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his
is the first major modification I’ve made in a really long time. I did it
more out of necessity; not just to do something new to my Jeep. My factory
fenders have been bent down by rocks (and back into position by me) so many
times, that it was just a matter of time before they would fall off! I’ve
been wanting to do this for about 2 years, and finally decided just to get it
done. I know that there are several companies who make tube fenders, and I
should have done a little more research before going with Poison Spyder, but I
didn’t. Of all the things I’ve done to my Jeep over the years, this has been
the hardest and most frustrating.
Real men don’t read instructions, right? Wrong! I read
the instructions from cover to cover, but not before I primed the fenders.
The instructions clearly tell you to fit the fenders BEFORE you prime and
paint them. The fit was horrible and I ended up having to do a
lot of grinding on the top edge of the fender where it meets up with the ridge
at the top of the factory fender. At some spots, I grinded off a good half
inch from the tube fender.
Cutting the factory fender wasn’t too bad, except that
the provided template didn’t fit. In accordance with the instructions, I made
sure that the measurement between the test marks was exactly 5.25”. However,
the template was about 6” short of reaching the body at the rear end of the
fender. Before fitting the fenders, I had to remove my rocker panel
protectors. On top of that, they had to be modified to fit around the
bottom portion of the tube fender flare.
When
fitting the fender, the instructions tell you to remove the 4 bolts from the
factory fender well, but I found it to be much easier initially, not to remove
these bolts. I started with the passenger side and it probably took me a
total of 8 – 10 hours to get the fit just right. With the rear of the fender
flush with the front of the body, the front of the tube fender was about ¾”
too high. I had to use a ratchet strap to pull the front of the fender down
in order to line it up with the holes in the Jeep grill. After releasing the
ratchet strap, the grill lifted up by that ¾”. It really isn’t that
noticeable though, other than the difference in the space between the bottom
of the hood and the top of the fender (it's larger at the rear). Having
learned from the passenger side, the driver’s side went much quicker (only
about half the time). The driver’s side fender seemed to fit much better for
some reason, which helped speed up the installation. After
everything fit properly, I removed the fenders, painted, and reinstalled them.
Next I had to figure out how new front running lights/turn signals.
Poison Spyder sells some small LED lights that fit in the front bracket, but
at the time I installed mine, they weren't available for the TJ yet (which
uses a 3-wire set-up). I found on one of the forums that someone had
installed CJ turn signals, but had to modify the housing of the lamp to
utilize the factory light socket. So I did the same. Since I don't
drive the Jeep that much on the street anymore, I didn't bother trying to
figure out how to install new side marker lights.
For more information on Poison Spyder Customs' tube fender and
other related products, visit their web site at
www.spydercustoms.com.
Copyright 1998 - 2008 Ó by Glenn Bontly