Modifying Rear Bedsides

[Dodge68charger]

I'm Running a Porterbuilt Rear suspension. Level 3, Just Wondering If Anyone Has modified their Rear bedsides to get the tire to sit closer to the outside of the truck. How did you do it if you did. Thanks
Posted via Mobile Device

[Swar]

You mean like narrowing the bedsides? Probably wouldn't look right. I have offset rims and wide tires that come out even with the bed. I had to cut the wheel openings up higher and change the flare to accommodate. What year is your truck? I know the 67's/68's? have a narrower rear end housing.

[crakarjax]

He probably does mean modifying the inner lip area... I'm interested in how to do this as well. I know on the fronts you could roll the fender lip but in the back?

[Dodge68charger]

Yes meant Modifying the inner lip Area. Thank You
Posted via Mobile Device

[Gromit]

Some youtubes on this topic below - although still a lot of head scratching involved to convert what they are doing in the video to the shapes we need for out fleetsides..



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x-KOc20RXc

Metal Shaping: Fender Bead and Wire Edge Demonstration

It is the one with 159,650 views

Or not quite as good but still helpful this:

Wire edge technique

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IllbcB9sIY

[hewittca]

I modified mine for this exact reason. I wanted my wheels as close as I could get them to the wheel opening. I have about 1/2” clearance all the way up. I did this by cutting out the portion of the wheel tub that is tack welded to the fender lip and extends up to where the inner wheel tub bolts to the inner bed side. Then I had to gently roll in the remaining lip on the wheel arch.

[crakarjax]

If I were to do that, I'd want to replace the removed material with something to prevent junk from getting kicked up into the inside of the rear fender panel. The process seems to make a lot of sense though.

Eastwood sells a fender roller tool, anyone try something like that to do the lip rolling?

[hewittca]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

If I were to do that, I'd want to replace the removed material with something to prevent junk from getting kicked up into the inside of the rear fender panel. The process seems to make a lot of sense though.

Eastwood sells a fender roller tool, anyone try something like that to do the lip rolling?

Yeah, I thought about adding in a piece but for me it wasn't worth the effort. I try to only drive my truck when it's dry out, so not much gets kicked up. Plus, the original piece I cut out didn't seem like it would keep water out anyway. If anything, it made it worse because it doesn't completely seal and there's an opening behind it where stuff can settle.

Here it is right before I cut that piece off.



I don't think you even need to mess with a lip roller tool. The lip is already pretty much rolled up. It needed maybe an additional 30 degrees of bend. You can kind of see how it's rolled up in the pic above. If you roll it any more than vertical, it's just overkill because the wheel arch kicks out anyway.

[Swar]

I see what you mean now. Hewittca, your truck reminds me of mine when I got it, same color. My fender mods are little more unconventional.

[crakarjax]

Originally Posted by Swar

I see what you mean now. Hewittca, your truck reminds me of mine when I got it, same color. My fender mods are little more unconventional.

No offense, but what in the world are you doing with all that bondo?

[Swar]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

No offense, but what in the world are you doing with all that bondo?

I know the "proper" way to fix the body is to shape metal and weld it in, grind, then use minimal bondo. But this is working for me.