I need your help. I am kind of dumbfounded as to what to do with the fender flares i purchased. I am open to simply riveting them on, molding them in, etc.
The thing is that they actually go OVER the door and bumper moldings. If someone who has real experience can maybe take a peak at it, that would be greatly appreciated…
ehhh, i think that will look kind of crappy… But it is a possibility…
some of the 3m stuff will work better then rivets. (and will not crack)
yeah, if i rivet or 3M them, i can do it after the body has been painted, allowing me to leave the flares and body molding flat black, and paint the car green… I am unsure how that would look…
I’ve done this in the past with a Stillen cover. You can 3M and pop-rivet into place, then mix some urethane or fiberglass filler into the rivet holes, prep and paint. The 3M stuff is surprisingly strong, but I didn’t want to take chances.
I just ripped off the fiberglass fenders on the datsun, looks like they used a black silicon based “glue” to adhere to the body, rivited around the edges, then molded the edges in to the car.
Personal recommendations;
Do NOT use bodo. This stuff soaks up moisture and cracks. Use a fiberglass based filler and mold it on to bare metal, not paint.
Make sure you cover up the rivets with the filler as best you can. Over time you will be able to see little divits in the paint where the rivets are. That’s how I knew right where to drill to take my fenders off. It was most likely do to them using bondo in those areas, but does happen.
no, i should have taken some…
i dug up these images online. See how the moldings go right to the wheel arches? Well, the flares would cover up these about 1.5-2" on either side of the arch, both front and rear… I think i could trim the molding back so that I could reinstall after I molded in the flares, but the bumper trim front and rear mounts inside the fenders, so I couldn’t install it once the flares were on.
this is roughly the area the cover. I was looking at the BMP car with these fenders and it appears that they trimmed them up to the edge of the bumper…
See how on the front they actually go around the molding? Well, mine don’t have that.
The door mouldings I would just take off. I see your point about the bumpers though.
edit: ACTUAL Pic of the fender flares?
what are they made of?
Would it be possible to cut the fender flares, and mold the pieces that go over the bumpers to the bumpers? (Horizontal cut where the fender meets the bumper)
Cut the moldings to fit around the flares, 'glas? I’d have to see how the flares “hug” the trim.
NEW PRODUCT— These fender flares are designed to be installed using exposed rivets or screws which eliminates the need for body work or to blend paint. They look great (check out BMP’s E30) and are really easy to install and inexpensive. They also fit the E21 ('77-'83 320i). Done carefully repainting is not necessary. The original fender lips are normally cut away to allow larger wheels/tires. After all that’s the whole point of fender flares. Flares are shipped larger (longer) than required so customer has some latitude for placement. Ends must be trimmed to match your body. If you still have the side molding, rear molding should be trimed to match up to flare. These flares are not fiber glass. They are ABS thermoplastic. This makes them easier to work with, more flexible, and less prone to cracking. No special prep is required for painting. These are sold and priced as a set of 4. Individual replacements are also available.
please have them molded by a body shop… the riveted ones look like a poor fit, clean body lines are so much durr cleaner
see, i kind of like the riveted on look.
I agree for this particular car and car color. Black or gold(to match the wheels) rivets.
I think you should ditch the side mouldings completely, and cut the fender flares like the BMP pic above.
