H3 Possible to move rear Wheel Wells outwards to increase trunk space?

We all know about the storage space mayhem with the H3. I usually do smaller mods, but I can't get my mind off this one.

Has it ever been done?

Rear wheel well penetrating the trunk area:



Factory welds (or epoxy?) holding the wheel well in: (Will have to be drilled out, and the whole thing replaced with a large sheet of aluminum welded flat against the wall)


Front side of the Rear wheel well liner that will have to be cut along the edge, new holes drilled, and brought forward:



This should be a mod that can be done to a stock H3, although having wheel spacers will add that much more extra room. There's so much wheel clearance anyway, why not move the wheel well outwards?

Also, not to worry about the stock amp location, I plan on moving that anyway.

What are your guys' thoughts?

Well if you offroad at all that won't really work out well, I have stuffed my wheels right up there even with a 4" lift installed


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You wont be able to weld aluminum to steel. It seems like a lot of work for a couple inches. Why not get a h2?

woodwardsh3 said:

You wont be able to weld aluminum to steel. It seems like a lot of work for a couple inches. Why not get a h2?

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That has to be why they used epoxy there. It is a lot of work. I don't know if that day will come where I'll be like "thank god for that extra 4 inches!", at least not in the context of trunk space, LOL.

I am planning on building a storage box soon, without the wheel well there, the box will be significantly larger and flush to the wall.

An H2 would be the way to go if I needed that extra storage space on a daily basis, it's more only an issue when helping a friend move over a weekend, etc.

You'd be better off jumping on adventr's idea for the window storage boxes.

alrock said:

You'd be better off jumping on adventr's idea for the window storage boxes.

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where is that project going? I remember seeing a thread with a 3D mockup but lost track of whether it was going anywhere or not. Those sure would be nice for recovery gear storage and less Windows to worry about breaking on the trails.

Get a roof box from Thule or Yakima and seek treatment for the OCD. :giggle:

woodwardsh3 said:

You wont be able to weld aluminum to steel. It seems like a lot of work for a couple inches. Why not get a h2?

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Well, technically you CAN weld the two, but it's a big production with heat, pressure and plasma. I read the tech papers and still don't understand how it's all done.

Buy the Envoy XUV and add a lift kit.

rsc said:

Well, technically you CAN weld the two, but it's a big production with heat, pressure and plasma. I read the tech papers and still don't understand how it's all done.

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We used a metal product called "Detacouple" to join aluminum structure to steel in the marine industry. Its an explosively-formed bimetallic plate with steel on one side and aluminum on the other. High-explosives are used to get the intense pressure needed to bond the two dissimilar metals together at the molecular level, then each is welded normally to the steel or al structure on either side.

rsc said:

Well, technically you CAN weld the two, but it's a big production with heat, pressure and plasma. I read the tech papers and still don't understand how it's all done.

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you can do so with a laser welder, but the issue is aluminum melts at 1,221 degrees F, steel melts at 2,750F. The trick is to limit the time at melt because aluminum combusts at 1,440 degrees F - thus if you want them to melt, you need the steel to be beyond 2700 degrees and the aluminum no more than 1400 degrees... which is, technically speaking, a trick.

glue it - the epoxy they use to adhere side panels on pickup trucks is tougher than the metal it bonds to.

now to the OP question.... you can get 2" by simply removing the insulation and liner.... why do you need 2"? after all, it's not the size of the space it's the use of the space that makes it work.

SuperBuickGuy said:

now to the OP question.... you can get 2" by simply removing the insulation and liner.... why do you need 2"? after all, it's not the size of the space it's the use of the space that makes it work.

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I have to agree with you on that. I may have my conclusion now. I'll just build my custom storage box to counter around those. BUT, for those of you with lift-kits *and* spacers (such as Recon's monster H3), it would be very counter-intuitive to still have those wheel wells penetrating the trunk area. With a lift like that I would take the sawzall to those ASAP.

SedonaBound said:

Get a roof box from Thule or Yakima and seek treatment for the OCD. :giggle:

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I have bigger problems than that bud... actually, I'm wrong. OCD has slowly taken over my life, I need to see a doctor. :no: