Hi guys, this is a follow up to the front wheel arch chop guide which was dubbed the AZ chop (thanks guys!), which can be found here -
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=46397&hilit=Front+guard+chop
Ok, so I have finally got around to trimming the rear guards, and thought I would put up the process here for those looking at doing it. As with the front chop, please consider your own vehicle and driving requirements before commencing this modification. This write up is merely a report on what I have done, and I take no responsibility for anyone modifying their car.
Anyway, let's get on with it!
1. As with the previous front guard chop, the first step is to stand back and wonder exactly how bad you might be able to mess this up, and trying to remember if anyone actually ever taught you how to use power tools properly, or whether you just kinda went for it... Either way - this is the guard as Suzuki made it.
2. Remove the guard. These are a simple plastic guard that are held on in the wheel arch with a few screws, and the rest is all just plastic pop-off connections. So unscrew it in the guard, and give it a good tug. I also would recommend unscrewing part of the side plastic sill and dropping it down, to make room for the guard to come out easily.
Here you can see the rippled tin lip exposed that we wish to remove.
3. The lip is held on with a series of spotwelds. BigJimny recommends using an angle grinder here to grind through the welds, however due to the delicate location and small weld size, I would recommend a power drill instead. It will allow better control, and reduce chance of completely messing it up. Note that in this photo I have drilled all the way through the holes - on the other side I only drilled half way - just enough to penetrate the weld. That is the way I'd recommend.
4. Popping the welds. With even just a tiny bit of pressure on these lips, they will bend. They are made of very lightweight steel, so just grabbing the lip and bending it back and forward should be enough to snap the remainder of the welds, and begin to remove it from the vehicle.
5. Removing the lip. It can take a while, but by repeatedly pulling, pushing, and twisting the lip, it will eventually all come loose without being violent. Make sure you wear protective gloves here, as there will be a lot of sharp steel edges.
6. Cleaning up. Once the lip is removed, take some time to clean up the surface left behind. There will inevitably be a bit of dust etc here, so get rid of all that. Carefully file down all the spot weld sections that might be exposed, and make sure there's no steel filings hanging out anywhere.
7. Paint. Because you have now exposed raw steel surfaces, it is very important to seal these up as to prevent rust. I suggest Killrust Epoxy Enamel. It is strong, cheap, easy to work with, and as the name suggests, it kills rust.
8. Marking the plastic. As with the front guard chop, lay down the plastic guard, and draw a line along the crease where we will be cutting. I use a white marker, but is hard to see in this photo.
9. Trimming the plastic. This is probably the easiest part of the whole job, but take your time with it as this is the edge that you will see. Following the line you have marked on the plastic, cut with your weapon of choice (I used a multitool).
10. Put it back together. Being careful of the wet paint, refit the plastic guard back in place using the pop-on connections. Make sure you refit the side sill with it's screws once the guard is back on.
11. Trimming the rear bumper. You will notice in the last photo that the rear bumper is still yet to be trimmed. You can leave the rear bumper on the car, and trim again around the crease, following the line from the freshly cut guard. Again, I recommend marking the line clearly with white (or whatever is contrasting to your car), to ensure you can still see the line even when it gets dusty during the cut.
And that's it! I will also be adding a flare to this cut, in the same style as my front arch cut, so will add that write up when it is done.
Before and after -
Heaps more room!!!!
I hope that helps someone, but if anyone has any questions, please let me know.
