Dremmel for trimming. How long will it take?

[JEEP 4X4 DRIVER]

Did the dremel thing this morning and it turned out great !! Went through 7 metal cutting wheels and it took about an hour. I left the upper lip there right above the holes and touched it up and painted. I really didn't want to buy a angle cutter that I would only use once. In fact on my way home while driving on the highway, a gray lifted xj got onto the highway from an off ramp and he had trimmed fenders too. We gave each other the thumbs up.


Now to the back...Geez.



Thanks all for the avdice

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

if you would have bought a 4" grinder you wouldnt only use it once. It will come in handy for all kinds of cutting needs. but whatever, i know not everyone makes as much stuff as me and other folks on here.

 

[XJ Stryker]

Did the dremel thing this morning and it turned out great !! Went through 7 metal cutting wheels and it took about an hour. I left the upper lip there right above the holes and touched it up and painted. I really didn't want to buy a angle cutter that I would only use once. In fact on my way home while driving on the highway, a gray lifted xj got onto the highway from an off ramp and he had trimmed fenders too. We gave each other the thumbs up.


Now to the back...Geez.



Thanks all for the avdice

I own a Dremel and I love it I use it for just about everything... I just bought a angle grinder. Cause there is alot more uses to it than just cutting. And if you have bought cutting wheels for a dremel lately. At walmart it was 6 buck s for 5 of them. Unless i am makeing small precise cuts I will use my angle grinder now. They are really cheap like 30 bucks at home depot and the cutting wheels you can usally pick up for what 2 bucks. They will last alot longer than your dremel ones.

Real easy to use if that is what you are thinking also.


Just some FYI. It is definitly good to have both. I just did a project that i Used both for.

 

[scottmcneal]

I cut my fronts with tin snips, then re-installed my flairs.. Watch your seams in the rear... Do a search on fender trimming, there are some great write ups, they will HELP you alot.. I used them to do mine.. Hope this helps you.. By the way, WELCOME to naxja..............:wave:

 

[Hammered]

Dremmel = small jobs.

 

[bosco01xj]

I used a dremel on my front and rear fenders. It took me longer to take off the brackets than to trim. Probably 20-30 mins for each fender. IMHO, dremel cuts are a lot cleaner and neater. You have more control and precision with a smaller instrument like a dremel. Some guys really don't care about the look after their fenders are trimmed and that can be apparent after looking at the finished job. I added some door trim molding to my fenders and it looks like a factory job.

these pics don't show the molding, but they do show a rather nice trim, imo.

 

[5-90]

if you would have bought a 4" grinder you wouldnt only use it once. It will come in handy for all kinds of cutting needs. but whatever, i know not everyone makes as much stuff as me and other folks on here.

Not just that - throw a cup brush in it, and use it to attack those persistent and nasty driveway stains without using a bunch of solvent!

Use a wheel brush or a cup brush to make short work of metal stripping jobs.

Throw a grinding wheel on it, and use it to dress the ends of studs you cut out from allthread.

No, you're not going to use it just once. I've worn out three or four, just on projects I keep running into. The last one was cutting up an old washer and dryer no-one wanted, and the damn City wanted $50 to pick up. While I had them on the line, I asked, "What if I cut it up and throw it in the kerbside bins?"

"*laugh* - Yeah, you can do that if you want."
"Thanks."

I wonder what the poor schmuck in the truck was thinking when he dumped all that sheet steel in the back... And I did make a few bucks off of the copper (motor windings, wiring) and aluminum (assorted castings) in the process, so it came out fairly well. And I didn't have to pay $50 to get rid of them - maybe $7-10 in electricity, and $10 in cutting wheels. Made more than that off of the scrap.

 

[markw]

Not just that - throw a cup brush in it, and use it to attack those persistent and nasty driveway stains without using a bunch of solvent!

Use a wheel brush or a cup brush to make short work of metal stripping jobs.

Throw a grinding wheel on it, and use it to dress the ends of studs you cut out from allthread.

No, you're not going to use it just once. I've worn out three or four, just on projects I keep running into. The last one was cutting up an old washer and dryer no-one wanted, and the damn City wanted $50 to pick up. While I had them on the line, I asked, "What if I cut it up and throw it in the kerbside bins?"

"*laugh* - Yeah, you can do that if you want."
"Thanks."

