Wider is Better

(ANNOUNCER)>> TODAY RYAN'S WIDENING THE ORIGINAL FENDERS ON OUR 1955 F-100 TO ACCOMMODATE NEW RUBBER THAT'S MUCH WIDER

THAN ANY TIRE FROM THE '50'S.

(RYAN)>> NOW AT THE FRONT OF THE TIRE PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING'S COVERED. WE WON'T GET ANY DEBRIS COME FLYING OFF THE TREAD AND CHIPPING THE PAINT. NOW AT THE REAR OF THE FENDER WE DEFINITELY ADDED A BUNCH OF TIRE TREAD COVERAGE.

(ANNOUNCER)>> AND WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEW CLUTCH WE'LL USE TO HANDLE THE POWER FROM OUR ECOBOOST ENGINE.

(RYAN)>> WE ALSO PICKED UP A PILOT BEARING AND A CLUTCH DISC ALIGNMENT TOO.

(ANNOUNCER)>> IT'S ALL TODAY HERE ON TRUCK TECH.

(RYAN)>> HEY GUYS, WELCOME TO TRUCK TECH. NOW THE LAST TIME WE HAD OUR 1955 FORD F-100 IN THE SHOP, WE SHOWED YOU GUYS HOW WE BUILT A CUSTOM WIDTH NINE INCH REAR AXLE FOR OUR TRUCK TO ACCOMMODATE OUR 10.5 INCH WIDE WHEELS WRAPPED IN 295/45 SERIES RUBBER. TO DO THAT WE BASICALLY SET THE TIRE AND WHEEL ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BED SIDE WITH A SMALL GAP IN BETWEEN THE SIDEWALL AND THE BED. THEN WE BASICALLY BUILT THE REAR AXLE TO TAKE UP THE SPACE IN BETWEEN THE WHEELS. THAT PROJECT TURNED OUT GREAT. WE WERE REALLY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS, BUT AS YOU GUYS KNOW, IN THE '50'S, TRUCKS WEREN'T EXACTLY ROLLING OUT OF THE FACTORIES WITH WIDE AGGRESSIVE RUBBER ON THEM. TALL AND SKINNY WAS THE ORDER OF THE DAY.

SO THEY OBVIOUSLY BUILT THE FENDERS AROUND THAT TALL, SKINNY TIRE. SO THAT LEADS US TO THE PROJECT FOR TODAY, WIDENING THESE STEEL ORIGINAL FENDERS TO ACCOMMODATE THE WIDER RUBBER. TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. NOW AT THE FRONT OF THE TIRE YOU AN SEE THE FENDER'S COVERING A MAJORITY OF THE TREAD. BUT A SMALL PORTION OF THE TREAD AND THE SIDEWALL IS EXPOSED. THAT'S JUST GONNA LEAVE THE PAINT JOB VULNERABLE TO ANY DAMAGE OR ANY DEBRIS FLYING OFF THE TIRE AND WHEEL. NOW HERE AT THE TOP OF THE TIRE, NOT ONLY IS THE SIDEWALL ALREADY STICKING OUT PAST THE FENDER A GOOD

LITTLE BIT, WELL THERE'S AN INNER FENDER LIP THAT TAKES UP ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH THAT WE'VE GOT TO DEAL WITH.

NOW HERE AT THE BACK OF THE FENDER IS WHERE IT'S THE WORST.

LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT ABOUT 20 PERCENT OF THE TREAD AND SIDEWALL STICKING OUT PAST THE FENDER. SO WE'VE OBVIOUSLY GOT SOME WORK TO DO. NOW WITH THE BED SITTING ON THE FRAME EXACTLY WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE, I CAN START TAKING SOME

MEASUREMENTS TO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH MATERIAL WE WANT TO ADD TO THE FENDER. I'M JUST USING A LONG STRAIGHT EDGE AND A

