Fender flares

[Powerefx]

Does anyone have an idea on how to make fender flares? This is wut i was thinking of doing, could it be right or is it wrong --> I was gonna mask tape the area around the tires and get that upside down u shape that the fender flares have. Then i was thinking of applying more and more layers of glass until the fender flare becomes like a 3d u shaped box. After just going to sand it down to the shape i like. Does this sound good. Is there another way it could be done?

[Rod&Custom]

I am pretty sure that you will want to form a piece of foam in the correct shape, and then glass it, but I am not a fiberglass guy either. May I ask why you can't find any? Bush Whacker(I think) makes a wide variety of flares for most all trucks made.

[mike@af]

Grants on the right track. The usual process to making flares is building a foam mold on the body then glassing over that.

[Powerefx]

Well the flares gonna go on a car, not like those on a truck, ive searched around alot and havent found any. I was wondering how to go about doing the foam thing. Can someone explain what kind of foam i should get and from where. And exactlly how i should go about glassing it. Thnx fellas.

[mike@af]

What in the world do you drive that you cant find parts for? Use polyurethane foam. Im not a glass expert, so talk to TSC.

[TheSilentChamber]

I use blue insulating foam that is available at places such as home depot and lowes. Sells for around $10 for a 4'x8x1/2" sheet. You'll basically want to carve out the shape that you want like mentioned above, cover it in foil, then fiberglass over that. Getting them all to match is the tricky part. Taking alot of measurments and using a profile/contour gauge is the way I do it, it takes some time and effort though.

[yukonharry]

The easiest and cheapest way by far to build the flairs you want is to get a pait of Volkswagon fenders and cut off the size you want. Place them where you want, draw a line to where you want them to be attached to. Cut out approx 1" below the line, cut tab like pieces in the 1", bend the tabs up and attach them to the fender by welding/brazing/adhisive. Blend in the edges with tiger hair, then a light coat of bondo. To correctly do it, make a piece that will attach your inner fender well to the outer fender. It will take about a day to complete it.

[Powerefx]

Hey TSC can i also use the foam boards they sell at art stores for projects like michaels, staples and office depot and glass over that, or does it need to be an insulating foam board used for construction?

[TheSilentChamber]

You can use either, make sure to cover it in foil though.

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by Powerefx

Hey TSC can i also use the foam boards they sell at art stores for projects like michaels, staples and office depot and glass over that, or does it need to be an insulating foam board used for construction?

Some of that melts. Like the blue and pink stuff. Look at the details of the foam, if its called polystyrene chances are it will melt.

[TheSilentChamber]

Thats what the foil is for.

[Powerefx]

SO i should carve the shape out the foam, cover it in foil, lay down allitle resin, put down the fiberglass, resin, fiberglass, resin...... and then sand the fiberglass, bondo and then sand the bondo. Is this right? And how many layers of glass should i use?

[TheSilentChamber]

You should be able to do it without filler (bondo). How many layers depend on what kind of fiberglass you use. If you use the typical hardware/parts store cloth and matt then I would recomend three layers of matt on the bottom followed by two layers of cloth on top. The matt provides most of the strength and the cloth is easyer to sand.

[Oscuro]

*blinks* Crap, there goes my thoughts of how to make flares for my car...I mean, I would need rather large pieces of foam....bloody hell. I might as well find a shop that could do it.

*coughs* For referance:

Vauxhall version of my car from 1980s.
Identify the car and you get my awe
Either way, trying to replicate those fenders to my car would be a massive pain in the ass....but I might try it someday.

[gthompson97]

2 door Citation!!!!