Body Guys: How much of the flares do I need to weld onto a narrow body?

MotoSook · 04-09-2003, 05:13 PM

Gang, I was offered a set of flares to give my narrow body some muscles. I have a good source, but I'd still like to know how much of the flares is enough to weld on, and get that stock SC/Carrera look.

Thanks,

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

You may be interested in this thread. There are some pics of flares in their raw state to give you some idea. If you have access to an English wheel then the more meat you have to work with the more flare you can get. Ruf welded an extra ~1" strip to oem weld on SC flares to get additional room for their 10" rims w/ relatively small + o/s.

If you buy raw oem flares you have no choice, but if buying cutoffs the more the better.

MotoSook · 08:08 PM

Thanks Bill. I didn't notice if the quarters were flanged (?) to receive the flares and adhesive? In other words, were the flares glued on top of the quarters without any metal (forming) work on the car? It looks like the quarters were simply striped and cut. I don't mind a little filler. It can't be much to smooth out the joint.

After the adhesive and flares were mated to the quarters, is the tape all you need? If not, how was it clamped? Held together during curing?

Can someone measure the OEM flares to determine the distance from the lip to the top of the flare?

Thanks,

Dantilla · 04-09-2003, 07:54 PM

When I cut mine off the donor car, I saved as much as possible- About an inch from the door, an inch below the Targa glass all the way to including part of the tail light cutout so there were no alignment issues.

The body shop that installed them was very appreciative.

MotoSook · 04-09-2003, 08:09 PM

dantillia, I am looking at flares already cut, and I just want to verify that I have enough metal. Thanks.

jk911 · 04-09-2003, 09:14 PM

Any more photo's Im interested also.

are sc/carrerra cut off's from turbo upgrades usable as glue on flares ?

jpnovak · 04-10-2003, 05:12 AM

Souk, I have seen what might become your flares. There is more than enough metal there to stick them on your car. They will butt weld nicely. There may not be enough if you are going to try and bond them, but I wouldn't attach them that way.

Jamie

MotoSook · 04-10-2003, 07:58 AM

Gang, attached are a couple of pictures from a friend's surgery.

And these are the flares I'm looking at.

I must say that my source is a good one, but being the anal person that I am, I want to be sure I have parts that a body shop can use. "Source" thanks for your patience!

jpnovak, thanks for the post. I'm getting there, bear with me.

Thanks,

jpnovak · 04-10-2003, 08:02 AM

Souk,

Check the arcives, there is lots of info on attaching them. When you are ready I can answer specific questions and send you picts from when I installed them on my car.

Jamie

MotoSook · 04-10-2003, 08:03 AM

Problem..solved ..I hope

Here ar the two pix that didn't show up.

MotoSook · 04-10-2003, 08:04 AM

Thanks Jamie.

MotoSook · 04-10-2003, 08:48 AM

Well, It seems all the previous posts deal mostly with the kind of flares (RS, RSR, yada yada yada

) and welding versus gluing.

But I didn't spot anything that would indicate the dimensions of the flares needed. Of course I have not spent all day reading the old posts. I have to pretend to be working.

I even went to Gunner's website, and all that I saw were pretty customers' cars in progress.

Some with the OEM flares take some measurements please

I just want to be close...doesn't have to be perfect. And not knowing the shop at which I'm going to have the work done at, I need to have a wee bit of margin.

I promise, not to drag this on too long..if it goes past today, I'll just bite the bullet.

Perhaps I should have tiled this thread, "The Ultimate Flares Thread"

pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

Can't help with your question but why not go with the extra 1" and shaved rain gutters like the CTR? As long as the body needs paint and your in there anyways . . .

MotoSook · 04-10-2003, 09:30 AM

Paul, my girlfriend is not going to like you....I'm spend way too much time and money as it is

jpnovak · 04-10-2003, 09:40 AM

Souk,

If you are going to have the flares butt-welded it will not matter as long as the cut is higher than the flared section, which these are. you will match each side during installation. The process is independent of the size of the cut.

You just lay them on the fender, align them to the torsion tube access hole and rear edge and tack in place. Then scribe the line and make a cut. A good butt weld will be very smooth once ground in. I primed mine last week and a neighbor asked me how much filler I used. He stumbled when I mentioned there was no filler on them. I expect less than 1/16" for the few areas that need attention.

If They will be flanged and seam welded, the flange will only be about 1/4" deep with a flanging tool. Still, there is plenty of material for this on your flares. A 1" overlap is just asking for problems with rust later on. There will be no good way of sealing that seam when finished welding. Besides, to weld the back side of the seam in the fender well is excedingly difficult, not impossible, just not easy.

I hope this sheds some light on your quandry.

MotoSook · 04-10-2003, 11:25 AM

Jamie, Thanks for the post. Sounds like you have talked some sense into my hard head. Thanks