COUPLE OF JACK STANDS TO GET THAT DONE. AT THE FRONT OF THE FENDER WE HAD ABOUT A HALF INCH DEFICIT, AND AT THE WE HAD ABOUT TWO INCHES. ALRIGHT, NOW OBVIOUSLY THE FACTORY STEEL FENDER HAS QUITE A BIT OF TAPER TO IT, AND WANT TO MAINTAIN THAT TO SOME DEGREE WHILE BRINGING THE FENDER OUT TO COVER THE ENTIRE TIRE AND WHEEL. NOW HERE AT THE FRONT I'M GONNA BE ADDING ABOUT

FIVEEIGHTHS OF AN INCH OF MATERIAL, AT THE REAR ABOUT AN INCH AND THREE QUARTER. NOW I'M GONNA USE THIS AREA AROUND THE TOP TO GRADUALLY GO FROM THAT FIVEEIGHTHS TO AN INCH AND THREE QUARTER, BASICALLY MAKING ONE GIANT PIE CUT TO THIS FENDER. SO TIME TO MAKE SOME SPARKS. THE FIRST THING I'M DOING IS LAYING DOWN SOME HALF INCH WIDE TAPE NEXT TO THE MOUNTING FLANGE. THAT WAY I CAN GO BACK AND TRACE A LINE AGAINST THE OUTER EDGE OF IT. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT, BUT THE STRAIGHTER THE LINE IS AND THE STRAIGHTER THE CUT IS, THE LESS WORK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO. THEN I'LL REMOVE THE TAPE LEAVING JUST THE LINES AND DO MY BEST TO CUT RIGHT ON THE LINE. NOW THERE'S TWO REASONS I'M KEEPING THE CUT CLOSE TO THE MOUNTING FLANGE. ONE, WELL IT'S THE FLATTEST SECTION OF SHEET METAL ON THIS REALLY ROUND FENDER.

AND TWO, THE STIFFNESS IS IN THE MOUNTING FLANGE. ONCE I SEPARATE IT FROM THE FENDER, THE REST OF

THE FENDER IS GONNA BE FLOPPY AND FLIMSY. AND BY KEEPING THE STRUCTURED INNER FLANGE, WELL I CAN MATE UP THAT FLOPPY SECTION OF THE FENDER TO THE STRUCTURED INNER FLANGE AND MAINTAIN

THE ORIGINAL SHAPE OF THE FENDER. THEN I'M USING A SMALL STRIPPING DISC THAT WE

PICKED UP FROM INDUSTRIAL DEPOT TO GET RID OF ANY PRIMER, PAINT, OR BODY FILLER, AND EXPOSE THE CLEAN METAL UNDERNEATH. NOW WITH THAT DONE, I CAN CUT OUT THE STRIPS OF METAL THAT WILL ACT AS THE FILLER, MARKING FIVEEIGHTHS OF AN INCH ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SHEET METAL AND LOPPING IT OFF. LINE UP THE EDGES, MAKE SURE WE'RE WHERE WE NEED TO BE.

AND BEFORE I STARTED WELDING THIS STRIP INTO PLACE, I ADDED A SIMPLE 90 DEGREE BEND THAT MATCHES THE ORIGINAL. THEN I'M USING A COUPLE OF PANEL CLAMPS TO HOLD THE STRIP IN PLACE AND START THE WELDING PROCESS. NOW THIS IS JUST A PROCESS OF CLAMPING THE STRIP INTO

POSITION AND TRYING TO MINIMIZE THE GAP IN BETWEEN THE TWO PIECES OF METAL. CAN'T WELD AIR AND THE TIGHTER THE GAP THE EASIER IT IS TO JOIN THE TWO PIECES.

