I'm in the process of hackin' away at my fenders on a newer jeep (go ahead and flame:flipoff2: ). What tool is best for getting a VERY clean edge with out jackin' the paint too much? After I trim I'm going to throw some black door edge gaurd to hide the cut. The door edge gaurd is only about 1/4" wide, so if I can keep the cutting damage to a minimun, it may go unseen. I used a sawzall on part of it already and it didn't work as well as I planned.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Mike

Don't laugh, 'cuz I'm not kidding.....Duct Tape. Run it right along the edge of your cut, and it'll keep it somewhat safe.

I like to use a jigsaw rather than a sawzall, but either can work....just use the finest toothed blades you can find for them. High blade speed, and slow travel speed, and it'll be smooth.

grinding wheel works (did this on a buddy's 75 cherokee last week). a jigsaw will give you better control and a cleaner edge than a sawzall.

i like the grinding wheel myself. it's fast as hell and you have good control over it.

Tape works really well to keep the lines straight. I used a sawzall, then just used a grinder to make everything all straight. Easy stuff!

The tape idea works well. I use several layers of masking tape rather than duct tape. It's easier to remove. An air powered nibbler makes an extremely clean cut. I used it on my fender chop and only needed emery cloth to take very small burrs out. I could rub my fingers along the cut with no danger of slicing them.

:D P L A S M A :D C U T T E R :D

Nanny nanny boo boo :p :laughing: :flipoff2: :laughing: :p

I used 4 1/2" cutoff wheels on my angle grinder, took about 2 minutes a fender and came out fine, no paint chipping either.

semi worn out 24 + tpi sawzall blades kick butt on sheetmetal. If you're any good you won;t even need to give them a quick buzz w/ the roloc. :D

Tape is for weenies...but it works really well and is easier so I guess it's the best way to go :flipoff2: :D

Air driven high-speed body saw!!

didn't we just go over this a couple of weeks ago?

4 1/2 grinder with a cutting wheel seemed easier and cleaner than a sawzall or jigsaw to me. I cut lots of metal off of my old K5 and tried them all. I used thick electrical cable to mark the cut radius and duct taped the edge up. Those cutting wheels cut through sheet metel like butter.:smokin:

How does the cut-off wheel work on the curved sections? I'm thinkin' that I'll use the cut-off wheel on the straight shots and then kill the curved areas with the jig. All those other tools sound great, but all I have is a jig, cut-off, and sawzall.

Originally posted by tigger4x
:D P L A S M A :D C U T T E R :D

Nanny nanny boo boo :p :laughing: :flipoff2: :laughing: :p

bastard!:flipoff2: do you really have a plasma cutter? didn't you learn to share in kindergarten? hehehe

For sheet metal I use an air nibbler
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/46000-46099/46061.gif

and then if the metal got to thick, I used an air saw.

Originally posted by Mike_Lib
How does the cut-off wheel work on the curved sections? I'm thinkin' that I'll use the cut-off wheel on the straight shots and then kill the curved areas with the jig. All those other tools sound great, but all I have is a jig, cut-off, and sawzall.
Works fine on curved sections, its small enough, just don't try any real tight curves, but fender well curves aren't a problem.

I used a plasma cutter as well but the original post said he doesn't want to damage the paint...the Plasma cutter DOES damage paint...couple of flame flare ups here and there :D

I also wanted a smooth edge but didn't care about the paint since I was planning on welding in some 1" tubing to add strength to the fender. I welded in the tube, smoothed out the weld with an emory wheel, re-painted...done. Its stronger, absolutely no rough edges and the only way you can tell the tube is in there is by feeling it.

Need a pic?

Jeeper

Originally posted by WillyPete


bastard!:flipoff2: do you really have a plasma cutter? didn't you learn to share in kindergarten? hehehe


you mean......you don't have one? sux....:flipoff2: