Flat Fender Rubicon!
Finally! I've done it! It was labor intensive, but I got it done!
So, you ask, what was it like installing the Smittybilt SRC Rock Crawler Fenders? Well, for starters, read the directions!! It says, install and drill all the holes and THEN get them painted. Heed this advise (although I did not). There is plenty of drilling involved. Pretty much, this is the dumbed down breakdown of tasks:
a) Doing first the passenger's side and then the driver's side (one at a time, or you're going to forget where everything goes unless your some kind of Jeep genius), remove all things bolted onto the factory fenders (except the hood latches), remove all the lights, annoying little connectors, factory rock sliders (rubicon) and any rock sliders or rails (I managed with them on, but I wouldn't recommend it), and remove the factory fenders.
b) Install the SRC fenders and mark all the holes that need to be drilled (this would include the fuse box, battery tray, aux battery tray, horn, windshield washer fluid, one hole for the rock sliders, and some other stuff!) and drill away.
c) Put it ALL back together again, bolt everything down to make sure it fits and then start taking apart the driver's side (which was a piece of cake compared to the passenger side. Apparently there's a learning curve!).
d) After everything is bolted back together, close the hood and make sure nothing in the engine compartment touches it. Then, following the directions and CAREFULLY observing where the old hood latches are, drill some more holes. It didn't say this in the directions, but I recommend you actually latch the fender side of the latch to the hood side of the latch, then use paint on the latch bolt to gently close the hood and mark the hole on the fender. If you don't latch the hardware to the hood piece, you're going to mess it up. Go ahead. Ask me how I know.
e) Once everything is fitted and bolted, take everything BACK apart and get the fenders painted and then remount when dry.
Note: Get some larger washers to mount the fenders. The SRC fender holes are a bit larger than factory and the washer will work through. I used 1" stainless washers that fit the factory bolts. Get about 30 of them. That covers both sides. Oh, and you'll probably have to pick up some small bolts for holes that were tapped into the fender. That would be trial and error. And…get an extra person. This is NOT a one person job!
GOOD LUCK!
So, you ask, what was it like installing the Smittybilt SRC Rock Crawler Fenders? Well, for starters, read the directions!! It says, install and drill all the holes and THEN get them painted. Heed this advise (although I did not). There is plenty of drilling involved. Pretty much, this is the dumbed down breakdown of tasks:
a) Doing first the passenger's side and then the driver's side (one at a time, or you're going to forget where everything goes unless your some kind of Jeep genius), remove all things bolted onto the factory fenders (except the hood latches), remove all the lights, annoying little connectors, factory rock sliders (rubicon) and any rock sliders or rails (I managed with them on, but I wouldn't recommend it), and remove the factory fenders.
b) Install the SRC fenders and mark all the holes that need to be drilled (this would include the fuse box, battery tray, aux battery tray, horn, windshield washer fluid, one hole for the rock sliders, and some other stuff!) and drill away.
c) Put it ALL back together again, bolt everything down to make sure it fits and then start taking apart the driver's side (which was a piece of cake compared to the passenger side. Apparently there's a learning curve!).
d) After everything is bolted back together, close the hood and make sure nothing in the engine compartment touches it. Then, following the directions and CAREFULLY observing where the old hood latches are, drill some more holes. It didn't say this in the directions, but I recommend you actually latch the fender side of the latch to the hood side of the latch, then use paint on the latch bolt to gently close the hood and mark the hole on the fender. If you don't latch the hardware to the hood piece, you're going to mess it up. Go ahead. Ask me how I know.
e) Once everything is fitted and bolted, take everything BACK apart and get the fenders painted and then remount when dry.
Note: Get some larger washers to mount the fenders. The SRC fender holes are a bit larger than factory and the washer will work through. I used 1" stainless washers that fit the factory bolts. Get about 30 of them. That covers both sides. Oh, and you'll probably have to pick up some small bolts for holes that were tapped into the fender. That would be trial and error. And…get an extra person. This is NOT a one person job!
GOOD LUCK!
Labels: flat fender, jeep, rubicon, smittybilt, src rock crawler fenders, tj
posted by Michele at 6:53 PM
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