NOW THERE'S A COUPLE OF REASONS I'M TIG WELDING THESE PATCH PANELS. ONE, THE TIG WELD STAYS SOFTER AND MORE FLEXIBLE, AND EASIER TO WORK AFTER THE WELDING PROCESS. AND TWO, WELL THE MIG WELDS ARE HARDER THAN THE TIG WELDS AND TAKE LONGER TO GRIND DOWN. NOW HERE YOU CAN SEE THE WIDER INCH AND THREE QUARTER STRIP OF METAL AT THE REAR OF THE FENDER TRANSITIONING DOWN TO THE NARROWER FIVEEIGHTHS WIDE STRIP AT THE FRONT OF THE FENDER. ONE LAST PIECE OF METAL COMPLETES THE TRANSITION. BUT I DO HAVE A SMALL RISE IN THE ORIGINAL FENDER

THAT I NEED TO GET RID OF FIRST. AND A SANDING DISC ON A DYE GRINDER MAKES QUICK WORK OF IT, LETTING THE PATCH PANEL LAY FLAT.

(ANNOUNCER)>> AFTER THE BREAK, WE'LL FINISH SPOT WELDING ON THE FILLER STRIPS.

AND LATER IT'S A CLOSE LOOK AT OUR NEW CLUTCH SETUP, STAY TUNED!

(RYAN)>> HEY GUYS, WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOP, WHERE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF WIDENING THE STEEL REAR FENDERS ON OUR '55 FORD F-100 TO ACCOMMODATE THE 10.5 INCH WIDE TIRES AND WHEELS WE'RE GONNA RUN. NOW YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT TRANSITIONS FROM THE INCH AND THREE QUARTER WIDENING WE DID AT THE REAR OF THE FENDER AND NARROWED DOWN TO THE FIVEEIGHTHS OF AN INCH WIDENING WE DID AT THE FRONT. BASICALLY ONE BIG PIE CUT ON THE FENDER. AND NOW IT'S TIME TO REATTACH THE ORIGINAL FENDER MOUNTING FLANGE. THE FIRST THING I DID WAS LINE UP THE BREAK OR THE BEND AT THE END OF THE FENDER. THEN SECURED IT INTO POSITION WITH A GOOD STRONG TACK WELD. THE NEXT THING I DID WAS GO TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENDER, OR THE REAR OF THE FENDER, AND DO THE SAME THING. BY LOCKING IN BOTH ENDS OF THE MOUNTING FLANGE I GUARANTEE I WON'T HAVE ANY OVER HANG. IF I STARTED ON ONE END AND WORKED IN A LINEAR FASHION FRONT TO BACK, I MIGHT END UP WITH SOME EXTRA MATERIAL STICKING OUT AND A FENDER THAT MIGHT NOT FIT RIGHT. NOW HERE'S A GOOD ILLUSTRATION ON WHY WE KEPT THE CUT IN THE FENDER CLOSE TO THE MOUNTING FLANGE. THE MOUNTING FLANGE HAS A 90 DEGREE ANGLE TO IT AND METAL IN TWO DIFFERENT PLANES, HELPING IT STAY QUITE RIGID AND MAINTAIN ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE.

THE FENDER JUST HAS METAL IN ONE PLANE AND IT'S QUITE FLIMSY. HAD WE MADE THE CUT IN THE FENDER SOMEWHERE NEAR THE MIDDLE, WE'D BE FIGHTING TWO FLIMSY PIECES OF METAL, TRYING TO WELD IT BACK TOGETHER, AND TRYING TO RECREATE THE ORIGINAL SHAPE OF THE FENDER WOULD BE QUITE THE CHALLENGE. AND WITH THE ENDS IN POSITION, I MADE A THIRD TACK WELD NEAR THE MIDDLE OF THE FENDER AT ABOUT THE HALF WAY POINT. PRETTY GOOD SIZE TACK WELD TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T MOVE. NOW HERE I'M USING A SMALL 40 THOUSANDTHS FILLER ROD AND A ONESIXTEENTHS TUNGSTEN. THE GAP IS QUITE SMALL IN SOME OF THESE SPOTS AND ALMOST NONEXISTENT. SO VERY LITTLE FILLER IS NECESSARY. NOW THIS IS JUST A PROCESS OF JUMPING AROUND, CLAMPING THINGS INTO POSITION, CLOSING UP GAPS, AND MAKING TACK WELDS. IT'S A LITTLE BIT TEDIOUS AND TIME CONSUMING. BUT THE MORE TIME I SPEND DOING THIS, THE LESS

TIME I'LL HAVE TO SPEND GRINDING. AND HOPEFULLY IT'LL MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF BODY THIS THING NEEDS. NOW HERE WHERE WE ADDED THE THIN STRIPS OF FLAT METAL TO THIS OTHERWISE ROUNDED FENDER, IT BLENDS IN PRETTY GOOD.

