Fender Flares For Big Blue?

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks, Scott!  They fit well and should do the job.

[grumpin]

They look nice! Fit in very well!

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks, Dane.

Some have said that the fender flares are sometimes used to cover up rust.  That's not why I put them on, but I can say that they certainly do that rather well.  As you can see below the Bondo above the LR wheel well shows cracking, but the fender flare hides that pretty well.  And that's pretty much ditto for the right side.

[351FUN]

They definitely look good, it is a more finished look imo.

[81-F150-Explorer]

Are you going to paint them body color or leave them as they are?

They would look good both ways.

As for cracks  in bondo, you can use 3M all around body sealant to fill them and seal them if large enough.

Once the cracks start, water can get in and cause frost wedging,

[Gary Lewis]

I don't plan to paint them.  I like the black as there's lots of other black on the truck.  And if I get the rear bumper/spare tire carrier done it'll be black as well.

Not sure about the need to the 3M body sealant on the Bondo and I think the crack will keep spreading anyway.  But I'll keep that in mind.  Thanks.

[Ray Cecil]

I'm not a fan of fender flares on the old trucks. I live on a muddy gravel drive. I did LMC mud flaps. Helps tremendously.

[Gary Lewis]

It looks like your tires fit nicely under the fenders.  But my larger wheels and tires don't and they throw mud  up and forward where mud flaps wouldn't help.

However, with your new paint job I'd not like fender flares either.

[351FUN]

Yeah mud flaps are great when the tires tuck under.  I couldn't go that route though.  

[Gary Lewis]

Right.  Big Blue's front tires stick out 2" from the fender wells while the rears are 1/8" inset.  So I've been wondering if the D60 is wider than the stock TTB's.  Towards that end I've done some research & measuring.

The 1985 Body Builder's book says the rear track, meaning from the center of the left tire to the center of the right, should be 64.3", which I'll take as 64 1/4".  But Big Blue's rear track measures 66 1/2" so the wheels appear to be offset 1 1/8" each.

And the Body Builder's book says the front track should be 66.7", which I'll take as 66 3/4".  But Big Blue measures 70", for a 3 1/4" difference.  Taking out the wheel offsets of 2 1/4" total says the D60 must be 1" wider.

The wheel offsets and the extra width of the D60 explains why the front tires stick out 2" from the fenders and the fender flares are needed.  I know that one of our European members couldn't get his Bullnose certified to drive on the street until he put fender flares on, but I wondered what the US laws say.  Here's what PartCatalog says:

While enforcement wildly varies, most states have a legal requirement that the fender flare covers at least the tread or full tire. If you have stock tires, you shouldn't have to worry – this is more geared to those who have decided to replace their tires with larger-than-stock or oversized tire sizes.

I wonder who they are talking about?  

[81-F150-Explorer]

Those mud flaps look great, and they look similar to the dealer accessories that were offered when the truck was new.

[81-F150-Explorer]

Once the bondo starts to crack, you can only slow it down.

The 3M body sealant will help to keep moisture out of the crack slowing the process and it is pliant enough to help with shrinkage and expansion due to temp changes, and it is sandable and paintable.

They use the same stuff to seal the seams between the "A" and "b" pillars on the roof as example.

Sorry if I'm rambling on...

[Gary Lewis]

Ralph - I think that's a good idea.  I'll get some, pull the flare, and push it into the cracks.  Thanks.

[351FUN]

Yeah tire coverage is state dependent.  I didn't need them to stay legal out there, but I did need them to look good lol.   If you're on stock offset wheels then it's definitely the axle.  Mine (also 250) were tucked nicely on stock wheels.  This is actually stock offset 7"wheels with the 37x12.50R16.5 tires squeezed on them.  The wheel was still under the fender, and I think all of the tire was too.