So I have been considering new fiberglass finders, as my steel ones are rusted through. My concern is the fragility of the fiberglass. I was also thinking about "painting" the fiberglass with Rhino Liner.

Thoughts on this setup?

 

steel or fiberglass... you hit against a rock. they'll be destroyed.

Steel is easier/cheaper to replace. fiberglass isn't going to make a weight difference on a toyota... not to mention, fiberglass can sometimes not fit correctly.

my .02? go with steel...

 

steel rusts, glass does not. steel bends, glass cracks. you can hammer out steel and repair glass to a point, you can get glass in wider flares for oversize tires, depends on what you need/want, you make the call.

 

the biggest factor here is that fiberglass won't dent like steel will. It is very tough, it will only break if you hit it with a rock that would rip your metal fender in half. Go here http://www.toyotafiberglass.com/toyotafiberglass.htm They have a few videos at the bottom of that page of them hitting their stuff with hammers. They also have a reference of them hitting a steel boxside.

As for the fit, their fenders are made "too big" so you have to sand down the edge to fit to your door so your gap is right seeing as lots of our trucks are a bit bent after abuse.

 

Thanks for the input, and you have a point. You hit a rock with anything hard enough, and it is going to be destroyed, or need repair.

I wanted to make the switch to FG for 3 reasons:

1. Lighter weight - I realize this may not make much of a difference, but I am a believer in every bit helps. By doing the hood and 4 fenders, I should make some dent in the weight (even if its just in my head)
2. Different styles - I think I am going to need more clearance when I put 33's on, and FG seems to be the best option for that. Plus, I want a hood scoop.
3. NO RUST - I have come to hate the stuff. My current rear fenders are caked with it, and one side has a hole larger then a golf ball in it. I find it frustrating, and would like to minimize the necessary evil as much as I can.

With that said, I am still open to steel. It would be okay if protected with Rhino liner. Do you know of any good places to get steel fenders? Or a hood with a scoop?

Thanks. I appreciate your .02

 

All true, and point taken: Try to not hit rocks.

Hey what do you think about Alum. fenders, and hood? I just had the idea...

Hmmm...

 

Thanks, I'll check out the link. Nice to know that it is quality FG.

I don't mind some trimming for a custom fit either. Great info.

On a side note, I saw your signature notes. Will you send me a PM with what the heck you did to get those results? I'd love to know.

Thanks again.

 

This is BY FAR the BEST place I have seen for FG. Great options, not over done, and good prices too.

Fantastic. Thanks a ton.

 

They both have their pros and cons. For me fiberglass is easier to fix. my bed is fiberglass.

the door lost:

I have had cases where the fiberglass flexed in enough to where it came out fine..knock on wood.
hence one reason I am eventually doing fender tubes. From my experience the weight difference of glass vs steel is marginal. a steel fender will probably be lighter than a quality fiberglass fender.

If you are totally worried about body damage, time for another hobby

 

Also check out Hanneman fiberglass. They make good stuff. My fenders went on pretty easy. I have heard horror stories about glass not fitting right. All I had to do was drill out the holes (which were indented in the right place) and bolt it on. Of course that was my t100. Dunno how the fit is on your vehicle. And one thing to know is with the fiberglass you will no longer have your inner fender on some trucks, plus your stock intake will be exposed.

 

x2 on the hannemann fiberglass. http://www.hannemannfiberglass.com/ its what i am going with when the time comes. as far as beer can fenders and hood, you might as well dream big and go with carbon fiber lol. i have one of these on the way for my hole in the hood. http://racecomposites.com/mustangbolt.htm

 

Thanks for the reference to Hanneman. I have checked out their FG. I love that they actually have a selection for my year. They seemed kinda high for their prices though.

Loss of the inner fenders is something I did NOT think about. I'll have to look into that some more. I have looked at the rear finders and there doesent seem to be an easy way to mount new fenders (steel, or FG). I'll just have to sort that out when the time comes.

As for the exposure to the stock intake, you are to referring to the hood scoop right? Good call, and sadly I had not thought about that either. Is the usual solution to add a cold air intake, that has the intake off to the side, and away from the scoop area? Are there any actual benefits to a scoop? Honestly, I just love the way it looks. If it is going to decrease performance, I may not get one though.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

Hey, thanks for the links. Funny enough I may go with a CF hood someday. More research to do.

Thanks.

 

hannemann has bedsides too by the way,thats how i am going to get rid of my rusty bed when i do suspension. the hood scoop in my case is two fold, first i have motor sticking out of the hood from my 3.4 swap,without a body lift, and second it will increase air flow and draw hot air out with the scoop installed backwards buick grand national style, getting cooler air to the air filter. let me know if you find a carbon hood with a scoop btw...hannemann hoods are expensive with a custom scoop.

 

Most bedsides you just have to figure out for yourself. its not like the front where it can just bolt on.

With my truck the inner fenders are built in metal pieces but the plastic shield had to come out and that exposed my air intake which is in the fender well like a lot of vehicles. So instead of doing a round filter aftermarket intake (which is fine for most) I wanted something that would resist getting covered in mud or water. So I cut a new hole in the airbox and hooked up a snorkel, with the addition of a k&n replacement filter I gained power and I keep the advantage of the stock air box having that big gap in the bottom for things like mud and water to go into and not directly into the filter. There are are a ton of options.

Check out this thread for some ideas, its how I came up with what I did. If your set up for a hood scoop its the same idea as my snorkel grabbing cold air and directing it to the filter.


https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f31/...23/index2.html

 

The one thing I dont like about fiberglass hoods is when the motor gets hot in the summer time and the heat is intense the hood starts a bad hazing process. The clear coat over the fiberglass just turns nasty.

 

I like fiberglass

I think other then fit and finish of the panels , you should be asking questions like "resin types "
MOST manufactures use GP or general purpose resins , which have huge "shrinkage" rates , and are cheep .

we exclusivly use ISO .. tempature "tuned" , vurtually NO shrinkage , + with added flex agents

.

 

The epoxy used to hold the hood support to the top cover usually doesn't last with a lot of heat also.

 

I find that interesting. I've painted engine blocks before and the clear has held up fine with those.