Full Size Jeep Network

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:28 pm**

threepiece wrote: ↑Sat Sep 26, 2020 3:06 am
candymancan wrote: ↑Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:28 pm I dont have a cherokee.. but ive seen thrm in the junkyard.. They look pretty complicated in how they are welded on. More so than i thought from just seeing pics online
This is one of the main reasons I expect there to be limited sales of these flairs. I suspect many if not most potential buyers would then be faced with installation cost in addition to the high cost of the product. Then there are those who have the resources to do the wok themselves but are unwilling to spend the time or effort.

Ive seen one with good flairs in the salvage yard once. And i wanted to cut them off to selk.. but i didnt even know where to start on cutting then due to the weird way they are mounted. You cant just cut the flair off it goes deep into and is part of the main wheel well

Posted: **Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:28 pm**

candymancan wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:28 pm
threepiece wrote: ↑Sat Sep 26, 2020 3:06 am
candymancan wrote: ↑Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:28 pm

You cant just cut the flair off it goes deep into and is part of the main wheel well
Not really, it’s an illusion. There are two
parts involved, the outer perimeter of the flair is welded to the body outer. It goes inboard only about 3/4” to make the spot welds. The inner perimeter is visibly welded to the wheelhouse outer.

Posted: **Wed Oct 21, 2020 8:03 pm**

Any progress on this project?
Over the past several months I've been working on creating patch panels and just came across this thread. So far I have the front top section and will be working on the lowers soon before moving to the rear flares. If your getting close Id much rather buy a set of rear flares lol.

Posted: **Fri Oct 23, 2020 8:17 pm**

I wish I had good news to share, but unfortunately I do not. The outsourcing I potentially found ended up being more smoke and mirrors than truth. I will no longer be looking to produce these for sale. I wish this would have panned out. I love the wide track look, and my rig is in desperate need of a set. The next step for myself is to look westward for a body that is more repairable than mine to build on. I travel all over the U.S. for my work, so if I find a good specimen I will be going that route. Thanks for all the replies and good wishes!!!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Posted: **Sat Oct 24, 2020 5:08 am**

I too would like to reproduce this flair but as I said it is a complicated affair.

Work of this nature requires balance. It’s important to remember this: As the time it takes to make a part decreases, the complexity and cost of the tool used to make it increases. Also, as the complexity of the tool increases the skill required to use it decreases. An operator of a progressive stamping die could be trained to use the tool in a few minutes or hours. That same part made with a hammer and dolly could take years to learn. This is the balance I was referring to, somewhere in between is our FSJ flair. It’s a matter of combining the right people and resources.

I have, among other things been restoring and prototyping sheet metal for over thirty years. I think I can find the balance I was referring to above but I need help doing so.

If there is anyone here with access to a machining center with a capacity of about 30”x 12” and the willingness to cooperate perhaps together we could manage to accomplish something.

Posted: **Sun Oct 25, 2020 8:50 am**

Sell it to the chinese lol im sure theyd love to have the stamping moulds and make these flairs lol. They do it to everything else

Posted: **Tue Oct 27, 2020 6:40 am**

candymancan wrote: ↑Sun Oct 25, 2020 8:50 am Sell it to the chinese lol im sure theyd love to have the stamping moulds and make these flairs lol. They do it to everything else

Indeed, however the tooling I am considering is a long way from stamping. These parts would be largely hand made with help from tools that control the shape.

To be clear the parts I have in mind would only be the lower portions of the flairs that commonly rust out and take at least two hours each to make. I work in a shop environment with plenty of young people. I find few that are willing to roll up their sleeves all the way. I suppose there are plenty of people in China that would be.

Posted: **Tue Oct 27, 2020 2:29 pm**

Withdrawn

Posted: **Fri Mar 26, 2021 11:23 am**

Hello Jatwv5, my 77 chief both rear fender lower front flairs are mildly corroded. You are making repair section panels or caps? Some one awhile back did offer fiberglass caps for this issue. What you are making addresses these corroded ends?

Posted: **Fri Mar 26, 2021 2:05 pm**

I too was on the metal flare band wagon...I sourced a set with minor rot, I repaired the rot ...Now I've been thinking the flares wont be installed on my Cherokee after all..I purchased a set from BJ's fiberglass of course....Two things, I would absolutely loose my mind IF after all the work on the metal flares someone would bang into them or worse bend the snot out of one, and as we all know rust is enemy number one on a FSJ and the rear flare.. BJ's makes a decent flare not a perfect flare but way better than no flare and as far as I know they are the only source of any type of replacement flare. So I would much rather replace a fiberglass flare (because as of now I CAN thanks to BJ's) than have to start the rebuild metal flare process all over again....BJ's has flares all day....no problem if one day they get cracked or splintered to heck and back ...A phone call or an online purchase gets you a replacement....No I believe we a fighting against ourselves..BJ's has an answer ...time we took them up on it....Just my opinion mind you...and you know what opinions are worth..

Posted: **Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:51 am**

Withdrawn

Posted: **Sat Oct 09, 2021 2:21 pm**

Heck yeah, I'd be interested in those patch panels. Sure beats the high cost of the other alternative.

