I am getting ready to begin a remove-and-replace on my damaged front fender. I have a tub for body parts but don't know the best method of determining where to make the cuts to remove from the vehicle. Is this best done with a cut-off wheel, torch, or? Anybody have experience with this?

It depends on the damage of the existing fender. just about the hardest part is the section along the door hinge. As far as cutting body metal, I have used the small 3" cut off wheels, the 4.5" cutoff wheels on an angle grinder and most recently I just got a air body saw. By far the body saw is a great tool for cutting panels, just make sure there's nothing on the other side that you don't want cut. As for the cut-off wheels it's nice for cutting, but you will wear down the wheels faster than a reciprocating blade. Also you have to be careful with a cutoff wheel, if the wheel gets caught some where it will kick back and or break the cutting wheel.

This is the best way to remove so that you don't have to try to match gaps and it allows you to weld intot he existing factory lines.
CCLINFENDERBENDER

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Thanks boxstr, yours is the kind of pic I was hoping to find. Any chance to get a couple of close-ups?

Close up of what??
CCL

Thanks sj914. If I can find some heavy-duty blades do you think my jig-saw would work?
Sorry, I am replacing the passenger fender. I think I have a drivers side, though,

Craig...

If you have the time...hold that one up next to a car with a fender..

Take a pic from the rear of the fender to show where you are cutting it...you can see, but its hard to figure out where you are cutting the rear of the fender....

close ups of the cuts. Did you follow the seams or cut over or under? My fender is crunched in the front and buckled in the middle and slightly touching passenger door.

BTW.....This is an AWESOME site!!! Thanks guys

I've tried a jigsaw already. Unless you properly support the sheetmetal it will start buckling up on you, but if you really want to try... use a very fine tooth blade 24tooth or higher and use a fastest spped your jigsaw has. Oh one important thing make sure you leave more material than you need so you can do fitting. To do the final fitting when you get close to your final fitting use an angle grinder with an abrasive flap wheel to grind the edge of your joint to get a nice joint.