[Foosh]

ooo very cool roadie... that would be one unique piece to add to the roadie mobile

 

[CoyoteFireGuy]

Update...

So I recieved my second reply from bush wacker today. First line states "the sheet metal is different on your body style. But we will pass along your request to the appropriate people." :weird: So I sent them another reply asking for further clarification on this statement as well as asking them straight out if I was to send them the dimensions if they could look through their products and tell us if one of them would be close and we could just finish the fabrication on our own. I also fluffed their ego a little and thanked them for the great customer service (who am I kidding).

 

[glfredrick]

I found a fiberglass place in Orange County that would have made bolt-on replacement flared fender for $500 a pair. No mold charge for the first set. Hand laid up. Just give them a pair of metal fenders, and tell them how much larger and wider an opening you wanted.

http://www.glassworksunlimited.com/

The glassworks complete replacement fender system would be great on the TrailVoy platform, as it would allow for running up to 35" tires without rubbing.

Downfall of glass is that it breaks when it gets hit. Sure does look good when painted up though. Replacing the entire fender is a different concept than just adding on wider (or even "cut out") flares to cover slightly bigger tires.

For those with more time than sense (or money) here is how one guy built his own glass fenders:

http://www.rrorc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37732&highlight=BII+glass+fenders

 

[CoyoteFireGuy]

This is the reply I received today from bushwacker:

All of our flares are made vehicle specific and we do not make recommendations on ways to customize the flares for different applications.* The flares themselves are made of an ABS Duraflex plastic, and most applications have photos and installation instructions online which you can use to help with your decision.
*
I guess we aren't understanding what you are calling PLATFORM.
*
A Chevy Trailblazer is going to have different sheet metal then a Oldsmobile Bravada. The sheet metal is where you would bolt the fender flare to.

...Does this make sense to anybody? Also, I will try to find some install instructions and will to a buddy of mines car lot and take some dimensions off diffrent other vehicles and see if I can't at least come up with something close.

 

[JamesDowning]

I guess we aren't understanding what you are calling PLATFORM.
*
A Chevy Trailblazer is going to have different sheet metal then a Oldsmobile Bravada. The sheet metal is where you would bolt the fender flare to.

...Does this make sense to anybody?

The other GMT360 vehicles share frame and drivetrain. They do not share the same body panels.

 

[Foosh]

i bet if they made a set for the tb correctly, it would fit the others as long as they do some cutting... at least on the front fendersi mean the part of the fender that would be a problem is the lip that is different between the platforms, and and if you made a set that fit the tb then trimming wouldn't be sot bad for the other 360's... and the'd get alot of sales from the tb alone

 

[CoyoteFireGuy]

:iagree: Your probably right, however I really get the feeling I am getting the run around at this point and have no hope of convincing them to even research making a product for the GMT-360 :hissy:

 

[Foosh]

they don't seem to be getting the point... we will buy it!

 

[CoyoteFireGuy]

they don't seem to be getting the point... we will buy it!

That isn't always the finally reason a company makes a product. Like James said earlier, they have to be able to turn a profit from startup. Meaning that all the money they spend to R&D the product they have to re-coop at some point. I wasn't really expecting them to come out with a product for the GMT-360, but I was at least hoping they would point us in the right direction as to which ones could be modified to fit our vehicle. Guess that was just to much to ask. :suicide:

 

[Foosh]

well then pound them with letters to us some.. and very few companies turn a profit from the time they start production... i know a little bit about manufacturing and what it involves...

 

[CoyoteFireGuy]

well then pound them with letters to us some...

That was kinda the point of this post, although judging from the number of views, I dont think it is really working. :hopeless

 

[Foosh]

it because evrybody is being so skeptical!

 

[AlekG]

I don't usually like being skeptical, but in my dealings with Bushwacker, I am labeling them asshats.

I sent a very nice letter explaining what I wanted to do, and that was to see if this product:
POCKET STYLE FENDER FLARES
2007 and Up Chevy Tahoe

Could be customized and made to work with the Trailblazer. I asked for any kind of diagrams or drawings they had as all I was trying to do is begin a first step to see if it was possible, while I look for a retailer that would work with me for a fitting.

Their response was that it was "against their policy to provide such information". I just don't get that, unless they are afraid of someone stealing their designs, which seems far-fetched to me.

I ended up getting a note from my local shop/fabrication place that they happened to have these in stock:
CUT-OUT FENDER FLARES
97-01 Jeep Cherokee XJ

and to come over for a fitting. The front was promising and my fabrication guy said he thought maybe he could make it work with some fender cutting. But the rear was out of the question because the flares deviated too much from the opening and there was no way to cut the door panel.

I asked him if he could get the Tahoe ones for a fitting but he said that unfortunately Bushwacker had a brutal return policy so that the only way it could be done is if I paid for them (they had the Cherokee ones in for an existing order).

So that is why I am skeptical about Bushwacker, terrible customer service.

Compare that with the FabFours guys who when asked, actually sent me the CAD drawings to their Toyota FJ bumper. Now that's customer service!

