Barbara Sylvanas do it all build

I would love a real high line but I know they are really rare so it'll depend on when I get to this step
An AEV highline is pretty rare. You can get Highline fenders from any number of vendors (Poison Spyder, GenRight, JCR come immediately to mind). Then you have to cut your hood, or take your chances with a DuroFlex. Personally, I'm going to try it it DIY.

Step one, find a rusted out fender to screw around with (shouldn't be too hard, living where I do)
Step two, Hack it up and figure out how to make it all work (all the stuff that is on the fender needs to be relocated or re-attached somehow).

I will probably pie cut the fender so I can re-establish that curve around the radiator shell/grill. The other big issue is getting the wedge right by the rear mount. The fender bolts to the tub in a few different spots. The straight line along the outside is easy. The ABS and battery trays are what will be a challenge to make work. However, those spots are where you loose tire clearance when you turn, and incidentally, why the Metal Cloak fenders doesn't really give you as much clearance as they say they do.

Doing the hood is relatively simple. You measure out a strip equal to the amount you raised the fenders, cut the flange off the bottom, cut your strip and weld back together.
 
An AEV highline is pretty rare. You can get Highline fenders from any number of vendors (Poison Spyder, GenRight, JCR come immediately to mind). Then you have to cut your hood, or take your chances with a DuroFlex. Personally, I'm going to try it it DIY.

Step one, find a rusted out fender to screw around with (shouldn't be too hard, living where I do)
Step two, Hack it up and figure out how to make it all work (all the stuff that is on the fender needs to be relocated or re-attached somehow).

I will probably pie cut the fender so I can re-establish that curve around the radiator shell/grill. The other big issue is getting the wedge right by the rear mount. The fender bolts to the tub in a few different spots. The straight line along the outside is easy. The ABS and battery trays are what will be a challenge to make work. However, those spots are where you loose tire clearance when you turn, and incidentally, why the Metal Cloak fenders doesn't really give you as much clearance as they say they do.

Doing the hood is relatively simple. You measure out a strip equal to the amount you raised the fenders, cut the flange off the bottom, cut your strip and weld back together.

Actually I really like this idea. Allows you to learn once on something that doesn't matter. I have watched some videos of people installing highlines and a couple end up going "crap I can fix that". From there its usually all down hill.

They're not rare at all. They're rarely done well, but that's different.

Fair point. And I really want to do this well so I'll have to be pretty careful. The whole measure twice cut once thing.
 
It's very expensive as well, IIRC.

I've been doing some real digging on DIY Highlines and there is so much that can go wrong. But when it is done right... That's exactly the look I want. If I can't find the AEV highline kit I might have to go DIY because I really don't like the look of any of the other fender options.
 
I've been doing some real digging on DIY Highlines and there is so much that can go wrong. But when it is done right... That's exactly the look I want. If I can't find the AEV highline kit I might have to go DIY because I really don't like the look of any of the other fender options.

The DIY highline sounded interesting to me for a while. But even in the better done versions, I've never liked how the area around the head lights look. Aesthetically, AEV got it as right as it can be. Even then, it looks off to me.
 
The DIY highline sounded interesting to me for a while. But even in the better done versions, I've never liked how the area around the head lights look. Aesthetically, AEV got it as right as it can be. Even then, it looks off to me.

That and the cowl seam line looks weird not lined up.
 
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The DIY highline sounded interesting to me for a while. But even in the better done versions, I've never liked how the area around the head lights look. Aesthetically, AEV got it as right as it can be. Even then, it looks off to me.
Exactly. Personally, I am just not a fan of the look.
 
Exactly. Personally, I am just not a fan of the look.

Would you say it looks weirder than the other highline looks? Is it possible to get 35"s without the highline by making sure I have the right bump stops and keeping the stock fenders? I don't want to lose the up and down travel by restricting myself with
 
Would you say it looks weirder than the other highline looks? Is it possible to get 35"s without the highline by making sure I have the right bump stops? I don't want to lose the up and down travel by restricting myself.
Not for me to say. Everyone likes what they like.
 
Would you say it looks weirder than the other highline looks? Is it possible to get 35"s without the highline by making sure I have the right bump stops and keeping the stock fenders? I don't want to lose the up and down travel by restricting myself with
It's all about compromise. You can fit 35's with as little lift as necessary to keep the tires out of the fenders at ride height. But...up travel is going to suffer. Don't want to highline and retain a decent amount of up travel? Plan on somewhere around 5" of lift. Anything in between will "work" depending on your definition of "working.".

It's all about what you wanted the vehicle to accomplish and look like. I like the highline look, so I'm going to try it. If it looks like poo poo, I'll do something different. I'm going to try and replicate the AEV fenders. I'm not a fan of flat fenders.
 
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Just remember that if you really want an improvement, you need to move the wheelwell back in the areas that matter.
Yup. That's why the metalcloaks don't get you as much as advertised. Its also why I'm getting a scrapped set of factory fenders. I want to see where the interference really is, then devise a way to make more clearance. No sense in raising them, if you're not giving the the tire room to turn.

I might need a set of scrap fender supports too. Anyone got some?
 
I want to see where the interference really is, then devise a way to make more clearance.

It's around 2:00 from the hub when viewing the tire from the outside, if I remember correctly. I should have compared my standard GenRight tubes to my buddy's highlined versions when they were sitting side-by-side, because - again, memory - GenRight moves that problem area backwards a bit in order to gain clearance. You'd essentially have to replicate that modification with a stock fender, which means you would have to Binky it until it was right.
 
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It's all about compromise. You can fit 35's with as little lift as necessary to keep the tires out of the fenders at ride height. But...up travel is going to suffer. Don't want to highline and retain a decent amount of up travel? Plan on somewhere around 5" of lift. Anything in between will "work" depending on your definition of "working.".

It's all about what you wanted the vehicle to accomplish and look like. I like the highline look, so I'm going to try it. If it looks like poo poo, I'll do something different. I'm going to try and replicate the AEV fenders. I'm not a fan of flat fenders.

I far prefer the AEV highline look over the flat. It keeps the Jeep shape and if I'm trying to stick closer to the stock look I feel like the AEV style is a must
 
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I far prefer the AEV highline look over the flat. It keeps the Jeep shape and if I'm trying to stick closer to the stock look I feel like the AEV style is a must

Preference is preference; whatever you like is cool. I used to be a big fan of the AEV look, but as time passed my appreciation faded; to my eye, there are a few areas that don't look right...but that's just me. My only real objection to a stock-ish fender is that it's a visual impairment compared to a tube...but that may not even matter for your uses.
 
Preference is preference; whatever you like is cool. I used to be a big fan of the AEV look, but as time passed my appreciation faded; to my eye, there are a few areas that don't look right...but that's just me. My only real objection to a stock-ish fender is that it's a visual impairment compared to a tube...but that may not even matter for your uses.
Same here, pics didn't bother me and I thought the look was cool. Saw a few in person and just not a fan.