fender flares on or off or bed liner?

[lx450landcruiser]

ok ok i know its been talked about before but i cant seem to decide what to do.
I like the 80s witht he flared better then with out but every time i pressure wash my truck a bit more paint comes off the flares. nothing major but after 5 or 6 more washes im sure it will be. So i was thinking bed lining as seen on here before. I guess my question is it worth shooting the flares with bed liner and leaving them on? its on an lx450 so i was thinking leaving the flares on and cladding and shooting those. My only concern is sliding into a wall in the mud and ripping a side off and thinking what a waste of money it was.

what do you think?

mike

 

[Junk]

I think they look best with 1/2 the flares off. Leave the ps rear on and the ds front. Remove the rest and you're stylin

It's all looks unless you're trying to fit tires etc.

 

[NorCalDoug]

My original plan was to remove the flares and cladding, shoot them with bedliner, then reinstall. What a pain in the ass that would've been!!!

The problem with shooting the bedliner with the flares/cladding on is that the person doing the work will need to be VERY careful in prepping the rig and with taping everything off. If you do it, I suggest spraying only on the plastic portions; i.e. do not spray on both metal and plastic (but I think you're planning on just having the plastic shot, right?).

Then there's the concern you raise...what if you rip off part of all of your flares/cladding? That's money down the drain.

I had the same problem with color flaking off the plastic cladding. Pressure washers...BAD...
Mine came off even w/o pressure washing.

I yanked the stuff off mine and lined the body. If you do choose to go the same route that I did, you might want to take your time removing the panels and flares...sell them to those who might need them -- you could make enough to pay for the spraying. My panels and flares were all pretty trashed, so I didn't go this route.

 

[stuck in GA]

I would probably take off all the cladding on the lexus if I had one and put the bedliner on it and get it over with. Because if you wheel you will want that done eventually. But since I have the Toyota without that cladding im just going to wait till I rip on off then take them all off and bed line the sides. But definitly leave off the flares once they are off because all I have ever heard from guys is how much of a pain they are to take off and put back on. Ex: NorCal right above me.

 

[lx450landcruiser]

the major delema for me here is i like the flares look. with out them my 80 looks alot like a 60 whichh is nice but for me takes some of the 80s style away. i was thinking about looking into after market flars does any one have any info on there? like the once us see for full size fords that rivit on for a stronger surface i think those if you got the right kind cool realy look good on an 80 and provide more clearence for tires as well.

 

[barrypt5]

Attn: NorCal

When you lined the lower panels of you body with the bed-liner did you also spray that small section on the inside of the rear doors, the area where mud gets and one has to be very careful when cleaning it? Hope i am being specific...just curious

 

[Tooth Fairy]

I would like to take mine off, but, it's apparently not my decision to make. (Ask wife for further details.)

After looking at the price for replacement I will be removing them if any damage occurs, however, we're going to be repairing one here soon and we'll show pics on how that turns out.

 

[dclee]

There are also some legal ramifications depending on where you live and the tolerance of the local constabulary.

Tires cannot extend out past the side of the vehicle where I live. So on road, it's nice the have the flares. Also cuts down on road noise and improves air flow (I know, I know, it's a brick anyway...). Also keep muds, gravel, and other junk off the fenders, which helps the paint. Also, I happen to like the look of them. So I leave them on most of the time and remove them only for harder trails like the Rubicon. It's about a 10 minute job per side, not very hard at all. Of course, I've now had a bit of practice...

 

[NorCalDoug]

I think Derek and I are going to disagree with some things regarding flares.
True, local laws dictate how much tire you can have sticking out beyond the side of the vehicle, but it's rare that people are stopped for it here -- YMMV.

As for keeping the mud, gravel, other stuff off the fenders -- that doesn't matter to me because my fenders are lined and therefore protected -- the stuff washes right off. Additionally, I found quite a bit of mud and dirt under my flares, so an argument could be made that it could harm the vehicle by accumulating moisture -- a weak arguement...but an argument none-the-less

Improved air flow with flares? Come on. That's a stretch. So you're saying that something sticking out farther beyond the "normal" shape of the body will improve airflow? If that's the case, I'm getting some HUGE flares -- I can use all the airflow advantage I can get And I really don't see how flares would cut down on road noise -- there's really no noise insulating value that I can see/hear. How about this as a counter argument? The weight of the flares hampers fuel economy.

Looks are a personal thing. Some really like them, some do not.
Me? I don't care either way. I like them with and without.

Derek -- we might just have to continue this debate on the next trail run -- you are going to make one of these again won't you?

 

[NorCalDoug]

When you lined the lower panels of you body with the bed-liner did you also spray that small section on the inside of the rear doors, the area where mud gets and one has to be very careful when cleaning it? Hope i am being specific...just curious

Nothing inside...except for a little overspray
I think I know the section you're talking about and you could have that done if you like. I was just going for exterior. Shooting inside would've required quite a bit of additional taping/masking -- I didn't see the need for it in my case.

 

[alvarorb]

Pics of an 80 with Super Liner

http://homepage.mac.com/alvarorb/PhotoAlbum79.html

Mudrack did the job. Quite nice I might add.

Regards

Alvaro

 

[lx450landcruiser]

see that just looks too much like a 60 to me

ahh well nothing going on for now but deff something to think about

 

[NorCalDoug]

see that just looks too much like a 60 to me

ahh well nothing going on for now but deff something to think about

I really don't see much 60 there at all...but hey, if you see 60, then it's too 60 for ya

The 100 has no flares. Do you see 60 there too?