I need a little help please. I need to place a deposit today if I am going to have my tins custom painted. I am going to buy the shop manual but need to know as soon as possible if I have to remove the rear tire to remove the rear fender. This is the only thing that is really holding me back from making the deposit. Front fender looks pretty easy; gas tank looks tough but I think I can handle it. I have heard mixed reviews on the rear fender. Some say you have to remove the rear tire some say you don’t. I’m willing to tackle the tank disassembly, but I do not want to remove the rear wheel. Does anyone know how involved it is to remove the rear fender on an 04 Wide Glide.

 

ts, rear fender can be done without removing the wheel.

remove seat

next, easiest to Lift your machine and

remove two top shock bolts and lower the rear swingarm

proceed to disconnect wiring to signals
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...ml#post4277699

remove turn signal assemblies

then four more bolts
rear fender done


tank.....
...........mud
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/3865035-post4.html
...........Mascman
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-glide...tank-guts.html


Refer to your shop manual often

mud
.

 

on the 04 you have a screw and washer securing the front of the fender to a cage nut on the frame. the service manual does not indicate you need to remove the rear wheel. If you can remove this screw with the rear wheel in place them you will be ok.
look at the front of the fender to find the screw and see if you can somehow remove without removing wheel. if you have a lift you can remove the lower shock mount bolts and raise the bike up for better access.

 

When I lift mine and the wheel drops down its still a tight fit.

 

Thanks for the feedback folks and the links mud. I placed a deposit on the paint, so the tins are coming off. I’m a little nervous since I’ve never done it, but I figure with the manual and the forum, I’ll get through it. Plus I think it will mean a lot more once all said and done if I do the work myself instead of a dealer.

 

Looks like I got myself in a bit of a bind. My local dealer does not reopen until Monday. I can not find any place on line to purchase and download the shop manual. That being said, I am going in with the insight provided by you folks. I need to get all the fuel out of the tank so it can air out before shipping it Monday. If you can think of anything else I should know, please post.

I WILL have the shop manual to reassemble when the tins are finished.

 

Well, thanks to the help from you guys, I got tins removed yesterday. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate the job a 6 or 7. In my opinion, the rear fender was by far the hardest. The only thing left to do is remove the pins from the fuel gauge connector so I can remove it from the tank.
Next question…does anybody know a good way to speed up the evaporation process of the gas and fumes from the tank so I can ship it? Obviously I drained and wiped out the tank, but there is still a little gas residue in there.

 

Try hot soapy water



.

 

start your car and run the exhaust from your car into the tank for about 10 mins.this will kill most of the fumes and it will keep it from blowing up if there is a spark next to it for whatever reason

 

Gas tank is good to go for shipping. AND, I lied. The hardest part of the job was removing the pins from the connector on the end of the fuel gauge.