- Even with approx 5 1/2" of lift I still got a lot of fender rub. The rears would contact the back of the wheel well openings under full compression, and this was after the wrangler flares I installed a few years back. I discovered by accident that the wranglers actually had the same round body wheel well opening as the CJ's while working on our sons 91. So I picked a rear set and installed them. Though I had installed the Wrangler flares mostly cause I like the squarer look verses the Cj round rear flares, the Wrangler flares do allow you do trim a bit off the lower rear corner. That virtual got rid of the rear rub with 33" tires. But with the new 35" tires they were hitting again, hard. The fronts only hit on the inside of the wheel well under full turn, but again the 35s were hitting hard. I had heard that TJ flares could be installed and offer the opportunity to trim even more metal. (Works better installed on a Wrangler, more of the same shape as the TJ). Really liked the old school look of the CJ fenders, but these new openings are huge, changes the whole appearance of the jeep, and it now doesn't even come close to rubbing.
The orange jeep isnt mine, stole the pic to show how much metal is behind the stock flare, ours is the Grey jeep. These pics are what I used to do mine, excellant page (Ill add link if I can refind it)
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Now the Fronts
Also note the TJ "Rubicon" flares are an 1" wider that the non Rubicon modles. I used Rubicon in the back but used the narrower ones in front (though there still way wider than Cj flares). I coulda lived without the TJ side lights....
What is really cool, but a bit of work, is when you do the fronts you also split the inner fender well lining away from the fender, pull it back and reattach adding some metal to fill gap. This makes the inside wheel well HUGE. The inside of the well was my problem as far as the tire hitting, now I have like 3" of clearance. If youve a shackel reversal this is the fix. Below you see the orange jeep with inner well pulled away. Also how the fender cut looks.
Finished installed - had to remove side bars and shorten, coped with compound angle and reweld, Like im ever goining to hit them, but ya never know. Also on front flare, I put some 1/8" foam tap on the inside of the mounting flange, The new flares have a very sharp edge, it also filled the minor voids at the front edge.
http://www.cj7jeep.com/body/tj_flares.html is one link to another flare replacement
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=163015 is the one that made it clearer for me especially the front.
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