Hey guys, first thread on here hope you enjoy, I know its been done but I haven't seen pics like these anywhere else even mudrhino's pics arent this detailed / stepped out. I used the plates off ebay which were almost a perfect fit and welded mine in, can also pop rivet / sikaflex which would be much quicker and easier but I wanted mine welded.
First things first, you need to remove rear bumper and tail lights. I also removed the interior panels so I could gain easier access to move any wiring out of harms way, I also painted inside the quarters with body deadener once the chop was complete for protection and sealing.
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As you can see here I used masking tape for a guideline and run the bottom of the tape flush with the flat section below the barn doors
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The first few cuts, I used a 5" angle grinder but an airsaw/nibbler would work just as well, simply follow along the bottom of the masking tape. As you can see I cut the panel vertically to fold the outside section out of the way and make it easier to cut the inside panel, I used a square and marker to draw a line on the inside section the same level as the outside panel to keep it as similar as possible.
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Once it was finally cut away (a bit of difficulty cutting through the panel support, well with a 5" grinder anyways) I placed another strip of tape on the inside panel (bottom of tape along the bottom edge of the cut) I used the tape as a depth guide for the vertical cuts leaving only 1-2mm at the top of the tape. You then can use pliers/shifter/whatever to help you fold the tabs up....you may need to cut an edge/angle a few tabs so they dont overlap. Once all folded up I cut away the protruding body panel support once again so it was flush with the tabs, using a hammer I got the tabs as straight and uniform as I could.
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Depending on your method of attaching the plates, its now as simple as welding or riveting them on (make sure you sikaflex everything properly if riveting). The drivers side requires a new hole to run the tail light loom through also, I used the original grommet and just used a holesaw to make a hole above where the plate was going to welded and sealed using sikaflex.
Here is a few pics of it completed
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First things first, you need to remove rear bumper and tail lights. I also removed the interior panels so I could gain easier access to move any wiring out of harms way, I also painted inside the quarters with body deadener once the chop was complete for protection and sealing.
As you can see here I used masking tape for a guideline and run the bottom of the tape flush with the flat section below the barn doors
The first few cuts, I used a 5" angle grinder but an airsaw/nibbler would work just as well, simply follow along the bottom of the masking tape. As you can see I cut the panel vertically to fold the outside section out of the way and make it easier to cut the inside panel, I used a square and marker to draw a line on the inside section the same level as the outside panel to keep it as similar as possible.
Once it was finally cut away (a bit of difficulty cutting through the panel support, well with a 5" grinder anyways) I placed another strip of tape on the inside panel (bottom of tape along the bottom edge of the cut) I used the tape as a depth guide for the vertical cuts leaving only 1-2mm at the top of the tape. You then can use pliers/shifter/whatever to help you fold the tabs up....you may need to cut an edge/angle a few tabs so they dont overlap. Once all folded up I cut away the protruding body panel support once again so it was flush with the tabs, using a hammer I got the tabs as straight and uniform as I could.
Depending on your method of attaching the plates, its now as simple as welding or riveting them on (make sure you sikaflex everything properly if riveting). The drivers side requires a new hole to run the tail light loom through also, I used the original grommet and just used a holesaw to make a hole above where the plate was going to welded and sealed using sikaflex.
Here is a few pics of it completed
