Theoretically the ideal truck design would be a frame with nothing hanging below to catch on the rocks and nothing above it to increase the center of gravity. Every time we add more lift be it body or suspension to our trucks we increase the center of gravity and reduce the stability.  I had already trimmed the fenders and hammered the fire wall seam down to fit the tires 35" tires but now with 37's it's time to get out the sawzall and make more graphic changes with the goal of more room and removing some of the suspension lift to bring the truck back down a bit.

   The first step is to take off the fenders and drive up an RTI ramp. Then using a pen to mark the firewall any place that looked like it would be within an inch of contacting the tire. The wheels were turned full left and right while on the ramp. The marked area was then cut out and removed. This included more than three inches of sheet metal and a good part of the firewall behind the tires. After cutting the truck was put back on the ramp to verify the clearance and see if anything else needed to be cut.

   When moving up to larger tires we often think of adding body or suspension lift to our trucks for additional clearance. On many trails the bigger the tire the better but too much height can be a bad thing, making the truck less stable and more likely to roll.

   Next 18 gauge steel was cut to shape on a bandsaw and bent to form around the hole. The plate is actually larger than the hole size to allow some overlap. Small additional plates were cut out to cover parts of the hole missed by the large plate. After a little hammering the plate is then tacked in place. One more time up the ramp to insure proper tire clearance. Next the plate is finish welded with one inch weld stitches around the hole on both sides.

   After welding the seam was sealed with professional seam sealer obtained from a local body shop. While it would be possible to use silicone glue for this step the seam sealer is a two part epoxy style glue that has incredible strength and will last a long time. After waiting a day for the epoxy to dry the entire wheel well was covered with rubberized undercoating to prevent rust and provide additional waterproofing.

   If your considering larger tires or are looking at removing a body lift this modification greatly helps with tire fitment and with far less lift than would otherwise be needed.

Thanks to Jay King for his help on this project.