How to replace the welded-on fenders of an XR4TI:

Before you replace the fender you need to understand what you are doing. The fender is a part of the front structure or unibody. To maintain the original fit,finish,alignment and integrity you need to be sure that the body is square before you start welding on the fender. You can either do this by putting it on a frame rack or a bench rack and measuring the points before welding. You could also do this with just a tape and straight edge but it is much harder. If you are not concerned about it being perfect then do it any way you can but make sure that you test fit everything before welding. The fender is aligned in three planes. Test fit the fender many times before welding.

To remove the fender from the car you need to disconnect the battery and remove the computer just to be safe. Remove any accessories on the inner apron panel that are in the way. Use a drill bit with a self centering tip or center-punch the spot welds before cutting them out with a spot weld cutter. You may have to remove the door or front cover to get at some welds. You will then need remove what is left of the welds on the car. You will have to clean the metal before starting to weld on the new fender.

Drill out the spots in the new fender that match the old fender spot weld holes. Clamp it on in the correct position and weld the plugs into the supporting metal. Alternately you can use a compression welding machine to duplicate the factory welds. There are not a lot of shops that have these though.

To weld the fender on correctly you need to worry about corrosion protection. The two surfaces that will be welded together need to be stripped down to bare metal at the plug welding area. Coat the two surfaces with a weldable primer and weld the fender on using the correct plug welding method. Immediately after the job is done you should restore the corrosion protection by using the correct primer for the metal and following the directions. Corrosion begins immediately if you don't.

This is not an easy job if this is your first experience with frame and bodywork and it may be quicker to repair the damaged fender rather than replace it.