I wonder what the poor schmuck in the truck was thinking when he dumped all that sheet steel in the back... And I did make a few bucks off of the copper (motor windings, wiring) and aluminum (assorted castings) in the process, so it came out fairly well. And I didn't have to pay $50 to get rid of them - maybe $7-10 in electricity, and $10 in cutting wheels. Made more than that off of the scrap.

Ha, got you beat. I threw away an 89 honda CRX in the recycle bins. Junkyard didn't want it after we pulled the driveline and all the parts out of the shell. Sawzall'ed it into about 1 foot square peices and threw it away over the period of a month or so. For fender trimming, Harbor Fright sells a body saw that essentially uses a jigsaw blade, works like a champ. Otherwise I'd say lay it out with tape and use a jigsaw with a metal blade.

 

[5-90]

Ha, got you beat. I threw away an 89 honda CRX in the recycle bins. Junkyard didn't want it after we pulled the driveline and all the parts out of the shell. Sawzall'ed it into about 1 foot square peices and threw it away over the period of a month or so. For fender trimming, Harbor Fright sells a body saw that essentially uses a jigsaw blade, works like a champ. Otherwise I'd say lay it out with tape and use a jigsaw with a metal blade.

That's OK - now that I've got the washer and dryer out of the way, I've got a 1990 that I'm going to chop up and toss in the bins...

 

[fubar XJ]

I used a standard 10K rpm 4.5" Makita to trim mine. It works like a charm, but you need some forearm strength and endurance to not tire and f it up near the end of the cut. Just used the regular wheels also, IIRC I used up maybe one wheel per side.

Whatever you use, the rules are the same: Measure twice, cut once. Take your time, stay on your line. Take breaks if you get fatigued, you don't want to have to explain to your buddies that your cuts look like poo because your girly-man arms got tired.

 

[joshdbrooks]

Did my fronts with a Sawzall, and rears with a $7.00 Harbor Freight pneumatic cutoff wheel. Rears look way cleaner, and I am pretty good with a sawzall. Don't get me wrong, my fronts look good, and took about 5-10 minutes a side. The rears took about 30-45 minutes a side, but look way better.

 

[techshooter02]

WOw, :huh:reading this thread I was amazed at all the responses of how to cut out the fenders:doh::wow:
I thought you guys where do it your selfers, afraid of a little metal and dremal tool.
My brother did his in 3 min per front fender and used two disks per fender did an frigin great job didn't even have to put the plastic crap back onto the fender. (using the dremal tool)

Ok everyone that is afraid of the dremal, *nut up and just do it*hasta
I want to see some pictures of everyones fender cuts....
unless your scared

 

[98XJSport]

Did it with a dremel, more to get rid of rust than anything. Gained some flex, then put the stock flares back roughly where they were. If I cut the lip off the flare Ill gain it back, got to wait for the rain to stop.

 

[JEEP 4X4 DRIVER]

Did it with a dremel, more to get rid of rust than anything. Gained some flex, then put the stock flares back roughly where they were. If I cut the lip off the flare Ill gain it back, got to wait for the rain to stop.

That is exactlly how mine looks now. I put door trim on the front around the lip and Protekto trim on the back.

 

[Sierra Drifter]

Jig saw works great. I used that on mine.
Angle grinder wont take to long just dont force the cut of disks. Make sure to use a cut off disk that is out of fiberglass not the cheap junk they normaly give you with the dremel. It can be done just takes some time.

x2 on the jigsaw. I'd say it's hard to follow a curved line with an angle grinder or a dremel. Cut off wheels make greate straight line cuts but curves and turns are tough.
Put some masking tape over the fenders where you are going to cut. Draw a line on the tape, then use a jigsaw with a fine metal cutting blade. It should be quick and easy.

 

[Lee337]

I used a SawZall on my fenders over the weekend. Worked great. I just traced the plastic flares then cut on the front. Cut in the crease on the back...turned out great. My last XJ i did the same thing.

 

[CJ~Abuzer]

Cut relief cuts in the rear and use a baseball bat to "roll" the metal back.

 

[JEEP 4X4 DRIVER]

How many relief cuts and how far apart should you make them ? I may roll mine back soon.

 

[CJ~Abuzer]

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=304431


I only made 3 cuts at the corners of the wheelwell. I would put a few more in there than I did.


I herculined the lower half after I did it.

 

[fubar XJ]

How many relief cuts and how far apart should you make them ? I may roll mine back soon.

I made three at each corner and then maybe one every five inches or so. It came out decent, not the absolutely perfect line some of the fellas here have achieved. I have flares on anyhow, so you can't see the trim unless you get up under there and look close.