73-87chevytrucks.com

73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => 73-87 Chevy & GMC Trucks => Topic started by: Da67goatman on February 17, 2011, 07:08:30 pm

Title: Fender flare question
Post by: Da67goatman on February 17, 2011, 07:08:30 pm
First off, this is not a will these tires fit with this lift question, we can all relax now. lol  I had a brain fart the other day and am hoping someone on here has some experience and can answer it.

Do cutout fender flares, correct the different wheel well heights or are the front still higher than the rear?

My OCD kicked in and that would bother me if they were still different heights.  You would think while they were at it they could have fixed that difference with the fender flares, but they probably didn't.
Title: Re: Fender flare question
Post by: VileZambonie on February 17, 2011, 08:30:50 pm
What do you mean the different wheel well heights? The wheel opening is different front to rear as compared to the body line but that's because of the slope and the body style. It's supposed to look like that.
Title: Re: Fender flare question
Post by: 1980c10 on February 17, 2011, 08:44:44 pm
On my truck I used that difference to decide how much to lower my suspension-I have identical fender clearance on top,
front and back in relationship to the tire.
Title: Re: Fender flare question
Post by: Da67goatman on February 17, 2011, 09:18:16 pm
When you have even tire to fender lip distance at front and rear, the truck has rake.  Just look at the rocker, it slopes down to the front.  Do fender flares fix this or not?
Title: Re: Fender flare question
Post by: VileZambonie on February 17, 2011, 09:27:14 pm
It's supposed to though.... That's the body style. Now if it looked like this I'd be a little concerned
(http://www.artist-bros.org/dlombard/kate/images/profile.jpg)

Are you saying you want to trim the fender and put the flares on it?
Title: Re: Fender flare question
Post by: Da67goatman on February 17, 2011, 09:48:55 pm
I was trying to determine if I could get more tire coverage and even the wheel well gap at the same time, but it looks like I get one or the other, not both.
Title: Re: Fender flare question
Post by: Grim 82 on February 17, 2011, 10:04:13 pm
From what I've seen, the flares pretty much work in proportion to the existing openings, and don't correct any height difference. I know what you are saying though. If you raised the back ones to match the front, the back ones would be too short and wouldn't cover the rockers. The distance from the top of the flare to the body line would be proportionally the same as the stock wheel well trim, just higher.
Title: Re: Fender flare question
Post by: bake74 on February 17, 2011, 11:47:32 pm
     I think what you were getting at are the fender flares that rivet or bolt to the outside and do not use the lip of the wheel well.  These kind are popular for jeeps, but I have not seen a pair for trucks.  If you found a pair you could then mount and remove as much of the fender well as you wanted to make them match.  But as vile said, these trucks are suppose to have a rake to the front, I think it might look funny if you took the rake look out.
Title: Re: Fender flare question
Post by: 1980c10 on February 18, 2011, 12:20:37 am
I've seen the front fender dropped down to match the rear (from the body line to opening distance). it was kind of different. Couldn't really decide if I liked it or not. I prefer the raked stance anyway, I don't think I would spend the effort on it. But the best answer would probably be to take a little from the back and give a little in the front to keep it subtle and even them out.
Title: Re: Fender flare question
Post by: Psycho71 on February 18, 2011, 09:09:17 am
I just picked up my cut-out flares this week, and have been mocking them up on my burb, just looking, measuring, and assessing them before I start hacking on the body. They are designed so you don't cut the top of the fender well at all, only from where the arch begins, down to the tip of the flare. This is to provide clearance for larger tires. I suppose you could cut the top lip and move them up a bit on the fender, but that certainly is not how bushwacker designed them to fit. By design they need some sort of lip turned in at the top to mount them the way the manufacturer intended. Obviously though, I suppose you could mount them in which ever way achieved the look you wanted.