-2001).]