1992 White 1.6l MX5 Miata

Cutting the rear fenders

I need to write this up better but here goes.... To clear the 275/35/15s I initially trimmed and rolled the front fenders a little and raised the rear ride height to provide adequate clearance. This was NOT the best solution as the car didn't like the added ride height. The following are cell phone shots of the process so they are not as clear as I would have liked but I hope you find them somewhat useful.

First, I masked off the fender. Then decided about how far to cut and marked it off. The idea was to cut as far up as the inner and outer fender were relatively close to each other.

Using the air powered die grinder and an abrasive cutting wheel, I etched along the line to provide a guide for the deeper cut that would go through both the inner and outer fender.

Here is the opening after cutting. Notice the removed material resting on the hub.

This is what the opening looks like after the inital cut.

Another view.

I then cut the inner liner enough so that I could hammer it "flat", meaning horizontal, and it would almost contact the outer fender. I put a relief cut on each end of the cut to make it easier to flatten.

Other end of the cut.

Then I hammered the inner liner into position.

Then hammer the outer fender so that it bends under and covers the inner fender liner. Start at the middle and work your way toward each end.

Once you reach the point that the inner and outer fenders come together again, just roll the metal in to produce a lip. (Looks like that you would normally roll) The result looks pretty clean, and will certainly keep most debris and liquid out. You might want to put some kind of sealant over it, I haven't gotten that far yet.

Before

After

First, I masked off the fender. Then decided about how far to cut and marked it off. The idea was to cut as far up as the inner and outer fender were relatively close to each other.
Using the air powered die grinder and an abrasive cutting wheel, I etched along the line to provide a guide for the deeper cut that would go through both the inner and outer fender.
Here is the opening after cutting. Notice the removed material resting on the hub.
This is what the opening looks like after the inital cut.
Another view.
I then cut the inner liner enough so that I could hammer it "flat", meaning horizontal, and it would almost contact the outer fender. I put a relief cut on each end of the cut to make it easier to flatten.
Other end of the cut.
Then I hammered the inner liner into position.


Then hammer the outer fender so that it bends under and covers the inner fender liner. Start at the middle and work your way toward each end.
Once you reach the point that the inner and outer fenders come together again, just roll the metal in to produce a lip. (Looks like that you would normally roll) The result looks pretty clean, and will certainly keep most debris and liquid out. You might want to put some kind of sealant over it, I haven't gotten that far yet.
Before
After