81-F150-Explorer Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 I'm not a fan of fender flares on the old trucks. I live on a muddy gravel drive. I did LMC mud flaps. Helps tremendously. Those mud flaps look great, and they look similar to the dealer accessories that were offered when the truck was new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-F150-Explorer Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 I don't plan to paint them. I like the black as there's lots of other black on the truck. And if I get the rear bumper/spare tire carrier done it'll be black as well. Not sure about the need to the 3M body sealant on the Bondo and I think the crack will keep spreading anyway. But I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. Once the bondo starts to crack, you can only slow it down. The 3M body sealant will help to keep moisture out of the crack slowing the process and it is pliant enough to help with shrinkage and expansion due to temp changes, and it is sandable and paintable. They use the same stuff to seal the seams between the "A" and "b" pillars on the roof as example. Sorry if I'm rambling on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 11, 2023 Author Share Posted June 11, 2023 Once the bondo starts to crack, you can only slow it down. The 3M body sealant will help to keep moisture out of the crack slowing the process and it is pliant enough to help with shrinkage and expansion due to temp changes, and it is sandable and paintable. They use the same stuff to seal the seams between the "A" and "b" pillars on the roof as example. Sorry if I'm rambling on... Ralph - I think that's a good idea. I'll get some, pull the flare, and push it into the cracks. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
351FUN Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 Right. Big Blue's front tires stick out 2" from the fender wells while the rears are 1/8" inset. So I've been wondering if the D60 is wider than the stock TTB's. Towards that end I've done some research & measuring. The 1985 Body Builder's book says the rear track, meaning from the center of the left tire to the center of the right, should be 64.3", which I'll take as 64 1/4". But Big Blue's rear track measures 66 1/2" so the wheels appear to be offset 1 1/8" each. And the Body Builder's book says the front track should be 66.7", which I'll take as 66 3/4". But Big Blue measures 70", for a 3 1/4" difference. Taking out the wheel offsets of 2 1/4" total says the D60 must be 1" wider. The wheel offsets and the extra width of the D60 explains why the front tires stick out 2" from the fenders and the fender flares are needed. I know that one of our European members couldn't get his Bullnose certified to drive on the street until he put fender flares on, but I wondered what the US laws say. Here's what PartCatalog says: While enforcement wildly varies, most states have a legal requirement that the fender flare covers at least the tread or full tire. If you have stock tires, you shouldn't have to worry – this is more geared to those who have decided to replace their tires with larger-than-stock or oversized tire sizes. I wonder who they are talking about? Yeah tire coverage is state dependent. I didn't need them to stay legal out there, but I did need them to look good lol. If you're on stock offset wheels then it's definitely the axle. Mine (also 250) were tucked nicely on stock wheels. This is actually stock offset 7"wheels with the 37x12.50R16.5 tires squeezed on them. The wheel was still under the fender, and I think all of the tire was too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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