New trim option for all you Fender Choppers
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Olathe, KS
New trim option for all you Fender Choppers
So a lot of us are in the middle of a nasty winter and it has caused the trim that I installed on my fender chop to come away in spots. Yeah I know that it goes right back on but there's something about that thin little trim layer that looks weak and cheap to me. I headed off to Lowe's looking for options. Here's what I ended up using:(BTW I don't have pictures of it, but if enough of you want to see, I'll take some pictures and get them on here)
I went to the plumbing aisle and bought a few lengths of different kinds of tubing and settled on black 1/4" inside diameter fuel hose. It has white letters printed on the outside of the tubing which can be removed with a rag and some nail polish remover (my wife's suggestion). I'd leave the lettering on until installed as it helps to line up the cut you"ll need to make the length of the tubing. You'll need 4-6 foot lengths, one for each fender. I clamped one end to the work bench, pulled it tight and then after making a starter cut at the end, put the xacto blade in the slot and just sliced it down the middle holding one end with one hand and cutting a slot away from me toward the end clamped to the bench. Like I said earlier, I just used the lettering to kind of eyeball a straight line down the length of the tube.
Once all four are cut I just put it right on top of the thin trim that was already installed. I haven't used any kind of adhesive. It just seems that the fit is tight enough that it won't come off, but I may find out that's not the case over time.
One other thing I did:
There is a plastic screw that holds the front bottom edge of the chopped fender to the body. I took that out, threw it away, and replaced it with a 5/16-18 body bolt (the one that has the washer built in) and a 5/16" washer and nut on the inside. With the thicker trim tubing, this does a much better and sturdier job of cinching down that front edge of the fender.
Hope this helps as an alternative to that flimsy door trim stuff that we all used.
I went to the plumbing aisle and bought a few lengths of different kinds of tubing and settled on black 1/4" inside diameter fuel hose. It has white letters printed on the outside of the tubing which can be removed with a rag and some nail polish remover (my wife's suggestion). I'd leave the lettering on until installed as it helps to line up the cut you"ll need to make the length of the tubing. You'll need 4-6 foot lengths, one for each fender. I clamped one end to the work bench, pulled it tight and then after making a starter cut at the end, put the xacto blade in the slot and just sliced it down the middle holding one end with one hand and cutting a slot away from me toward the end clamped to the bench. Like I said earlier, I just used the lettering to kind of eyeball a straight line down the length of the tube.
Once all four are cut I just put it right on top of the thin trim that was already installed. I haven't used any kind of adhesive. It just seems that the fit is tight enough that it won't come off, but I may find out that's not the case over time.
One other thing I did:
There is a plastic screw that holds the front bottom edge of the chopped fender to the body. I took that out, threw it away, and replaced it with a 5/16-18 body bolt (the one that has the washer built in) and a 5/16" washer and nut on the inside. With the thicker trim tubing, this does a much better and sturdier job of cinching down that front edge of the fender.
Hope this helps as an alternative to that flimsy door trim stuff that we all used.
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Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Olathe, KS
OK all of you I'll get the pics up tomorrow night!! And to to you, JCKnauer22, I expected more from a fellow Marylander!! I grew up in the Carollwood/Oliver Beach area....saw you are from Middle River. I went to MR Jr. High....now live in KC.
JK Freak
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 975
Likes: 0
From: Draper, Utah.
Totally want pix!
My trim is falling off to the point I just ripped it off the front fenders....damn salt here on the roads.
There was somebody that sanded the fenders down and had a clean edge but really don't know how he did it.....
My trim is falling off to the point I just ripped it off the front fenders....damn salt here on the roads.
There was somebody that sanded the fenders down and had a clean edge but really don't know how he did it.....
