How to Trim Your Fenders to fit Bigger Tires on a Ford Ranger

[@TowMan127]

I love how good the wheels look on the truck

[@rayregnogarage]

I love it, too. Very period correct.

[@boomerpaschall]

Good content, thanks fella, smart simple mods. Been thinking of a ranger prerunner build next.. Stay safe, salute

[@jake_ruhl]

I think I'll keep going on my 32s until they need to be replaced then I should be able to do fiberglass prerunner fenders, a tube bumper, and 33-35 inch tires on the 3 inch lift it already has

[@thomasduff1571]

That's a excellent Job dude!

[@rayregnogarage]

Thanks!!!

[@calvingrinds5818]

I’m no professional but I just did this on my truck. And I would recommend cutting a bunch of vertical lines about two inches apart and then cutting them off horizontally. And then fringing it smooth after

[@rayregnogarage]

Yup! I did a bunch of reliefs cuts on the tighter sections. Makes it a lot easier. I went the long way in one stroke for fun just to see if I could do it. haha

[@keltonderkach9601]

That’s amazing man I thought those were 35s!! This is why mini trucks are superior hahaha looking at buying a ranger soon as a off-road build only thing is I already have 2 trucks 😬😬 a 05 Dodge half ton (show/summer truck) and a 03 v8 4Runner (fun capable daily driver that’s too nice to beat on)

[@rayregnogarage]

build the 4runner!!!

[@keltonderkach9601]

@@rayregnogarage haha I have cheap 2.5” spacer lift and 33” tires on the 4Runner it’s sweet just too nice to thrash on 😂 want a ranger as a hunting/farm truck that I can beat off-road without worrying about scratches and such

[@rayregnogarage]

Lol. That’s fair.

[@lukevanginkel7380]

looks great! those are a helluva lot bigger

[@rayregnogarage]

Ya I like them.. Though now I kinda wish I went with 35s. lol. When I get new beams. I'll switch them out and but the 33s on another truck.

[@damiandiaz1846]

I have a 2003 ford ranger 2wd I installed 3" front leveling kit spacers I installed 33X12.50 bfgoodrich r15 with little rub on the front bumper lower spoiler valance I cut a very small amount it was good to go the rims are 15 x 8

[@rayregnogarage]

Nice. Ya. the 98+ 2wds are quite a bit taller and have bigger fenders than the ibeam rangers.

[@agustoarvizu7050]

Looks clean 👍🏻

[@rayregnogarage]

Thanks!!!

[@verginsergin]

Looks great!

[@MrHankHill]

Awesome build! I just purchased and started work on my Ranger. Love the wheels, what are they?

[@rayregnogarage]

Thanks! They are American Eagle Outlaw 2. 15x8

[@MrHankHill]

@@rayregnogarage thank you so much!

[@owl1873]

Looks legit.

[@rayregnogarage]

Thanks!

[@JabbaraPates]

Great video. I have a question. I recently trim the front and back fenders call my 1995 Ford F150 Reg cab. I did a really good job and it looks great. I took about 2 inches off of the ends in about 3 inches off in the middle. My question is… Where do I find wheel well liners… To fit a vehicle now. Because most of the time when people have to cut and trim defender… They have to cut off some of the wheel wheel whiner. My old wheel well liner doesn't fit anymore... Because I had to shop and see wait to get the fenders off… With my angle grinder. So what's the solution for people with freshly cut fenders. When it comes to wheel liners?

[@rayregnogarage]

I don't normally care about fender liners to be honest. My Xterra doesn't have them anymore. I've had multiple Rangers that didn't have them. But just for fun, I tried to see what would be needed to modify the liners for this Ranger and it came out pretty good. I probably won't put them back on though if I ever have to take them off again. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ3GmZiEfNNssJo

[@travisrandall130]

I want to know where u get those rims and tires as a set I have a 95 ford ranger stx 4x4 and those are the rims I use to have on my other ranger 9 years ago I plan on doing the leveling kit u install thank you and good job on the truck man a+

[@rayregnogarage]

I got them at tirerack.com Also got the same set for my 4runner at Discount Tire

[@Runionbarry]

Awesome video. I also have a Ford Ranger and want to put 33s and I'm considering cutting the lower portion of my Fender to fit them. Could you do a follow-up video of how it looks with the cut and wheels turned?

