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Rear Wheelwell - Take 2

When I initially reworked the rear wheelwells I didn't have the rear disc brakes so I failed to provide adequate clearance for the brake calipers so they clashed. So I had to hack up the wheelwells locally to get the truck into the lowest position to proceed with the build. Some time ago I had made some patch panels with the stiffening rib in them for each side but they have been sitting on a shelf until I could get better access to the area. With the body removed it was time to get most of the work done on fixing the issue.

I took the patch panels and located them in the wheelwell so that they would envelope the hacked out area and clamped them both in place. I then marked the periphery of the patch panels on the wheelwells and removed the patch panels. I did this so I could determine where I wanted to re-cut the wheelwell. The wood bed is still installed on the body so I had to be careful not to get too close to it or the support structure on the other side so I had to cut somewhere between the marked periphery and these obstructions.

Once I determined where to cut it, I then cut the wheelwells (and deburred) and used the remaining periphery outline on the wheelwells to re-clamp the patch panels in place. With the patch panels in place, I then back-marked the newly trimmed wheelwell edge onto the patch panels so I could re-trim them to fit. I then trimmed the patch panels and tweaked them here and there to better fit the cut-out on the wheelwell.

Last thing to do was to weld them in place and grind down the welds being very careful not to overheat the metal and damage the wood bed behind it in doing so. I was able to weld and grind the wheel side but I will need to wait until the bed wood is removed to finish the other side. My plan (right now) is to use a black spray bedliner, like Raptor Liner, on the wheelwells and underbody. So hopefully a quick swipe with some body filler, some light sanding and the thick bedliner will hide some of the flaws so it looks more “factory-like”. Knock on wood.