American Adventure Labs Jeep JL/JT Quick-Release Front Inner Fender Installation & Pictures

[JeepDadiator]

As noted in my thread for the ARB Bondi Deluxe installation I had unfortunately had some front end damage and was able to work a deal on upgrades vs. replacing with OE parts. One of the impacted components was the Right Front Fender Flare with damage to the middle inner liner that wraps around the side; as well as a broken OE LED DRL. I decided I would also install liners at this time to gain some clearance for future larger tires as well as clean up the look after removal of the damaged liner. There are many fender liners on the market so I started by identifying my specific selection criteria:

• Minimally obtrusive company logo (this is just personal preference)
• Installation without drilling or modifying the jeep extensively
• Rapid removal for addition of future upgrades (wire routing, access)
• Rapid removal for cleaning and maintenance
• OE appearance – blends in with overall design aesthetic of the Jeep
• High quality finish and reputation for quality

After review of the many options on the market I landed on the American Adventure Lab JL/JT Quick-Release Front Inner Fenders. To meet my criteria I added the optional color match logo, black anodized hardware and textured black powder coat finish. In keeping with my overall review consistency weights for these components are as follows:

• Passenger side Front/Rear main sheet metal panels: 4.4lbs
• Drivers side Front/Rear main sheet metal panels: 4.4lbs
• Passenger side mounting brackets (set of four): .6lbs
• Driver side mounting brackets (set of four): .6lbs

*hardware weight not included, finish impacts the weight!

- Total weight 5lbs per side 10lbs total

Note: I did not weigh the removals; I may do later for a full analysis of the overall impact – the OE fender with all the liners, lights and plastic was actually heavier than expected.

What was included in the box?

Detail of the hardware bag contents:

Mounting brackets:

Close-up of the color match logo mesh:

Installation Steps & Photos:

Removal of the Factory liner and flare in preparation is relatively easy I recommend the fishbone Off-road video here. After you remove the flare some off jeep disassembly is required and looks like this:

• Removal and disassembly of the flare, while straightforward, does come with some challenges. For me most if not all of the black plastic trim rivets/attachments broke during removal these are not required for re-installation so be most careful with the white spring clips and sigh heavily while damaging parts on your year old jeep…
• Another item of note is that the OE light is attached with both fasteners and double sided tape on the inside of the fender so when you remove the hardware it will still feel firmly attached – gentle prying with a trim tool will help here as well.
• Next you can position the tabs per the AAL instructions - AAL brackets behind the sheet metal as shown below.
• Then (I used a ¼ impact driver) attach the FWD most bracket to the frame using the self-tapping M8 screws. *This is where the instructions differ for JL vs JT. On the JT one hole on the driver’s side requires an M6 rivet nut be installed vs. the self tapping M8.

Final Thoughts:

• Installation does require cannibalization of the factory inner fender liners – there is no going back as you will break 39 plastic welds and trimming off plastic tabs so be committed but not scared. The welds break easy with set of trim removal tools and some caution. My flares are not factory paint matched but I have heard that breaking these welds on painted flares, if not careful, can craze the paint so be careful!
• I has previously stripped my liners for the QUAKE DRL fender chop and the flare that is left felt a bit loose being only retained by the factory (white) snap clips. The provided 3D printed fender washers / brackets worked very well to return the flare to a firm confident attachment. AAL offers these as a stand-alone kit for this purpose and I may add these to all flare attach points at a later date to ensure the flare is retained.
• Installation was very easy! I recommend leaving the FWD/aft panels slightly loose for first fit/check then attach all DZUS fasteners and finally tighten the 4 per side M6 panel to panel fasteners
• The instructions were very straight forward with only one hiccup – the hardware shipped was JT specific but the instructions indicated there was an Addendum applicable to the JT – this was not included but a quick email to Katie at AAL resolved any questions immediately and honestly the instructions were not entirely necessary as one can figure it out with the parts in hand.
• I did receive my fender liners ~3wks after order; however I will not say that is an issue as I did order during the holiday break and I selected an less frequent (not in stock) textured black powder – so I will not complain there! Just something to consider if you plan on ordering!
• These liners absolutely met my expectations for quality and appearance they blend in nicely with the jeep in the black textured finish (very close match to the ARB bumper)
• AAL overall gets a very high grade from me for meeting what I consider to be my stringent quality & packaging expectations. Where they really shine is customer service as well! Each time I contacted them they were very responsive and friendly! I am looking forward to adding more AAL products to my JT.

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[jurfie]

Note: I did not weigh the removals; I may do later for a full analysis of the overall impact – the OE fender with all the liners, lights and plastic was actually heavier than expected.

Please do!

Awesome write up and review, BTW.

 

[nroberts]

I see you have a Rubicon did you get the non trimmed version?

 

[JeepDadiator]

Yes, I went with non-trimmed, texture black version.

 

[Commodus]

Does the outer fender need to come off if only replacing liner?

 

[JeepDadiator]

Does the outer fender need to come off if only replacing liner?

No you can just pop the liner out. Very quickly.

 

[bastage]

Does the outer fender need to come off if only replacing liner?

To Correct.. If you are replacing the liner then yes you would need yo pull the fender.. If your pulling the inner fenders after install then no the fenders stay in place. I have had these for a while both front & rear & hates the shipping process as there was lots of issues getting my innders & all the right parts for them. Then the rear fenders were not cut to allow my Falcon sp 3.3 shocks. After some of my own trimming though & getting the right parts these inner fenders are fantastic. Easy to pull so when I need behind them it only takes me a few seconds with the right allen key to pull them.

 

[2terpsjeep]

Amazing write up, JeepDadiator! Nicely done.

I have the same liners, front and back, and their Highline Lights. Super pleased with the quality of them. I have a Mojave, so I opted to have the cutouts powder coated orange to match the Mojave badging, and they came out great.

For anyone looking to order... there are several permutations of the front liners, so make sure you order the right ones! Different shock setups have different shaped cutouts. Here's a great video I found before I ordered, not to mention the handful of "fender chop" vids out there that show you how to pull those plastic welds apart...

Jeep Gladiator Mojave American Adventure Lab Fender Upgrade - With Custom Paint! - Bing video

Also, I ordered extra sets of the black plastic "nylon flare washers" to replace the white clips, not realizing that the liners themselves come with a handful. So I have MANY extras. If anyone's interested, let me know and I can count up how many extras you'll need. You certainly won't need a full set of front and rear "fender chop clips," on top of the ones you'll get with the liners themselves. You might be able to get away with ordering one extra set, instead of two (front and rear) like I did.

 

[jeepers29]

Does this mod make it easier to replace aux battery via the fender?

 

[Commodus]

Does this mod make it easier to replace aux battery via the fender?

I hope so since this was one of the reasons for choosing American Adventure the other reason was no modifications needed like drilling.

 

[Elgin]

Was the installation hard? I am trying to find a easy set.

 

[Commodus]

Was the installation hard? I am trying to find a easy set.

They were not hard to install, I did buy a nut-zert insert tool but I do not believe that was needed and their simple install tool would have worked just as well since it was needed for just one bracket. I would recommend watching the install videos on you tube especially when they talk about the upper bracket. I did the install without removing the fender but would have been easier removing it

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