[@rayregnogarage]

Send me a DM on instagram: @rayregnogarage and I'll send you a video I posted on my story a while back

[@trashman1694]

I think the ranger looks sick with the 33s and leveling kit with the cut fenders. I got a 96 obs f150 and I'm tempted to put some 37's under it with just a leveling kit and cut the fenders but idk if it will even look decent, can't find pictures of anyone that's done it haha

[@rayregnogarage]

Not sure 37s will fit. 35s for sure!

[@rayregnogarage]

Love the OBS. want one, too

[@trashman1694]

@@rayregnogarage Ya solo motorsports has pictures of leveling kit on stock fender broncos with 35s just doesn't clear the front stock bumper so they have offroad bumpers. Is pretty tight fit though without cutting the fenders. That's what got me thinking about cutting the fenders with 37s lol

[@acroncars4081]

I have a question I have a 1996 ford ranger 3.0 2wd its leveled and fenders are cut I was curious if 31s would look good on it im trying to get a mini prerunner with smaller size tires on it but im really having problems looking for tires

[@rayregnogarage]

ya i think the 31s would look good

[@prescottosegie]

i appreciate the infomation

[@rhonnymarques6560]

Good evening, sorry for the question about how to put the drawbar arm of the f150 on the ranger from 94 to 97 to facilitate the corrective maintenance of the bushings on the drawbar or it could harm something or is it dangerous, I am from Brazil and I wanted to put the drawbar support on the ranger from the f150 97 stx, thank you for your attention and if you can help me with this issue. thank you and all the best..

[@rayregnogarage]

I don’t knowing the radius arm from an F150 would fit on a Ranger. You would probably need to modify the radius arm mount, too. Why not just change the bushings? I am making a video for that. Just haven’t had time to finish editing it

[@adamcramer4821]

Does the 1.5 inch lift spring a better option than the 2 inch puck lift and also do I need to do anything else for it to ride right?

[@rayregnogarage]

Im not a fan of spacer lifts. Besides, your springs are probably old and tired, so for about the same price, getting a new spring is better in my opinion. Might need an alignment. I didn’t get one yet though Been running it for almost three years now. haha

[@AlexTowersPR]

dude love your truck and content. whats the spec on the rim?

[@rayregnogarage]

American Racing Outlaw 2 15x8 -19mm

[@nicholasnovak2569]

i have a 97 4wd if I put 285-75-16's on which are essentially 33's with the rough country 4 inch lift do you think it will rub without cutting the fenders?

[@rayregnogarage]

Can’t say from experience, but according to this, you’d need to trim. Maybe ask around on the forum. www.therangerstation.com/how-to_pages/ford_ranger_tire_fitment.shtml

[@rayregnogarage]

Let me know what you end up running! Would be good to know if anyone else asks in the future. You can DM me on IG @strongholdgarage if you run into any issues

[@kooperadams1519]

sick build man, always appreciate a manageable build that looks good but isn’t sitting on 6in lift, 33s suits the 95-97 rangers great in my opinion, did you put stock wheels on?

[@rayregnogarage]

no those are American Racing outlaw 2. They would rub with factory wheels. the previous owner was running 32s on the factory wheels with spacers. but i hate spacers

[@kooperadams1519]

@@rayregnogarage i just bought a ranger and i’m 17 but i wanna have it stand good but without the pricey flashy lift, the factory wheels on it now are 6Jx14 along with factory tires, i wanna go with 33s but im not sure what wheel i should go with or size

[@rayregnogarage]

@@kooperadams1519 My wheels and tires cost more than I paid for the truck itself. lol. They're 15x8 American Racing Outlaw II. I run BFG AT on all my trucks and on my van

[@ipiadarrelgadabu7845]

Subscribed.. which episodes to the final finish please

[@damianroman1311]

Would removing just the fender flare off the truck give the truck a silly look ? I have spacers on my truck and I’m looking to jus gain more of the tire sticking out. I have the exact same truck.

