Fixing The Truck Again: Cutting Toyota Fenders Without Welding

This was preformed on a 1987 4Runner with extensive body damage.

If you have a clean 4Runner, please consider more professional options first.

When I bought my 4Runner, it had already been laid down, beat out, and rust patched with fiberglass, expanding foam, and kitchen drawer slides. No joke. Not only was it ugly, but it also got in the way of the 4Runner's great articulation. For many reasons, that all needed to come out.

Rear fenders before modifications

Masking tape and Sharpie. I decided to cut an inch higher than pictured here.

A great way to start trimming fenders, is to lay out some masking tape on the fenders and use a Sharpie to draw where you want your cut. I made a very large cut because I wanted to remove all the rust and fiberglass. It is popular however to make a less pronounced cut, and to follow the factory body lines.

Following the Sharpie line, make your cut

Once you have decided where you want your fender lines, you're ready to cut. For the rear fenders, it is advisable to use a grinder with a cut-off wheel. I used a Sawzall with a new steel 4" blade however. If you decide to use a Sawzall too, make sure to angle the blade to avoid hitting the rear seatbelts and speakers, and tape all wires out of the way.

What you see here is the factory wheel tub hanging out much lower than our new fender line. This is usually where a welder comes in handy, but not for us. Details to follow.

Optional step
Great for mild weather, or if you don't mind "weather" in your fenders

This step is optional. I ran around with my fenders like this for a month while I decided how I wanted to patch the wheel tub.

Take the Sawzall and make 4-6" cuts perpendicular to the fender in the wheel tub. Take a shop hammer and large channel lock pliers and bend/hammer the wheel tub strips up into the fender.

Wheel tub pushed up into the fender and out of the way

This optional step will look close to this when you're finished. Minimize hitting the actual fender, and just aim the hammer at the wheel tub strips. The channel lock pliers will help in getting the "reverse bend" in the strips gracefully started.

Wheel tub removed to pinch weld
and steel bar supports riveted

When you're ready to continue with the wheel well, remove the tire, and use the Sawzall to remove the wheel tub within 1-2" from the pinch weld. Masking tape won't stick here, but the pinch weld is visible enough from inside the wheel well.

For this next part, you'll need some steel rivets, a steel rivet gun (not aluminum), some steel bar from Home Depot/Lowes, and one of the 5' industrial carpet mats for $20 they carry in the flooring section.

Cut the steel bar into strips and bend the ends with a vice and large pliers. I ended up using my leaf springs and body weight to bend the steel after awhile. I don't advise this if you have nice leafs. Bend the steel so that it matches the curve of the fender. Drill holes into the fender for your rivets, then line the bar up, mark it with a Sharpie or drill, then remove and fully drill a hole through the steel bar. Rivet bar into place in fender. Rinse and repeat around the entire wheel well, making sure to place steel bar at corners and top of wheel well for support.

Steel bars installed and painted black

This is what the steel bars will look like when you're finished. It began raining before I could install the tub, so I sprayed them black to help protect against rust.

Creating a pattern. Area is roughly 1.5'x5'

Before you cut your rubber floor mat, create a pattern and factor in any tucks, folds, etc. you'll need in the material. Remember, measure twice, cut once.

Once you have a pattern you're happy with, lay it on the floor mat and cut the floor mat so that the carpet faces inside the fender, and the rubber backing faces outside, towards the tire.

Flip your pattern so that rubber faces outside

If you reuse your pattern for the other wheel well, remember to flip it so that the carpet will still face the inside of the fender, and the rubber to the outside.

Bolting the fender rubber into place

Now you're ready to install the rubber into the wheel well.

I used 1/2" bolts with washers for strain relief on the rubber. Drill bolt holes one at a time into the steel strips and existing wheel well, and poke the bolts through the rubber using a small phillips-head screwdriver. Adjust rubber as needed after each bolt is installed to ensure the rubber lays flat.

Perimeter bolts installed, and rubber sliced to tuck into fender

Rubber tucked into fender, and black adhesive installed

After the bolts are installed, slice the rubber so that you can tuck it up into the fender. Use a fresh razor knife for best cuts, and go slow so you don't slice too far or too much.

Once you have your rubber tucked into the fender, take some black adhesive and caulk into and around the seams of where the rubber meets the fender. Smooth adhesive and re-apply once set up if you need to build up an area.

Inside view of fender

While caulking with adhesive, access the inside of your fender from the bed of the 4Runner and push the extra rubber material against the inside of the fender. You should have ample adhesive here, and it will cause the rubber to adhere to the fender. This forms more support and a better seal between the rubber and fender.

If you push any adhesive out the fender, smooth it out with your finger while it's still wet.