BUT AT THE BACK OF THE FENDER WHERE WE ADDED THE WIDER STRIPS OF FLAT METAL TO THE ROUNDED FENDER, IT CREATES QUITE THE LITTLE PEAK, OR CROWN, HERE WHERE THE TWO COME TOGETHER. SO TO REDUCE THE OVERALL AMOUNT OF BODY FILLER IT'S GONNA TAKE TO GET THIS FENDER BACK IN SHAPE, WELL WE SPENT A LITTLE BIT OF TIME WITH A HAMMER AND DOLLY TO TRY TO MASSAGE THIS CROWN DOWN A LITTLE BIT. TO DO THAT I PICKED OUT A DOLLY THAT HAS A SLIGHT CROWN TO IT. NOW THE FENDER HAS MORE OF A CROWN TO IT. SO IT WILL ALLOW THE PEAK OF THE CROWN TO BE FLATTENED OUT A LITTLE BIT. NOW I DON'T HAVE A TON OF EXPERIENCE DOING HAMMER AND DOLLY WORK ON METAL. WHAT I DO KNOW IS BY APPLYING SOME GOOD SOLID PRESSURE TO THE DOLLY AND STRIKING IT WITH A HAMMER, THE HAMMER WILL DRIVE DOWN AND FLATTEN THE HIGH SPOTS

WHILE THE DOLLY WILL LIFT THE LOW SPOTS.

[ hammer tapping ]

(RYAN)>> THAT'S DEFINITELY BETTER THAN WHAT IT WAS. AND WITH THE CROWN KNOCKED DOWN A LITTLE BIT, I CAN GET TO WORK LAYING DOWN ABOUT 1,000 OR SO TACK WELDS. THEN LIKE WE MENTIONED MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, GO AHEAD AND SPREAD THE HEAT OUT SO YOU DON'T WARP THE SHEET METAL. NOW I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO FULLY WELD THE REST OF THIS FENDER. ALL I'VE GOT LEFT TO DO IS TO GRIND DOWN THE WELD AND

PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE HAMMER AND DOLLY WORK TO TRY TO SMOOTH THINGS OUT A LITTLE BIT. NOW WHEN GUYS AST SAW THIS FENDER, WELL IT JUST ENDED RIGHT HERE. SINCE THEN I'VE CUT THIS ROUNDED FLANGE OFF FROM THE INSIDE OF THE FENDER RIGHT HERE AND MOVED IT BACK TO THE OUTER EDGE. THEN I JUST USE THIS FLAT PIECE OF STEEL TO TAKE UP THE GAP IN BETWEEN THE TWO. NOW I'VE ALREADY GOT STARTED ON IT, SO LET'S GET IT FINISHED UP. NOW THE FLAT PIECE OF SHEET METAL I USED, I JUST TRIMMED TO FIT AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO MINIMIZE ANY GAPS IN THE METAL. THEN I STARTED TACK WELDING IT IN THE CORNERS AND WHERE IT LINED UP PERFECTLY ALREADY. THEN I JUST HAMMERED AND DOLLIED UNTIL I WAS HAPPY WITH THE FIT UP AND MADE A FEW MORE TACK WELDS. NOW SINCE I'M WORKING IN A PRETTY CONCENTRATED AREA, I'M ALSO BEING MINDFUL ABOUT HEAT INPUT.

