3 1/2 inch fender flares

[BlueTan88Bronco]

I have a 1988 fullsize bronco. I would like to keep the ride, itself, as stock as I possible. I do, however want to put a much larger tire on the ride. About a 36's or 37's. I have looked into and priced the 3 1/2 inch bushwacker cut out fender flares to be able to fit this size tire in the wheel wells. I also have a little bit of rust poping up on the rear fender wells, that I figure these cut out fender flares will take care of. Does anyone know what it is going to take to get this job done and any problems that I might run into with this project and the tires that I am hoping to put on this ride?

 

[Justshootme84]

I recently cut the fenders on my 78 Bronco and was scared at first. Not anymore, it was a breeze. I used masking tape to measure out my line and drew that on with chalk to cut out 3" all around the front fender. A Sawz-All or reciprocating saw will work, but it will bounce around and vibrate the fender. I used that for part of the cut, then went to my air-powered cutoff tool. It was much easier to follow the line with that although it ate up the discs really quick. The rear fenders are double-layered, so you'll need to cut the outer layer first using the die grinder/cutoff tool. You can also bend a lip into the outer layer to fold over the inner one for a better seal against mud or dirt. For installing the cut-out fender flares, use them to draw a line on the fender, then leave about 1/2" of metal for the screws/rivets used to attach the flare. Wear gloves, too, so you don't cut your hands on the sharp metal. JSM84

 

[Broncobill78]

I have a 1988 fullsize bronco. I would like to keep the ride, itself, as stock as I possible. I do, however want to put a much larger tire on the ride. About a 36's or 37's. I have looked into and priced the 3 1/2 inch bushwacker cut out fender flares to be able to fit this size tire in the wheel wells. I also have a little bit of rust poping up on the rear fender wells, that I figure these cut out fender flares will take care of. Does anyone know what it is going to take to get this job done and any problems that I might run into with this project and the tires that I am hoping to put on this ride?

I have to agree with JSM84, run with it. I've done this myself 3x and it's a no-brainer. I've done it to my own ride using a 4" grinder and done a couple with friends using 1) a pneumatic body saw & 2) a sawzall. All three methods worked but I have to say that the saws made for a cleaner & quicker cut and the body saw was the best since the damn sawzall has such a long reach. I can't imagine any kind of real problem that you'll run into it really is about as straightforward as you get. Scribe you line then zip it out. With the material gone test fit the flare & use a punch or scribe to mark your holes. Drill the holes and bolt on your flares. Every time I've done it we ran a bead of silicone onto the flare and around all the holes (got it onto the hole so it covers the bolt threads when you push them thru or at least we did and it helped keeping the rust at bay). You're done with it in an afternoon. The only disadvantage to running this way is that you have to remember that even though you're got the tires you still have just your stock suspension travel, usually with a lift kit you increase your travel but I'd MUCH rather zip out the rust this way for tires instead of running a body lift for the clearence. Micht want to cut a bit off your factory bump-stops while you've got the saw out but that step is optional.