Chevy TrailBlazer, TrailBlazer SS and GMC Envoy Forum banner

Fender Flares!

60K views 84 replies 25 participants last post by  nicostage 
#1 ·
I know a lot of us that have or TV set up for off roading have been wanting to add fender flares. Only problem being that there is not a manufacturer that makes fender flares for our truck. So, I am asking all members to please click on the following link and fill it out. It is a link to BushWacker's R&D department. They base there products off demand like most companies do. So hopefully if we get enough members to put in there :m2: we can get them to actually make a set for our truck. If you want to see all their styles you can go to www.bushwacker.com however for the ones that are into off roading you will most likely want either the Extend-A-Fender or the Pocket Style. I personally like the pocket style better myself and that is what I registered under. I have a feeling that no matter what style you select they will still do some research about making a product for our vehicle. Thanks in advance for everybody's help with this endeavor!!! :thx

http://www.bushwacker.com/search_fender.asp#
(When you click on the link it will open in a new window. At the bottom of the field there is a link that says "Can't find your vehicle using the search tool above? LET US KNOW HERE! Click on the let us know here and put in your info.)
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yeah, I have read Roadie's thread about the flexi flares, and I may go that route if we cant get Bush Wacker to get with the program and start accepting our platform as a offroad vehicle! :hissy:

Edit: I found the previous post for this thread, and you are right it is the same exact thing. I have also emailed them in ref to this project. We will see if I can get a response. :rolleyes:
 
#9 ·
I wouldn't have got my ATS fender flares except that the tires on white Trailblazer made my tires that stick out anyway, look much worse than on my blue one (optical illusion I guess).

That is why it was recommended to me to keep them unpainted. Also that any real offroad activity would scrape the paint off of them anyways.

I wrote to Bushwacker to see if they would send me any kind of drawings for their Tahoe pocket-style flares to see if they could be adapted, but got a stern NO.

I was thinking of ordering from somewhere with an iron-clad return policy but I guess I'm OK with what I have now.

AG
 
#10 ·
You guys are not going to believe this, but I just got a email back from Bush Wacker and they "SAY" they are interested in the idea. They asked me what platform specifically I was running and any other platforms that I knew of that where on the same body style, IE bravada, 9-7x, ascender, envoy, rainier. I sent them a reply and I am hoping to hear more from them. If it is ok with Alek, I may give them his email if they need technical specs. I would say Roadie, but I know he is VERY busy with axle issues right now. Alek, that ok???
 
#11 ·
I just put in a suggestion in for them as well. I am interested in the cut-out and pocket style. I was looking at a friends Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, I was just eyeballing the the fenders and they arent too much different I dont think. A little modification and they might work.
 
#12 ·
I filled out the suggestion too but i doubt they'll make them for the ext but hay atleast it puts the word out there for the rest of you.
 
#13 ·
Sure, have them contact me but I would think they would ask for a vehicle in their area for a model.

This would be great and I would definitely be interested in the more offroad type like the pocket or cutout, but here are a couple of challenges I can see them encountering:

- whether to invest in Envoy flares - neither of the previous 2 companies did, only Trailblazer (plus there are 4 other "sisters" as well)

- with the discontinued platform, do they see a future in it? (Maybe their business model requires only a few sales to get over the hump - like Purple Cranium and the diff guards)

- the cutout style may be a problem because of how our rear doors (SWB) are integrated into the wheel well design - you can't really cut anything there, you may be able to drill though

In any case, hopefully they may proceed with at least the level they have for the Tahoe.

AG
 
#14 ·
(Maybe their business model requires only a few sales to get over the hump - like Purple Cranium and the diff guards)
I highly doubt that. Large plastic pieces have huge mold machining costs. Tool steel is very expensive to machine, even in asia. Since our vehicles would require 6 molds (one for each peice), and I could see each mold costing at least 20k. Right there is an investment of almost $120k which doesn't include overhead and R&D.

Now, my experience is with high precision plastic parts, so I estimated low for the fender flares. But I couldn't see them being less than that as far as mold investment.
 
#15 ·
While I agree with Alek and James, the impression I got from the email and also what I hinted at when I first emailed them was the adaption of a current model. I doubt very seriously they are going to do the R&D as well as the mold production for just our platform. Not to mention the EXT or the XL versions. But we can at least all dream! :sleepy: Although I think we all know the kilely hood of anything coming out of this. :(
 
#16 ·
all they need is the measurements and radius's of our wheel wells and they can look thought there sheets and see if there is already a mold that fits or is a close fit to our models.. i tried to do this before but it was a no go... no one had any measurements or specs on any fender flares for the blazer, tahoe, etc...
 
#17 ·
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.

You can contact Doug Napier via UCORA here:

http://www.ucora.org/forum_ucora3/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=4259&p=28033#p28033
 
#20 ·
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/

Long term mod.

For instance - Tacoma on sale for $355 a pair. 4" flare. 3" rise in the opening:

 
#23 ·
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
 
#22 ·
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).:rolleyes:
 
#24 ·
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.
 
#25 ·
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.
 
#26 ·
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
 
#29 ·
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:
 
#33 ·
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
 
#60 ·
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
Bumping an old post.

How far off where the front Cherokee flares? I'm guessing they where 84-01 Jeep Cherokee XJ Set Part # 10911-07?

And as far as the rear, if they aren't used to cut out, but more as an extension, how would they have fit?

Did anything come of having commitments for having some made specifically for the TB? As far as front goes, cutting would be ok if necessary, but they could be more a bolt on type so long as they matched the look of the front for those of us not going to a size limited by the rear.

Just looking for any new information...
 
#53 · (Edited)
TB Fender Flare Sketch

...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..
I'd like to see a sketch too but I'm not much with a pencil & paper. The thumbnail sketches I do works for me but would be an embarassment to show others! If somebody here could sketch out some ideas it'd be great! I've looked through the TV gallery and the Off Road Pict thread and I think some cool looking flares could be created.

Also, whether the fender flares are for cut-out fenders or not would ultimately be a demand issue. A flare could be designed to work on a stock wheel well opening I think, or one could be designed for much larger tires with cut-out wheel wells. For that matter, if there was enough interest, both could be done.

Doug
 
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