[@rayregnogarage]

Depends on your perspective. If you pull the flare, off it will basically just look like a 2wd Ranger that didn’t come with flares, except it will have holes where the flare mounted. I pulled them off the back to match the front better. I don’t mind the holes. You can see what the holes look like in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b16mpoh5gLhng6s Or you can look at my insta @strongholdgarage

[@damianroman1311]

@@rayregnogarage I have another question for you, so I’m wanting to level my truck, what do you recommend for that ? I’m looking to gain at least 2” in the front, I’m hopping I can find something that doesn’t damage my suspension in the long run

[@rayregnogarage]

@@damianroman1311 Anything that isn't factory is going to put additional stress on the system. That's just part of the game. The 1.5" leveling coil is the "cheapest" lift kit I would put on this kind of truck.

[@jakemruz8405]

Love it!

[@SpradlinJason]

Where did you get the rim and tires at have a hard time finding the right one for my 1996 4.0 ranger

[@rayregnogarage]

I ordered them from tirerack.com

[@braveheartconqueror1768]

Is it compatible to use rim 17" with my ford ranger xl 2001?

[@rayregnogarage]

Maybe. Why do you want such a big wheel? Are you lowering the truck? Tires for 17” tires are much more expensive. I don’t know too many people who run a 17. I never have on any of my Rangers. 15x8 is my ideal size

[@kevinhamblin3985]

I have a 1994 2wd 4.0 with a 5speed. It has the 8.8 lsd with 3.55 rear gear, do you think it will push 31s? I normally run 2.3 rangers with a 3.73 or 4:10 gear

[@rayregnogarage]

I had a 99 4.0 with an open 3:55 and it did okay with 33s. was much better with a locked 4:56 tho. haha

[@kevinhamblin3985]

@@rayregnogarage I hear that, it’s probably going to be a street truck besides light trail riding since it’s 2wd just want to make sure it wouldn’t be 100% gutless lol. I’m torn between 31s and 33s

[@rayregnogarage]

@@kevinhamblin3985 I took it to the desert a lot and it did pretty good. You'll need a good amount of lift and or fiberglass fenders or a fender trim to fit 33s on a 2wd.. especially pre 98.

[@kevinhamblin3985]

@@rayregnogarage yeah I’ve owned 9rangers over the years but all of them came with the 3:73 or 4:10 gears so 31s or 33s weren’t a problem haha, the 3:55 had me worried especially going from a 195/70r14 (24.5 inch tire) to a 31 😂.

[@kevinhamblin3985]

@@rayregnogarage I haven’t even heard this one run yet, bought it cheap with a bad slave cylinder, got it all back in just waiting on the master cylinder and clutch line to come in and I’ll have it back on the road and start building this one haha

[@nolanwwomack3177]

So I’ve got a 97 4x4, not looking to lift it if at all possible but would love some beefer tires. Any recommendations on size?

[@rayregnogarage]

Are you willing to cut up the fenders? Could probably fit a 32x11.5. Maybe even a 33x10.5 of you have the right wheel width and backspacing. That last one is a stretch. The problem with the 93-97 is they have small wheel wells on the front. the 98+ was easier to do a 33x10.5 with no lift.

[@rayregnogarage]

I’m pretty sure when I bought the truck it had 32x11.5 on stock wheels and wheel spacers and no lift. It rubbed on the front balance a little.

[@nolanwwomack3177]

@@rayregnogarage do you think 31s will fit? I believe the ones I have on it rn are about 26”, I forget tithe exact spec but not looking to go to the point where I need to cut anything up. Also, Will a level kit help with spacing issues? May give that route a look as well. Thanks

[@rayregnogarage]

Really depends on your wheel setup. 31s should fit if you have wheel that pushes the tires out or you use a wheel spacer. Leveling coil should help, too.

[@nolanwwomack3177]

@@rayregnogarage ok thanks, helped out a ton

[@SkyLinMegas]

No ear plugs ? .. kids remember to use em .. your hearing won't come back and will start to deteriorate over time .

[@joegadd]

do you find they still rub at all? I'm considering doing the same on mine, but I've heard they might still rub on the radius arms. I'd love to squeeze in some bigger wheels!

