After installing a set of Kut Snake flares over the weekend I wanted to post up a thread on the install process. It was somewhat straightforward but I found myself wanting more info during the process.
I purchased the flares from @c2dfj45. Fast to respond, fast to ship, and answered all of my questions promptly. Definitely a good vendor. He was very cordial in his response to my "I want a refund these won't fit!" PM.
Final product
Flares were well packaged with all hardware included. The ones I got were pre drilled, I saw some reviews online where they were not.
I used the attached guide provided by the seller. It is pretty thorough but I found the following tips helpful.
Fronts
The fronts are pretty straightforward once you get the first screw started. Locating the front is difficult. There is a spot where the front flare lip grabs the body well. Start there and push the flare into place. The front edge will still have a significant gap from the body. That will be pulled in further than you think when the first screw is tightened. Then follow the directions and go to the last screw, then the middle.
I only had to redo one hole on the fronts.
Bonus! I found a lovely bondo surprise from tbe previous owner under my passenger flare. Glad to get it covered back up. Gross.
Front latched down tight.
The rears are much more tricky....
On the front I did not waterproof any of the old holes. Just some paint touch up to prevent any rust. For the rears I did some paint touch up and then taped the holes with metal tape. I think I used heat shield tape. It's what I had in the garage, and has lasted on my wiring harness by the EGR for years and lots of engine washes. It would probably be better to use a body plug and silicone.
Follow the directions on the install guide. Here are my additional tips.
I purchased the flares from @c2dfj45. Fast to respond, fast to ship, and answered all of my questions promptly. Definitely a good vendor. He was very cordial in his response to my "I want a refund these won't fit!" PM.
Final product
Flares were well packaged with all hardware included. The ones I got were pre drilled, I saw some reviews online where they were not.
I used the attached guide provided by the seller. It is pretty thorough but I found the following tips helpful.
- When removing the factory flares you do not need to mess with the airbox on the passenger side. Pull the turn signal light and reach in to access all the nuts. The far rear ones can be accessed through the hole in the fender near the firewall.
- Unlike the factory flares the kut snakes are not perfectly form fitted to the vehicle. At first this confused me and I contacted the seller who assured me that is how they work. If you get two people you can bend and flex them into place and will see how they sit when fitted. This is what is done during the install. The flare is flexed into place, and held that way with the screws.
- There will be a few times where you start a self tapping screw and then remove it. The body metal is hard, and can strip the screws quickly. If you are reusing a screw check it first. A stripped screw will still work well in a hole that is already started.
- The flares are designed to fit with the bottom lip "hooked" onto the metal fender. They are then pressed firmly against the body to spread them in to place. They are designed to have significant tension against the body when tightened down.
Fronts
The fronts are pretty straightforward once you get the first screw started. Locating the front is difficult. There is a spot where the front flare lip grabs the body well. Start there and push the flare into place. The front edge will still have a significant gap from the body. That will be pulled in further than you think when the first screw is tightened. Then follow the directions and go to the last screw, then the middle.
I only had to redo one hole on the fronts.
Bonus! I found a lovely bondo surprise from tbe previous owner under my passenger flare. Glad to get it covered back up. Gross.
Front latched down tight.
The rears are much more tricky....
On the front I did not waterproof any of the old holes. Just some paint touch up to prevent any rust. For the rears I did some paint touch up and then taped the holes with metal tape. I think I used heat shield tape. It's what I had in the garage, and has lasted on my wiring harness by the EGR for years and lots of engine washes. It would probably be better to use a body plug and silicone.
Follow the directions on the install guide. Here are my additional tips.
- The rears on the body are not that hard to fit. I had to trim a very small bit of mine to get them to fit flush against the 4x4 labs bumper. A hot utility knife made quick work of them.
- You do NOT have to remove the factory brackets for the door flare. The new flare will sit flush against them. You could remove them, but I opted not to as there is no benefit and it could lead to rust issues.
- Like the fronts make sure the rear pieces are hooked on the wheel arch of the body. Then force them into place and screw.
- When my rears where finally fitted the front edge was almost perfectly flush with the body gap for the door. I'll add some fitment photos later.
- Moving onto the rear door sections, the first screw you place closest to the door gap is a real PITA to get right. Try fitting the flare by hand first. You will notice this one really flexes against the body when installed.
- The door sections do not hook on the body like the others, since they are on the doors. This makes fitment much more difficult. They do however have a small tab that hooks onto the door itself. I'll add a photo. They also twist during the install.
- I had to drill 3 times to get the hole right for the rears. The body metal is surprisingly thick and strong, and you can get away drilling a 2nd hole very close to the first. Any holes that ended up not being used by the screw for final install were painted.
- Once you have the first screw twist the flare into place and do the one closest to the rocker panel. I installed the middle without removing this flare since it only has 3 screws.
- You can get them to gap well, but not 100% perfect. I'd say if you get to 95% of "perfect" fitment your in a good spot.
- On mine I had to get the first screw started, then pop the lip over the door to hook it, then tighten down that screw. Wish I made a video.
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