How to remove H3 front fenders/Tube fender build

[06 H3]

Well guys the title says it all! How do I remove the front fenders? I need to know because I need to start taking measurements for one of my up and coming projects, Tube fenders. I have many ideas and I will be happy to post em up and share them. Give feedback I will take no offense to it. So I have 2 ideas, One idea has to deal with some modification to the front grille and one wont have to. I still need to come up with some better ideas for option #2. #1 though I have a good idea for.

This will not be a quick project. I have alot of goals for these and it will be a while before they will be done. I also am a full time student, part time employee, have other fab projects and all the other B.S. of normal day life. This thread will be updated with progress as I go along but for now it will be slow since I am in the measurements and ideas phase and finishing up a rack for a friends 4x4.

Advantages to tube fenders:
More clearance for tires
Stronger then stock fenders (Will hold up if hit by a rock)
Solves sticking out tire issue
Easier touch up(I got my fender repainted and it costs alot more but a tube fender can be touched up on the cheap)

I was hoping someone would come out with these but it looks like it isnt gonna happen. Timgco has tried talking to a company to do it and the money they want is ridiculous. We gotta rely on ourselves and I want to take action. I also hope to get a bolt in diff that is bigger then the stock one now. This will give us the ability to regear and have bigger tires. My thoughts are this, H3's are gonna be picked up on the cheap by some hardcore wheelers in the future and they will want 37+ tires. Instead of rubbing 37s and snapping CV's I hope to talk to ORE and find a bolt in solution down the road. This will allow to safely run big tires and the tube fenders will keep the Center of gravity low so there is no need for a lift bigger then the rancho/T.C. lift.

Here are some pics and thoughts.
I know I am a TERRIBLE photoshopper. I used straight end lines because I cant draw but the 2nd pic as you can see it will give alot more room in the wheel wells. The first pic : Yellow dots are where the new led turn signals go The red lines is where the grille gets chopped.

 

[SolidusJ]

OH this is going to be GREAT!!!!!!!!

 

[BW_Hummer H3]

I have I the same Idea and I'm good(well kinda) at photoshop. This is what I came up with.

:thumbs:

 

[rsc]

I've been toying with this idea too, but I don't really want traditional tube fenders. I was thinking of starting with a flat plate in the general shape of the fenders as a base that bolts/attaches to the body in place of the stock fenders. Then using some 1.5" or 2" aluminum or steel tubing welded onto that plate form like a frame and a place to weld the sheetmetal skin onto making a nice rounded edge to the outside corners. It would mostly follow the stock contours like the Rod Hall H3R fenders but not as a bolt-on but as an entire fender. I've seen tube door shells made like this and they look fairly simple and a little more polished than basic tube fenders. I wouldn't be looking to make the fenders out of thick DOM steel that wouldn't bend even if the H3 rolled over onto it's side- I doubt that the body is strong enough there to support something like "side sliders". And I really like the grill/fenders as they are,as they are what makes it a HUMMER. They just need to be a little wider.

 

[JoshuaL]

I love the tube fender idea. You may already know about the intake. It comes out at the passenger side fender. You probably don't want that completely exposed.

JoshuaL

 

[speedy]

:corn::cheers:

 

[08SolarFlareH3]

Here are a couple pictures that should help you with design and get you an idea of what your working with

 

[H3slate]

Would you leave the plastic wheel wells? If not keep in mind that the air inlet is right there and will collect water if the wheel wells are not there.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[06 H3]

I want to keep a wheel well but it wil have the be modified, If I wasnt going to have one then I would probably have to come up with a design to protect it.

 

[06 H3]

I have been staring at the picture solar flare put up, it seems like its a tough vehicle to do it for. I will continue to think. If I cant come up with anything another option for protection is to tie a bar into the front bumper and sliders that would protect the fender like an exocage but only for the fender.

 

[4speedfunk]

Been there...long time ago...gave up. I got full CAD capabilty, laser beds, lathes, 1000 ton presses, CNC blah blah such & such...all available. AND I STILL GAVE UP!

You'll need to do something with the inner fenders too. Without them there will be all sorts of little pockets and crannies where mud can collect. Simply bolting on a tube fender will look cool from the outside but does little to shed the goo away from all thoses little pockets. Also, you'll be working with curved surfaces and that makes flat-metal fabbing very difficult. Like someone else pointed out...I doubt if the H3's body sheetmetal is capable of truly supporting a tube fender during a trail impact. Its nice that the stock ones are plastic...they deform instead of bending the main body panel. For all these reasons...I'de prefer the molded stick-on extensions, (several threads on these). I think molding new ones or extensions from plastic is the way to go, especially if you plan to "produce" them in quantity. I'm totally into this idea, and curious to see what you can come up with.

Naked H3s look cool.

 

[08SolarFlareH3]

Naked H3s look cool.

Indeed!

 

[4speedfunk]

Now that I take another look at the stripped down photos...Has anybody thought of fabbing some 2" wide spacers to be installed between the body and stock fenders? This would allow you to bypass a bunch of expensive injection molding. If done correctly...you might not even have to repaint. Perhaps you could keep the stock inner fenders too?

Just thinkin.:huh:

 

[06 H3]

Hmmmm, not a bad idea. How will is be in terms of strength though? If you do come up off a rock wont it use the spacer as leverage

 

[Portager]

The spacer sounds good, but they won't look quite right where the fenders meet the grille and there will be a problem at the back where the rear fender switches to plastic. Maybe you could cut the plastic fender at the corner and attach it to the spacer?

You would also need to add a spacer between the fender liner and the fender since you're creating a 2" gap there.

I think the plastic fender would fail before the spacer or the sheet metal body. The spacer could be formed of flat sheet and bolted to the existing fender interface. It would actually strengthen the body sheet metal because you would have two sheets bolted together at an angle.

 

[06 H3]

I have finally come up with a thought, Why not get a flat piece of thin steel that bolts in front of the all the holes and crannies for mud to get in. Then attach that to the top of the tube fender. That would work on the driver side. I will have to think for another few days on what to do with the damn left side for the intake

 

[06 H3]

I thought the rear would be the bitch part but that seems easy! lol I know the last post is hard to imagine but in my mind it all makes sense! I will try and explain it in the morning, I have been up since 6:30 and now its almost 11 I am a bit tired.

 

[rsc]

I have finally come up with a thought, Why not get a flat piece of thin steel that bolts in front of the all the holes and crannies for mud to get in. Then attach that to the top of the tube fender. That would work on the driver side. I will have to think for another few days on what to do with the damn left side for the intake

That's an easy fix- SNORKLE!!!

 

[SC_Hummer_Guy]

Chris you are always coming up with new stuff!! haha

 

[Hans3T]

Good luck to you, Chris. I'm interested to see how the build goes for you. :cheers:

 

[RamRod]

Old thread, has anyone managed some form of a tube fender?

 

[rsc]

Not yet. You could get on it tho.

 

[RamRod]

Ha!

I got a few projects that take precedent to finish off first.... maybe in a year or so if nothing get sorted lol