ECR Fender Flares Install

  
by Martin Amedeo 
  
  
  


This is the first step in setting up for the flare install. This is not described 
  in the instructions but this is how I started. I marked out a center point from the back edge of 
  the fender and used this dimension on both sides. This ensures that the flares will line up 
  side to side. A  similar mark was made on each of the flares.

  


The next step was to tape the fender so I could draw the outline of the flares 
  on the fender. The solid line on the outside is the profile of the flare and 
  the dotted line is the cut line as described in the instructions. This line 
  is 30mm (approx 1-1/8") inside the outer profile. The rubber "rub" strip on 
  the fender has to be trimmed back to allow the flare to sit flush on the fender.

  
. 


Here you can see the cut has been made and the inner plastic liner has been 
  removed. This really gives you an idea of how much room is gained.

  


Now for the "scary stuff." This is my back door prior to masking 
  out and cutting.

  


The same procedure as the front, mark out the outline of the flare and then 
  the 30mm Offset line to cut on. As you can see, there’s a lot of metal that 
  has to be removed, so If your going to do this, makes sure you measure and re-measure 
  before you cut. I must have done this step about half a dozen times before I 
  was comfortable with the layout.

  


After carefully measuring and reading the instructions for the 18th  
  time, I took the hacksaw and cut in on the line as described in the instructions. 
  Although I’m cutting on the line, the cut line is actually 35mm instead of the 
  30mm as called for in the instructions. The reason being, that if I did miss-measure, 
  I’d have some room for adjustment and I could Always trim off the excess.

  


Here I am making the same cut at the top of the door. 

  


After the initial cuts with the hacksaw at the top and bottom, I started to 
  cut the door skin with a pair of offset snips. You can see the exposed steel 
  shell at the bottom of the door.

  


Here’s the door after the skin has been removed and before the inner shell 
  is cut. This shows you an idea of how much room is gained.

  


Following the instructions, I cut the inner shell following the crease on the 
  inside of the door. This really looks worse than what it is. The flare for the 
  rear door wraps completely around this opening sealing it off to the elements. 


  
 .

  
This is the flare installed on the door. At this point, the flare is only 
    held with two fasteners and needs to have the rubber seal installed between 
    it and the body panel. The flare on the rear quarter panel is the same as 
    the front, very simple and straight forward. 

  

  
This is a shot of the left side showing the flares installed. I still, at 
    this point, have to trim my sliders to conform to the new opening and complete 
    the rubber seals. All totaled, this is about 3-1/2 hours worth of work. The 
    rear door took me 2-1/2 hours. 

  

  
Here’s a shot of the right side. For those of you who know my truck, yes 
    those are new doors and front fender, and no, I do not intend to run into 
    any more trees!!!!

  

  
This is a shot of the right side showing the centering mark to line up the 
    flare with the opposite side. Again, you can see how much of the slider has 
    to be trimmed. These tires are 265 x 80’s, I intended to go with 35 x 12.50 
    R16 SSR’s. 

  
For those of you wondering, I have on order new 1 ton CV’s and HD front axels 
    from Ashcroft. The rear axels have already been swapped out for Ashcroft’s. 
    The ABS will be eliminated due to the CV replacement.

  

  

  
As soon as I get my new tires, I’ll post some more pictures to add to the 
    site. Hope you’ve enjoyed seeing what I’ve done, and if you have any questions, 
    please e-mail me.