AG

 

[jdougn]

.....I dont think it is really working. :hopeless

Emailed Brian with a possible source for customer fender flares designed to spec.
DougN

 

[Foosh]

they told me after arguing (kinda ) with them that they'd add it to their new product list oor hopefully take a look at it after telling them how bad their service is and how unsufficient their responces were

 

[jdougn]

Custom Fender Flares for the TrailBlazer

I have a friend that is starting a home business making custom fender flares out of a flexible plastic material. They are close to 1/4" thick and bend (instead of break) when you hit something with them (a tree, for instance).

He has already figured out a nice looking set for the Jeep XJ and he may want to work with the TrailVoy crowd as well if there is some interest. It takes a bit of time to work up a good mold, but once he has that, he can vacuum form any number of flares from that mold.

Guy, thanks for the reference. Let me correct something. The current version of the Jeep Cherokee flare is out of rigid ABS which is the same material Bushwacker uses. However, the material I'm using is 3/16" which is half again as thick. The flares from Bushwacker shatter easily and looked to big for the Jeep Cherokee so I decided to make my own. The progressed into making them for other people. At this point, developing a flare for another vehicle would be very possible.

The pict below shows the front end of a Jeep Cherokee parked on top of one of the flares. The two other picts show the slight damage the flare received from having the jeep parked on it.

-----------------
----------------
---------------
Custom Fender Flare - PhotoBucket Album

First, there would need to be 15-20 people willing to provide feedback and to make a committment to get a set of these flares if they worked out. Then, it would take a few months minimum to develop a set of flares for the TrailBlazer type vehicle depending upon revisions. To create the design and make it fit the TrailBlazer, I would need easy access to a vehicle ready to receive the new flares for a big part of that time. It would be good to have a general consensus from this forum on the basic opening size and how far the flare would project out from the vehicle. From looking at the TrailBlazer, the general design could reflect the stock flare. It would obviously project out further, probably increase in overall dimension to accomodate flex and oversized tires, have pockets for mounting, and be heavy duty to better handle abuse.

I'm open to the idea, let's hear what you are thinking!
DougN

 

[hatchet669]

1. Hatchet669



been dying for a set... would there be a problem with maybe making a sketch of what u were thinking of for the TB? ya know just a quick idea.. if not.. im still in..

 

[GMLee]

-----------------
----------------
---------------
Custom Fender Flare - PhotoBucket Album

First, there would need to be 15-20 people willing to provide feedback and to make a committment to get a set of these flares if they worked out. It would be good to have a general consensus from this forum on the basic opening size and how far the flare would project out from the vehicle. From looking at the TrailBlazer, the general design could reflect the stock flare. It would obviously project out further, probably increase in overall dimension to accomodate flex and oversized tires, have pockets for mounting, and be heavy duty to better handle abuse.

I'm open to the idea, let's hear what you are thinking!
DougN

the biggest problem i see with the flare is that for our rear application, our back doors are actually part of the fender wall itself. to fab this application on our vehicles we'd either need to leave the door be, and mount part of the flare on the back door, (which would be hideous IMO) and wouldn't be very functional (it wouldn't give anymore clearance), just for visual appearance. If the door and the interior of the wheel well and rocker panel would be removed it would work, but again I think it would be hideous, and again not very practical, (chopping up the entire rear of the truck to get a flare on...) this would probably also ruin the integrity of the body itself or cause to much fabrication to relocate the front part of the wheel well and redoing the rear doors completely.) I could see this application working better on an EXT, but there are even less of os wheeling those platforms. :m2:

 

[JamesDowning]

the biggest problem i see with the flare is that for our rear application, our back doors are actually part of the fender wall itself. to fab this application on our vehicles we'd either need to leave the door be, and mount part of the flare on the back door, (which would be hideous IMO) and wouldn't be very functional (it wouldn't give anymore clearance), just for visual appearance. If the door and the interior of the wheel well and rocker panel would be removed it would work, but again I think it would be hideous, and again not very practical, (chopping up the entire rear of the truck to get a flare on...) this would probably also ruin the integrity of the body itself or cause to much fabrication to relocate the front part of the wheel well and redoing the rear doors completely.) I could see this application working better on an EXT, but there are even less of os wheeling those platforms. :m2:

I think you are misunderstanding the flares. They attach over the existing sheet metal. They only provide extra coverage over the wheels by effectively widening the body. There's no need to cut out the fenders to fit the flares... unless I am misunderstanding something... and in which case, you'd have a hard time selling these in any large quantity.

 

[glfredrick]

There are two types of these sort of bolt on flares. One just fits over the existing body panels and widens the fender, the other fits over a larger cut-out area to run larger tires. Either work and are viable designs. In the case of our TV vehicles, something that didn't modify the body would probably be best initially. Later, the size could be expanded and cut outs made.

Body work, in the case of cut-outs, is inevitable. Off-road use is going to require some level of body modification anyway, if by choice in the shop or by default with the nearest tree or rock. Just remember, "Chicks dig body damage..." and get on with it! :thumbsup: