Cutting the Fenders

Going non-stock on the turbo during the engine build bumped me out of the classes I'd planned on running. At Solo, that left me in XA (Xtreme Street A). Once I saw what the fast XA cars looked like, the math was easy: everyone competitive was on huge tires, and I was bringing a knife to a gunfight.

The plan was 18x11 ET+15 Wedsports wrapped in 295/30/18 Bridgestone RE-71RS. Side by side with the old setup, the difference is hard to miss. It's also hard to miss that none of it would fit under a stock GR fender.

So out came the marker. I traced the cut line around each arch, pulled the fender liners, covered the hood and glass with a welding blanket, and got to work with the grinder. The rears got the same treatment as the fronts.

Then a set of HT fender flares went on to cover the new rubber.

Cutting into a clean, straight car is a little painful, but the car finally looks like it belongs in XA.

At Solo Nationals I was outgunned in class by a long shot, but the car held its own. I finished 25th out of 50, right in the middle of the pack. Considering where I started, I'll take it.