[@rayregnogarage]

I haven’t had any problems with them hitting the radius arms, but the new rims push the tires out quite a bit. Using the factory rim without a spacer would probably cause it to rub on the radius arms but i’ve had no problems that I’ve noticed

[@joegadd]

@@rayregnogarage cool, that's great to know! everything i've seen on the forums so far has been telling me i'd need a 4" suspension lift and probably still trimming for 33"s, but that never seemed quite right. makes me wonder how much lift i'd need to squeeze in 35"s with trimming like this...

[@rayregnogarage]

You’d probably be able to fit 35s with a 4” lift and aggressive trimming. If you try, it lemme know.

[@kramation9772]

By chance do you still have the fender flares and if you do would you consider selling them to me?

[@rayregnogarage]

I do. Are you in Spokane?

[@kramation9772]

@@rayregnogarageNo I am not I actually live in Arizona

[@rayregnogarage]

@@kramation9772 Kind of a pain to ship. Have you tried the local junk yards?

[@kramation9772]

@@rayregnogarage I’ll look around at my local junkyards but thanks for replying. Love the content!

[@rayregnogarage]

@@kramation9772 thanks!

[@jameskoen3072]

What tool did you use to cut out the sheet metal where the air box used to be ?

[@rayregnogarage]

Reciprocating saw and a angle grinder with cut off wheel

[@jehf93ify]

Would adding a lift kit help to avoid the fender cut?

[@rayregnogarage]

Depends on what size tire you want. The truck has a 1 1/2 inch leveling coil. I don't like my trucks to be too tall without going wider. So I just chose to cut the fenders. You could also do a fiberglass fender swap and you can fit a bigger tire that way, too. But I was going for budget build.

[@johnfkennedyofficialyt]

Sweet wheels, where did you get them?

[@rayregnogarage]

Discount tire

[@ryanlukas9382]

Any tips on how to go about getting 31s on 94 splash 2wd with a minimal lift (budget)

[@rayregnogarage]

Leveling coils like the ones I did are cheap. You can get them for the 2wd and fit 31s if you’re willing to trim the fenders or get fiberglass fenders.

[@MudOregonVet]

I'm planning on making my 98 ranger more off road capable, tires, a small lift ect, is the motor in your ranger stock?

[@rayregnogarage]

As far as I know. I bought it used from an impound lot. It looks the engine may have been rebuilt or something but other than the cheap ebay intake, it appears factory

[@MudOregonVet]

@@rayregnogarage so a stock 3L V6 should push a 33 with minimal issues?

[@rayregnogarage]

Probably. My 95 has the 4.0 and does fine with 33s. My 99 had the 4.0 and did fine with 35s. My 07 had the 3.slow and did okay with 32s. So probably. Haha. Don’t know first hand.

[@pinkpantherr93]

Do you still have the fender flare?

[@rayregnogarage]

Nope. I pulled the back ones off in a later video, too. They’re leaning on the wall in my shop

[@Monaco_mechanical]

I too had an Xterra and now I'm a ranger man. I want to mount the Xterra roof rack onto the ranger

[@chrismehle5716]

I have a 1997 2.3 2WD ranger what lift kit do you have ? I’d love to put 33s on my truck!

[@rayregnogarage]

Here ya go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIHdk4R6r7prhdk

[@rayregnogarage]

I just re-read you your comment. Definitely won't be able to fit 33s on a 97 2wd with only a leveling coil. You'll need to go quite a bit taller. With the 4 cylinder, it will also be slow as sin without regearing the rearend to 4:56 gearing.

[@chrismehle5716]

Stronghold Garage do you think 30s would be okay?

[@rayregnogarage]

@@chrismehle5716 With a leveling coil, it would probably be okay depending on the wheel and tire combination. Your best bet would be to search through the therangerstation.com forum and see what people were able to fit. Sorry I can't be of much help on this one. This website might be helpful. I used it when shopping for tires for my Subaru: www.customwheeloffset.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwzvX7BRAeEiwAsXExo6sHJRg1KvcuU5Gdt3A2casvbcXb5s2UfSjgGBEnQY-t0Tced0BmZBoCpRwQAvD_BwE

[@chrismehle5716]

Stronghold Garage yeah. I just looked it up. People said they have put on 30s on a 2.3 stock with no problems. I think any bigger. Like you said I’d would have to gear to 359. There putting them on without even the 1.5” coil.

[@oscarlizarraga396]

Hi man could you tell me the whole tire number and what kind of exhaust you put on it?

[@rayregnogarage]

33x12.5 15. No muffler. Just straight pipe

[@farout1867]

Nice tires. What are the new rim dimensions?

[@rayregnogarage]

Thanks! 15x8

[@rayregnogarage]

-19 offset

[@farout1867]

@@rayregnogarage Thanks, looking forward to the next video

[@dannylopez2569]

where did you buy those wheels at man?

[@rayregnogarage]

Discount Tire. American Racing Outlaw II. 15x8

[@josesosa3290]

Where you bought rims I like silver

[@rayregnogarage]

Discount Tire

[@bronxzauce]

Can you tell what’s the name of thos rims?

[@rayregnogarage]

American Racing Outlaw II

[@damianroman1311]

I need to get under my truck and cut the extra metal that shows after removing the fog light fender (plastic one) and the main front fender witch is made of steal, I made a skid plate for my truck so to make it look cleaner I need to cut the extra metal on the sides that sit under the headlight, I did watch a video where you cut that extra metal off I was wondering what was your approach when doing this what did you do with wires and plastics that sit behind that metal, I hope that makes sense.

[@rayregnogarage]

just be very very careful. I used a combination of cut off wheel and sawzall... just look carefully where you're cutting.

[@damianroman1311]

@@rayregnogarage I just got done trimming off the extra metal that sits behind the front fender, the truck looks so much better, just before doing that, the truck looked like it was missing something but now it looked like a nice finish, thanks for demonstrating that to us, it definitely came handy and makes my truck look neat !!

[@rayregnogarage]

awesome!

[@damianroman1311]

@@rayregnogarage I noticed on your truck the bottom looks like it was sprayed with something, I like how it looks cleaner, what’s your take on that ? I’m planning to hit it with a brush to take off most of the old oils/rust than spraying it with some sort of rust protector and clear coating

[@rayregnogarage]

@@damianroman1311 I don't remember what I sprayed on there. Haha. It was some sort of Rustoleum product. The radius arms and things were pretty rusted. I plan on swapping those out anyway.. so the spray was just to temporarily cover up the rust. On the inside of the fender and the spots where I cut off sheet metal, I just hit it with some black Rustoleum to keep it from rusting. Nothing fancy.

[@andresaguilar339]

Hey man can we keep the bumper on after trim ?

[@rayregnogarage]

Ya. You can. Might need to trim the bumper depending on how much of the fender you trim. I didn't want to deal with that.

[@mohamedalali9875]

pretty nice build, what's the size of the tires on the oem rims'?

[@rayregnogarage]

They were 31s but the original truck owner also had some wheel spacers behind them to push them out. The tires rubbed a little on the front valance of the bumper on hard turns.

[@BrawlCulture]

where did u get the wheel an tires

[@rayregnogarage]

Discount tire

[@sethkrattiger2290]

Did you offset those tires at all?

[@rayregnogarage]

Nope. I don’t like wheel spacers.

[@joeberryparrish9213]

Did you regear?

[@rayregnogarage]

Not yet. I actually haven't checked to see what ratio the truck has. It's still pretty punchy though. I had 4:56 on my old truck running 33s and later 35s. I like that ratio.

[@LuiWrenches]

Whats up brotha! Whats the size of the tires?

[@rayregnogarage]

33x12.5

[@kingkx250]

Can u put a link to the lift kit u used

[@rayregnogarage]

Look through my Ranger playlist. The video where I show the lift kit has the links in the description.

[@albertoleyva1465]

Will this work on a 2003 Ford ranger

[@rayregnogarage]

The fender trim. Yes it should. The rear is EXACTLY the same 1993-2011. The front is a little different. Just cut less to be safe and then cut more if you want. Better to cut too little and have more to cut, than to cut too much the first time. The front suspension however is COMPLETELY different on my truck than yours. If you are a 2wd ranger you won't be able to fit 33s like I did. You might if you have the torsion bar set up

[@angelol5329]

Hey man great vid ! Just got a question ! Any chance you know how high the rear end is lifted ? Since it sits higher than the front end? Trying to level out my 2000 Ford ranger but can’t find anywhere online ! Thanks

[@rayregnogarage]

My green truck still has the factory 2” block. Is your truck 2wd or 4wd?

[@angelol5329]

@@rayregnogarage it’s a 2WD

[@rayregnogarage]

With the coil spring in front? What lift are you going with in front. I think I had a 1.5” block when i did a 3” spindle lift and it sat level.

[@rayregnogarage]

Sorry... I was talking about my 99 2wd in the previous comment. You can see the build and what it looked like here kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqe9XpydiM9jrbs

[@angelol5329]

@@rayregnogarage I got a 2.5 I’m the front

[@djnhem6766]

What size are your wheels?

[@rayregnogarage]

15x8

[@commonsurvivor]

At true artist👍

[@ajwight3687]

does anyone know what offset those wheels are?

[@rayregnogarage]

15x8 -19mm

[@andrewmorris349]

What brand rims are those

[@rayregnogarage]

American Racing

[@johnnyutah7844]

What size are those rims

[@rayregnogarage]

15x8

[@ironhorsevinnie]

Cool

[@EAS1513]

What are the tire specs?

[@rayregnogarage]

33x12.5 15 BFG AT KO2

[@juliocarrillo6582]

Washington Pasco 🇺🇸

[@rayregnogarage]

cool

[@acroncars4081]

Anyone know the size of lift

[@rayregnogarage]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYnFdXqkgdhrias

[@thebeastman7222]

Gas mileage ?

[@rayregnogarage]

Haha. No clue. I have a Ford E350 Superduty van that gets 11MPG and a Nissan Xterra Overland rig that gets 14… I don’t think it get any worse than those.

[@jameskoen3072]

Does it matter what thickness the cut off wheel is ? Love ur videos I’m about to cut mine right now and hope it goes well lol

[@rayregnogarage]

I never noticed much difference in thickness. Thicker wheels are for grinding. It's nice to have a flap wheel nearby to smooth out the sharp edges.

[@jameskoen3072]

@@rayregnogarage nice I just did a few trial and errors and found that the thinner the cut off wheel the more smoothly it cuts thru the fender. Used the flap wheel after too. I got a 2000 Nissan Frontier I’m turning into an off road monster. Tore out the carpets n took off the bumpers. Follow ur ranger videos n am doing the same to mine. Looks sick

[@rayregnogarage]

@@jameskoen3072 Well I'm glad you watched the Ranger video, because I did my Xterra with a rotary tool and a tiny wheel.. and that wasn't awesome. lol. the bigger and thinner wheel definitely cuts smoother. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXyqmqKun9B0arM

[@OOICU812]

Dude, no hearing protection or gloves? 5:58

[@rayregnogarage]

sometimes i wear gloves.

[@dangerdylan5005]

Safety squints work alot of the time

[@wilsoncougar4267]

Better to lift than destroy.👎👎

[@rayregnogarage]

What would you say is a good lift? If you are thinking Rancho, Rough Country, or some other cheap drop bracket lift kit, you have no clue what you’re talking about. Lift kits are stupid. I’d rather chop the fenders for free and get this truck dirty on a the cheap than put a trashy lift kit on it. It will get new fiberglass fenders and hood anyway when I swap in extended beams, radius arms, and coilovers. Function over fashion.

[@wilsoncougar4267]

I'm Bodyman and Mech ASE and Icar tech .over 40 year and haven't see that crappy Job..... My Ranger 2007 is lifting 7 in with 35 inches tires, WULF 4" Front Lift Spindle Lift Kit, rear axle 2 inches block and body lift kit 3 inches. If you wanted see photos my truck let my know learn from the Pro OK.

[@rayregnogarage]

​@@wilsoncougar4267 Lol. Spindle lift? Lift blocks? Body lift? You do some serious mall crawling with that?

[@rayregnogarage]

@@wilsoncougar4267 This is what my previous Ranger had. I don't do cheapo lift kits for looks: My trucks get off roaded: camburg.com/shop/suspension/lt-susp-kits/camburg-ford-ranger-xlt-2wd-98-12-l-t-kit/

[@wilsoncougar4267]

That's your problem. I live in the city, with a car and trucks, I can do wonders better than your crappy ranger. OK.