4runnin2002

i kinda messed up my front fenders, there's a big dent above the wheel wells, but thats beside the point, I've been looking into fiberglass flares for a long time, and the glassworks ones look good to me....but has anyone worked with them??? and how much of a PITA is it going to be to get them on and fitting i know they say 100% bolt on but I've also heard fiberglass takes time....so any experiences? thanks to all

Jdizzydub

I'm not sure about fiberglassing fenders on, but what I don't get is if it's 100% bolt on why do ya need to glass them in??

I used fiber glass the first time making sub boxes and again when I fabbed up my SATOSHI grill a few months back...and even with small amounts-that stuff gets messy.

Just make sure to use in a well ventilated area too.

4runnin2002

no i mean doesn't the fender have to settle into its "final place" and i wouldnt glass a thing, the fenders are ordered whole and shipped and supposedly a "100% bolt on fit" i'm not sure, but these are what i've been looking at....by the way how's that enclosure go?

http://www.glassworksunlimited.com/s...t=Toyota&page=

4runnin2002

Fenders are a direct bolt on application and are simple to install
* Due to material thickness, some sanding and slight modifications may be required for proper fitment.

from the site.....contradictory eh?

Jdizzydub

Oh, I guess I read that wrong. So are you replacing your fenders?? I thought you meant fender flares..the front fenders are fairly easy to remove. I hit the front passenger side in a small collision last year and ordered my fender off of ebay for like $230, brought it to a local shop to try and color match and I filled in the hole where the antenna goes cus I went with and interior antenna. I did most of the work, they painted. it was like another 2bills.
The enclosure was for my bestfriends 89 drop top Mustang 5.0
We made a make shift template enclosure with a cardboard box, then filled the whole thing with packing peanuts to get the right volume for the subs in the trunk.
We utilized where the spare would go and just glassed in the MDF to the trunk and sealed that bad boy in. We had enough room to mount neon lights, dvd, and ps2!!
We actually blew the eclipse subs on a road trip last summer, so we'll replace those soon.
I want to make an enclosure from wheel hub to hub and back of the seats of the Runner, but right now I have a gate up so my Boxers don't jump around in the cab.

4runnin2002

ya its a whole fender, replace the old dented steel with new figberglass i just dont know about all the work?

Jdizzydub

I guess you just have to ask yourself if it's worth it to you. The things about our YOTA's imho is they are easy to work on for the most part. In that same collision I took off my bumper, valence, and bumper brackets...ordered all for well under $200 shipped and put em back on myself. i don't have access to color matching my fender for paint which is why I had them do it. It saved me enough I bought new shocks and my YAKIMA Load Warrior w/ roof rails!
I think that you may need simple modifying as far as fitment, but really probably not that much, just enough to where it satisfy ya I guess.
And it only takes a few hours to remove a fender.
My rear quarter panels got a ding from a couple wheeling trips back...i left it--since i just didn't want to bother with the work right noe either.

BajaRunner

I glass surfboards for a living!

Fiberglass is easily sanded... I wouldn't worry about fitment. If they really do need tweaking, its going to be minimal, and will require you to probably sand off a little edge here and there.

BruceTS is the only member I know of that is using the fiberglass fenders since he has a long travel kit.

digitalracer

For what its worth...even if you were to purchase an aftermarket fender, more than likely you will have to do a little tweaking to make it fit and to make the body lines look perfect. Its just a matter of fact that even "production" parts come out slightly different each time. so yeah you can expect to mess with the glass fenders a bit to make em look right or you can just slap them on and run them its just a matter or wether or not you want it to look nice.. hope it helps.

4runnin2002

so who has fiberglass experience or like how to make it do what it needs to to look nice? i searched and found nothing that was what i want about what to expect. and yes i can get stock stuff but its mostly about doing something different. my 4runner is unique to this town and i like to stand out i mean its not all ridiculous but its different and stands out. the glassworks "Baja style" fenders are something i like and would make the Runner stand apart. i mostly want them for individuality i just had no reason to replace them till now really

sloppy85toy

the only thing wrong with the fiberglass fenders is the dont dent they break.my buddy has them on his taco but they didnt last that long.they do look pretty cool if u get the back done to.if not they look really wierd u will definetly stand out.i dont know of any companies doing rears for the 4runner in that particular look.ide look into bushwackers u can get front and rears.i hope this helps.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Get a hold of Slacker - he owns http://toyotafiberglass.com/

4runnin2002

hopefully i could get him to chime in......the new fenders i have onlt seen fronts offered for the 3rd gen runner like i have, but IMO doesnt look too bad just the fronts....ok basically i want to know from someone, how much of a pita is it or should i just see about new sheet metal?

Jdizzydub

x2. Honestly, it would be minor tweaking/sanding...and sanding is fairly basic, different grits for harder surfaces and finer ones to touch up. When i cut up my grill to do the SATOSHI mod i had to cut the abs plastic of the grill off. Sand, prep, sand, prep, then fiberglassed the cut-outs in. It's messy. But after building a mold and sanding it down again I was able to get a pro finish. Bondo'd it in, sand, bondo, sand, bondo filler, sand.....prep and paint.
I wouldn't imagine you going to these lengths. Just smoothing out and getting the lines right that you want.

IMHO I'd do it if I were changing my fenders to what you are trying to do.

hope that helps man.