LITTLE BY LITTLE, FORMING IT, WELDING IT, FORMING

IT, AND WELDING IT. I ALSO PUT A MARK ON THE LITTLE PATCH PANEL LETTING ME KNOW WHERE IT NEEDS TO START BREAKING AROUND THE BEND. IT'S ALL TACKED UP PRETTY GOOD, I CAN FINISH WELDING IT AND RESHAPE IT A LITTLE BIT. NOW WITH EVERYTHING WELDED UP YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DIP ON THE FLANGE, BUT

THERE'S A FIX FOR THAT TWO IN IN THE FORM OF A ROUND FACED HAMMER AND A FLAT DOLLY.

I'M PRETTY HAPPY WITH THAT. THEN I CAN START THE PROCESS OF GRINDING DOWN ALL THE WELDS.

NOW TO DO THAT I'M USING A FAIRLY COURSE SANDING DISC

ON A DYE GRINDER TO LEVEL OFF THIS RELATIVELY SOFT TIG WELD.

(RYAN)>> NOW FOR YOU GUYS KEEPING UP WITH OUR F-100

BUILD, YOU KNOW THAT BEHIND OUR THREE POINT FIVE LITER POWER PLANT IS A FIVE SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. YOU MIGHT ALSO KNOW THAT THE ECOBOOST POWERED F-150'S ONLY COME WITH AUTOMATICS. SO GETTING ONE TO WORK WITH A MANUAL TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF EFFORT. SO WE WENT TO THE GUYS AT AMERICAN POWERTRAIN AND THEY GOT US HOOKED UP WITH THE CORRECT FLYWHEEL AND FLYWHEEL BOLTS, AND A CLUTCH AND PRESSURE PLATE SUITED FOR OUR POWER LEVEL. WE ALSO PICKED UP A PILOT BEARING AND A CLUTCH DISC ALIGNMENT TOOL. NOW TO OPERATE THAT CLUTCH WE PICKED UP AN AMERICAN POWERTRAIN COMPLETE HYDRA MAX HYDRAULIC CLUTCH CONTROL KIT. IT INCLUDES THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER WITH AN ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING BRACKET, A RESERVOIR THAT CAN BE MOUNTED REMOTELY OR DIRECTLY, HOSES AND THE LINKAGE, AND THE HYDRA MAX THROW OUT BEARING THAT CAN BE SHIMMED TO WORK PERFECTLY WITH YOUR PARTICULAR APPLICATION. WE ALSO PICKED UP A HAND FULL OF OTHER ITEMS LIKE A MECHANICAL SPEEDOMETER SENSOR, A BACK UP LIGHT SWITCHED WIRING HARNESS, AND A WHITE LIGHTNING SHIFTER FROM AMERICAN POWERTRAIN ALONG WITH THE SHIFT LEVER AND A FIVE SPEED KNOB. THE FIRST THING WE'RE DOING IS INSTALLING THE PILOT BEARING. I'M USING AN OLD PIECE OF TUBING AND A HAMMER TO DRIVE IT INTO THE RECESS AT THE BACK OF THE CRANK SHAFT. IT'S ALL THE WAY HOME. THEN WE CAN MOVE ON TO INSTALLING THE ACTUAL FLYWHEEL USING THE BOLTS PROVIDED BY AMERICAN POWERTRAIN. NOW TO MAKE SURE THEY STAY PUT I'M USING A LITTLE BIT OF RED LOCTITE. THEY'RE TORQUING THEM TO 65 FOOT POUNDS. I ALSO TIGHTEN THEM IN A CRISS CROSS PATTERN TO SPREAD THE LOAD EVENLY. THEN BEFORE INSTALLING THE ACTUAL CLUTCH DISC, I'M WIPING DOWN THE FLYWHEEL TO MAKE SURE IT'S GOOD AND CLEAN. MAKE SURE TO DO THE SAME ON THE PRESSURE PLATE. THEN I'M ADDING THE DISC, THE ALIGNMENT TOOL, AND THE PRESSURE PLATE. AND HERE'S THE REASON FOR THE ALIGNMENT TOOL. FOR MAKING SURE THE CLUTCH DISC IS CENTERED. BECAUSE ONCE YOU START TIGHTENING DOWN ON THE PRESSURE PLATE BOLTS, THE PRESSURE PLATE STARTS CLAMPING DOWN ON THE CLUTCH DISC. GETTING IT TO MOVE IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. THEN WE CAN TORQUE THE PRESSURE PLATE BOLTS TO 35 FOOT POUNDS, AGAIN USING SOME LOCTITE. WE FOLLOW THAT WITH THE INSTALLATION OF OUR STEEL QUICK TIME BELL HOUSING USING THE PROVIDED HARDWARE. THEN AFTER TAKING SOME MEASUREMENTS AND ADDING A FEW SHIMS, WE INSTALL OUR THROW OUT BEARING. KEEP IN MIND THE THROW OUT BEARING HAS GOT TO GO THROUGH THE BACK OF THE BELL HOUSING SO THE HYDRAULIC LINES CAN BE FED OUT OF THE SHIFT FORK HOLES.

