Rear wheel well liners: keep or remove?

[freedom_in_4low]

I pulled mine to hold the plastic nuts so I could remove the flares to install sliders. When I saw how pristine the paint was behind them, vs the edge of the tub peppered with rock chips, I put them back so as to not create any more area subject to flying gravel.

Fwiw, the torque box was full of dirt even with the liners.

 

[Tldelaney]

Remove and paint

 

[Plumber1]

Mine are out and painted. I was considering spray on undercoating next instead of paint any thoughts ?

 

[Tldelaney]

Mine are out and painted. I was considering spray on undercoating next instead of paint any thoughts ?

Undercoating is a pain to deal when you eventually remove it, and holds dirt and doesn't look as good as a oem satin finish. I took the better half of two days just removing it on my tj frame so I could refinish it with regular paint.

 

[erokj]

Anyone know the size of the plastic rivets that attach the liner to the body? 7mm hole?

 

[P man]

My vote is at least remove them and clean back there. You will be amazed at the crap you will find. I personally run without them so I can clean more thoroughly

 

[Modoc Guy]

Anyone know the size of the plastic rivets that attach the liner to the body? 7mm hole?

I got replacements at my local Ace hardware. They have them at my local Napa Auto Parts.

Don’t know if they have those stores where you are, but check around, that part’s pretty common.

 

[DrDmoney]

Bacon

 

[Juggernaut]

I removed mine. Cleaned it up and coated with rocker paint. I broke some closure covers to keep mud from building up in the tub corners held in place with plastic rivets.

 

[fourpointzero]

Im in the NE with filthy mud and salted roads. As some posters mentioned — I removed, cleaned the area, fluid filmed it heavily, then reinstalled the liners. Its part of upkeep. Thats exactly where the rustbelt Jeeps start to corrode, the area where the rear rollbar mounting bolts go. Here, we gotta keep that area lubricated and clean, baby

 

[ejay]

I don't even know how to get those rear bastards off in the first place. LOL

 

[Irun]

I don't even know how to get those rear bastards off in the first place. LOL

Just apply liberal applications of profanity. That's how I do it!

 

[P man]

I don't even know how to get those rear bastards off in the first place. LOL

Simple..5 or 6 clips and pull them back from the body a bit and they come right out

 

[JEEPCJTJ]

I need to get some, my TJ already had them removed when I got it. I have a problem with when driving down travels roads every once in a while the tire will grab a rock and throw it at the inside of the wheel well. Sounds like a gunshot.

I remember the "gunshots" in my neighbors dump truck when I was a kid. Fairly large pieces of gravel flying out of the bias ply Mud and Snow tires hitting the bottom of the empty dump bed. Not so much noise when it was still loaded.

It also just recently happened on the passenger side front of my TJ. Not the biggest piece of gravel ever, and not an empty dump bed, and heck, it didn't bother me at all but the wife had a "WTF just happened to your Jeep?" reaction. I'd never really thought about what a "shot" like that might do to the evaporator/emissions parts behind the rear tire.

 

[ejay]

Simple..5 or 6 clips and pull them back from the body a bit and they come right out

Tried that once. Didn't want to budge. Granted I was a little pressed for time so I didn't put in 100%.

 

[LakeBeard]

I pulled mine out, dropped an air chuck in the back.

 

[MichaelGH]

I removed mine. Cleaned it up and coated with rocker paint. I broke some closure covers to keep mud from building up in the tub corners held in place with plastic rivets.

View attachment 267874

I very much like that idea. I am going to try something very similar…

 

[Moab]

I need to get some, my TJ already had them removed when I got it. I have a problem with when driving down travels roads every once in a while the tire will grab a rock and throw it at the inside of the wheel well. Sounds like a gunshot.

That would be my concern. Having the paint all chipped off from rocks. And having rust form. Not to mention the noise.

 

[LakeBeard]

I very much like that idea. I am going to try something very similar…

Thanks, I dropped one on each corner. Put a bleeder on the bumper and gage in the cab. Deflates from 30 to 8 in 5 min. Refills in about 5.5

 

[Juggernaut]

That would be my concern. Having the paint all chipped off from rocks. And having rust form. Not to mention the noise.

That’s why I used a 2k urethane rocker panel coating, (aka chip guard, rocker guard, ect...). It’s OEM on many vehicles and is specifically designed to be durable against stone chips. It also provides good sound dampening.