Posted: **Thu Dec 29, 2022 8:14 am**

Thanks for information and photos. I think I may go this route if I can get the metal rear fenders. There is a J10 in my local junkyard with 2 Wagoneers. I'll have to see how rusted they are

Posted: **Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:38 pm**

Instead of trying to recreate the complexity of the original Cherokee flair maybe we should look at the pickup flair. It is single walled and all that would need to be done is change out the inner fender. If the pickup wheel well bend could be matched up with the Cherokee wheel well bend it would be perfect.

I am in the process of trying to graft in some fenders off of a '66 pickup on my '77 Jeep. Since there is not much real info out there on doing this, I will be starting a thread on my experience with doing this.

Posted: **Thu Dec 14, 2023 7:28 am**

Pair O J10 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 26, 2021 2:05 pm I too was on the metal flare band wagon...I sourced a set with minor rot, I repaired the rot ...Now I've been thinking the flares wont be installed on my Cherokee after all..I purchased a set from BJ's fiberglass of course....Two things, I would absolutely loose my mind IF after all the work on the metal flares someone would bang into them or worse bend the snot out of one, and as we all know rust is enemy number one on a FSJ and the rear flare.. BJ's makes a decent flare not a perfect flare but way better than no flare and as far as I know they are the only source of any type of replacement flare. So I would much rather replace a fiberglass flare (because as of now I CAN thanks to BJ's) than have to start the rebuild metal flare process all over again....BJ's has flares all day....no problem if one day they get cracked or splintered to heck and back ...A phone call or an online purchase gets you a replacement....No I believe we a fighting against ourselves..BJ's has an answer ...time we took them up on it....Just my opinion mind you...and you know what opinions are worth..

Indeed, however I have seen too many times, vehicles reduced in value because of ignorance. Unqualified people often make a judgment on weather things should get repaired or replaced. Completely removing a flair is an intrusive and forever changes the status of a Cherokee. It would sometimes be better to boogger weld on a piece of metal and carve out some body filler the best one can. As the repair deteriorates for one reason or another more boogers and filler can be applied. A much less costly repair both in materials used and depreciation of the Jeep.

Posted: **Thu Dec 14, 2023 7:39 am**

ghcoe wrote: ↑Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:38 pm Instead of trying to recreate the complexity of the original Cherokee flair maybe we should look at the pickup flair. It is single walled and all that would need to be done is change out the inner fender. If the pickup wheel well bend could be matched up with the Cherokee wheel well bend it would be perfect.

I am in the process of trying to graft in some fenders off of a '66 pickup on my '77 Jeep. Since there is not much real info out there on doing this, I will be starting a thread on my experience with doing this.

As I said before, the truck and Cherokee share the same flare. Unlike the Cherokee the trucks don’t have a separate wheel well, the flare is also the outer wheel well. The wheel well is not a very complicated piece to make when it is broken up into several smaller sections.

Let me know if you want any suggestions on your repair. I have done exactly what you intend to do.

Posted: **Thu Dec 14, 2023 4:09 pm**

threepiece wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2023 7:39 am Let me know if you want any suggestions on your repair. I have done exactly what you intend to do.

Thanks! I have a thread covering my experiences here viewtopic.php?t=24155.

Posted: **Thu Dec 14, 2023 4:22 pm**

threepiece wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2023 7:28 am
Pair O J10 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 26, 2021 2:05 pm I too was on the metal flare band wagon...I sourced a set with minor rot, I repaired the rot ...Now I've been thinking the flares wont be installed on my Cherokee after all..I purchased a set from BJ's fiberglass of course....Two things, I would absolutely loose my mind IF after all the work on the metal flares someone would bang into them or worse bend the snot out of one, and as we all know rust is enemy number one on a FSJ and the rear flare.. BJ's makes a decent flare not a perfect flare but way better than no flare and as far as I know they are the only source of any type of replacement flare. So I would much rather replace a fiberglass flare (because as of now I CAN thanks to BJ's) than have to start the rebuild metal flare process all over again....BJ's has flares all day....no problem if one day they get cracked or splintered to heck and back ...A phone call or an online purchase gets you a replacement....No I believe we a fighting against ourselves..BJ's has an answer ...time we took them up on it....Just my opinion mind you...and you know what opinions are worth..
Indeed, however I have seen too many times, vehicles reduced in value because of ignorance. Unqualified people often make a judgment on weather things should get repaired or replaced. Completely removing a flair is an intrusive and forever changes the status of a Cherokee. It would sometimes be better to boogger weld on a piece of metal and carve out some body filler the best one can. As the repair deteriorates for one reason or another more boogers and filler can be applied. A much less costly repair both in materials used and depreciation of the Jeep.

Something that is not thought of is how much the wheel wells support the side walls of the body. There really is not much else to give the body support back there except the tail gate. If you don't have solid wheel wells then things can get floppy back there. I had a '72 that had some rust issues in the wheel wells, not much, but enough that when the tail gate was down I could push the roof over 2-3 inches. Made it hard to get the tail gate closed if I was sitting on uneven ground. Fiberglass flares may look good on the outside, but they don't give any structural support like welded in sheet metal.

Like mentioned, it would be better to cobble in some steel than to cut the whole flare out to install a fiberglass flare.

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