AND IN OUR CASE, TURNS OUT IT WAS EASIER TO TAKE THAT

THROW OUT BEARING OFF, REPLACE IT INSIDE THE BELL HOUSING, AND LET THE INPUT SHAFT PASS THROUGH IT ON ITS WAY TO THE CLUTCH DISC AND PILOT BEARING. A LITTLE BIT OF ANTISEIZE ON THE SPLINES.

PERFECT!

THEN AFTER RUNNING THE FOUR TRANSMISSION TO BELL HOUSING BOLTS IN WITH AN ELECTRIC IMPACT, I PUT A WRENCH ON THEM AND TIGHTEN THEM MANUALLY. FINALLY WE REINSTALL THE CROSS MEMBER ON OUR JW ROD AND GARAGE FRAME AND SECURED IT WITH FOUR NYLON NUTS.

NOW TO CONNECT OUR MANUAL TRANSMISSION TO OUR CUSTOM WIDTH REAR AXLE, WE PICKED UP A THREE AND A HALF INCH ALUMINUM DRIVESHAFT FROM DENNY'S. IT'S GOT THE CORRECT 31 SPLINE YOKE AT THE TRANSMISSION END AND THE RIGHT 1330 SERIES JOINT AT THE OTHER. AND THIS THING IS HIGH SPEED, HIGH RPM BALANCE, UP TO 10,000 RPM FOR SMOOTH OPERATION. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WELL THIS THING LOOKS GREAT AND THE WELDS ARE DONE BY A COMPUTER CONTROLLED MACHINE. AND THEY'VE NEVER HAD ONE FAIL, EVEN UNDER EXTREME DRAG RACE CONDITIONS. NOW IN ADDITION TO COMPLETE SHAFTS, THEY ALSO SELL INDIVIDUAL DRIVELINE COMPONENTS. THIS THING OUGHT TO BE PERFECT FOR OUR OLD F-100. NOW EARLIER THIS TIRE'S SIDEWALL WAS STICKING OUT PAST THE EDGE OF THE FENDER. NOW WE'VE GOT CLEARANCE.

(ANNOUNCER)>> WHEN WE COME BACK, WE'LL SEE JUST HOW WELL EVERYTHING FITS!

(RYAN)>> NOW WITH THE REAR OF THE FENDER, WE DEFINITELY ADDED A BUNCH OF TIRE TREAD COVERAGE, BUT WE STILL KEPT THAT FACTORY TAPER FENDER LOOK.

