fender flares

[tonyvercetti]

I've got an idea for a project but the body I want to use is 1/2 inch too narrow, and I don't want the tires sticking out 1/4 inch on each side. Anyone ever flared out the fenders on a lexan body? anyone ever added fender flares to one?

[Piggy89373]

Tony, the guy you want for that one is Mike Villena. Take a look at some of his working threads for ideas. The drawback to it is you either wind up painting the outside of the shell or you'll have funky looking fender flares. I'm sure it can be done, just not sure how far you're willing to go.

[mikevillena]

Hey Tony,
Depending on how crazy wide you want your fender flares to be, you can probably use fiberglass. However, the fiberglass flares will not flex with the bodyshell so they'll crack almost immediately if you tap the walls or crash. If you do decide to do it, you could probably still paint the bodyshell on the inside first, add the fender flares and then mask off and paint the flares on the outside. If you are replicating flexible rubber flares that are found on some off road vehicles, you can paint it (fender flares) with black bumper paint.

[tonyvercetti]

hmmm, or maybe make them out of rubber to begin with, like some automotive weather stripping, like a piece of a trunk seal or door seal

Hey Tony,
Depending on how crazy wide you want your fender flares to be, you can probably use fiberglass. However, the fiberglass flares will not flex with the bodyshell so they'll crack almost immediately if you tap the walls or crash. If you do decide to do it, you could probably still paint the bodyshell on the inside first, add the fender flares and then mask off and paint the flares on the outside. If you are replicating flexible rubber flares that are found on some off road vehicles, you can paint it (fender flares) with black bumper paint.

[MaxxThrasher]

I'd try making a mold of the flares and heating some lexan around it to form them then cut the wheel wells out to glue the flares in. Or if your lucky enough to have a vacuum former... :cool: