Filling the holes in the fenders after removing the flares

I’ve seen it and it looks lazy and shitty IMO.

 

Removing the fender plastic looks amazing with a steel bumper.
I’m still using a stock front bumper.

Does anyone have pics of the plastic removed with a stock bumper?

 

I don’t mean to be that guy... but actually scroll through all 13 pages of this thread....

There’s more than one person with screws instead of the clips, and page 11 has a guy with his front bumper holes covered. The stock bumper has long rectangular holes that can’t be filled the same way

 

I did the plastic clips first. Didn't like it. So I went with I believe m10 Allen head bolts and nuts with rubber washers. Much happier. But prime and paint the bolt heads they will rust lol

 

I don't think it looks shitty at all.

I may ended up color matching the bolts but I really like the black accents

 

Correction locknuts With rubber washers
Use m8 washers for the inside with locknuts.

And viola

$9 M8-1.25 x 16mm Button Head Socket Head Cap Screws, Grade 10.9 Alloy Steel, Allen Hex Drive, Full Machine Thread, Black Oxide Finish, 25 PCS

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DNVRCLV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_4AWF5XMZV48VPX6AN2NC?_encoding=UTF8

 

^^ Did you cut your flares off, and leave the bottom part of your flare attached??

That’s a great idea!

 

I did something a little different. My stock flares were getting hammered from offroad. These are just a little lip to give it more of finished look.

They are made my ez flares. They are holding up well even after taking tire punches lol, They go back to form

 

Very nice!

 

Hey do you gain anymore tire clearance by removing the flares ? My truck is currently stock but eventually I’d like to put larger tires on it but don’t want to rub , I intend on doing a lift but nothing big .

 

My set up.

285/70/17 4.5bs 1" wheel spacers on 9" wheel and 2.5 lift up front.

You will need at least a cmc normal driving you will be fine.

But if you fully cycle your suspension you will make contact on your fender flares offroad guaranteed.

You can always run a smaller wheel size and clear everything.

I have no fender flares, cmc, beated pinch weld, no fender liners, and relocated my intake to my cowl I think I'm OK. I also maxed out my caster to get the wheel off the firewall

 

Ok I understood all of that except cmc ? But my main question is what the gain without fender flares 1/2 inch 1 inch ? That is all good info so running basically a 33 inch tire with a 2.5 inch lift with the a 17x9 wheel with a 1inch spacer . And you have what a add a leaf in the rear ??

 

Cmc - cab mount chop.

Fender flares probably gained only a half a inch. But I decided to pull them off and sell them before they get destroyed and not worth anything lol.

Personally I like fenderless look or minimal fender lips

I ran with a simple add a leaf and was fine.

But I have a progressive pack now from dobinsin

 

I removed the flares from my 2nd gen (now traded in) because I am not a fan of the flare look. I used some backing plate hole covers for drum brakes to cover the rectangular-ish/oval holes in the stock bumper. Unfortunately I do not have any close-ups of the bumper but the rubber covers fit almost perfectly (a couple of the holes are longer than the rest and for these holes the plugs didn't cover 100% but it was very close).

When I got a new truck a couple of months ago I would have bought a flare-less SR but I wanted a MT AC and the local dealer had a Sport that fit the bill. So now I have color matched flares that I am considering removing but since it is brand new I am much more hesitant to pull things off! I have been looking but can't find anyone who has done it yet on a 3rd gen.

2nd gen right before trading it in...

 

What an awesome idea! I took my fenders off cause some of the clips were broken, so I’m definitely gonna repurpose the clips I currently have! My only question are the rectangle holes: will these cover the hole on the them as well?

 

Yes, as long as the clips are centered in the rectangular holes they will cover them up completely.

 

When ditching the flares is anyone keeping the liners? I think the only reason I haven’t done this is the intake which trips me out thinking about all the dust that would get in there. I plan to do the cowl relocation at some point

 

Yes, I kept the inner fender liners in place.

 

Did you pull flare from the outside? Or remove the liner, the flare and the. Reinstall the liner?

 

Yes, I mostly pulled the flares from the outside (slowly, doing my best not to break anything) but also was able to reach some of the clips from the inside. Some/most of the clips can be accessed from the inside with the liners still in place although it can be somewhat tricky. This mostly comes in to play when it is time to actually remove the clips from the holes. Popping the actual flares off is the easy part.