(RYAN)>> HEY GUYS, WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOP. NOW WE'VE GOT OUR NEWLY WIDENED FENDER HANGING ON THE BED SIDE. ALL THE WELDS HAVE BEEN GROUND DOWN. IT'S BEEN HAMMERED AND DOLLIED. EVERYTHING'S PRETTY SMOOTH, AND THE ONLY THING WE'RE MISSING IS A LITTLE BIT OF BODY WORK AND WE'LL BE DONE. AND WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THAT LATER. NOW THE GOAL OF ACCOMPLISHING SOME GOOD TIRE COVERAGE, THAT'S BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, CHECK IT OUT. NOW AT THE FRONT OF THE TIRE PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING IS COVERED. WE WON'T GET ANY DEBRIS COMING FLYING OFF THE TREAD AND CHIPPING THE PAINT. NOW EARLIER THIS TIRE'S SIDE WALL WAS STICKING

OUT PAST THE EDGE OF THE FENDER. NOW WE'VE GOT CLEARANCE AND WE EVEN HAVE SOME WIGGLE ROOM IN BETWEEN THE SIDE WALL AND THIS LARGE INNER LIP. NOW WITH THE REAR OF THE FENDER, WE DEFINITELY ADDED A BUNCH OF TIRE TREAD COVERAGE, BUT WE STILL KEPT THAT FACTORY TAPERED FENDER LOOK. I KINDA DIG IT. NOW SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT OUR MAT FINISHED GRAY WHEELS HAVE TRANSFORMED INTO GLOSSY GRAY WHEELS. THAT'S BECAUSE WE THOUGHT A NICE SHINY CLEAR COAT WOULD LOOK A LITTLE BIT BETTER. SO THAT'S TO OUR BUDDY JOHN FOR KNOCKING THAT OUT FOR US. NOW THE REAR TIRES AND WHEELS WE'VE ALREADY SHOWED YOU. THEY'RE 18 BY 10.5 WITH 295/45 SERIES RUBBER ON THEM. THE FRONTS ARE A LITTLE BIT NARROWER. THEY'RE 18 BY NINE AND A HALF WRAPPED IN 255/45 SERIES NITTOS. STILL PLENTY OF TIRE AND WE'VE GOT ALL THE CLEARANCE WE NEED EVEN AT FULL STEERING LOCK. NOW A PROJECT LIKE WIDENING THE REAR FENDERS

MIGHT SEEM A LITTLE INTIMIDATING WITH THE TIG WELDER AND CUTTING THE FENDER IN HALF AND ALL THAT. BUT I'M CERTAINLY NO METAL WORKING EXPERT AND I THINK I DID A HALF WAY DECENT JOB WITH IT, AND IT WAS A FUN PROJECT. NOW YOU CAN USE A MIG WELDER INSTEAD OF A TIG TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE DIY FRIENDLY.

AND IF YOU MESS THINGS UP TOO BAD, WELL FACTORY REPLACEMENT FENDERS ARE JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY, AND THEY EVEN MAKE AFTERMARKET FIBERGLASS FENDERS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN WIDENED A FEW INCHES. SO GIVE THIS STUFF A SHOT. WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN? YOU MIGHT FIND OUT THAT YOU'RE PRETTY GOOD AT IT. NOW WITH CORDLESS TOOLS, DIAGNOSTIC GEAR, TABLETS, AND SMART PHONES BECOMING MORE PREVALENT IN THE WORK PLACE, HAVING A HANDY AND CONVENIENT PLACE TO CHARGE THEM IS BECOMING MORE IMPORTANT. ALL NEW MATCO TOOL BOXES THAT ARE 25 INCHES DEEP OR MORE WILL GET A POWER OUTLET AND TWO USB PORTS ON THE TOP LEFT CORNER OF THE BOX. THEY ALSO OFFER WHAT THEY CALL A POWER DRAWER, WHICH HAS FIVE MORE CHARGING OUTLETS AND ENOUGH ROOM TO CHARGE MOST BATTERIES IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. IT'S ALSO LOCKABLE. SO IF YOU'RE IN THE MARKET FOR A QUALITY TOOL BOX THAT CAN KEEP UP WITH ALL THE MODERN ELECTRONICS FOUND IN TODAY'S WORKPLACE, CHECK OUT THE LATEST OFFERINGS FROM MATCO. GUYS THANKS FOR WATCHING TRUCK TECH, SEE YOU NEXT TIME.