[97cargocrawler]

This is something that has interested me for quite some time but I have never come across anything that looked like it would work. I read maybe Jeep YJ or CJ would work but that definitely isn't gonna fly for the front fender.

I have been looking for weeks and think the 93-97 Ford Ranger XL, Sport, STX, XLT fenders look pretty similar to our vans. I am mostly interested in a Cut Out Bushwacker style flare so I can cram massive tires under my van, but here's some pix of the Pocket Style Bushwackers to get an idea of the shape:

Ford Ranger front fender:

My van front fender:

I know in order to fit the cutout style flare on the Ford several inches need to be cut out in front of the door. They have the space for cutting while our vans do not. Our fenders come right up to the front edge of the door. What I'm thinking though is why not just have the flare overlap onto the door? You could cut it so that when the door is closed it looks like one piece, but when the door opens it separates into two pieces. As the door opens the piece attached to it will want to curve inward towards the well. As long as the stock fender lip has been sawed off and the plastic fender piece has been removed...there will be nothing for it to hit. Right?

Ford Ranger rear fender:

My van rear fender:

Same goes here, you could overlap onto the slider and cut it so that it separates. For sure the slider might not clear the fender flare when it opens.....but there could be mods for that too. I'm looking into it.

Ultimately I would be interested in these Bushwacker Cut-Out style flares:

They stick out 4" from the flat portion of the fender, not the lip. Our stock fender lips already stick out an inch or so. These might give another 3" of tire coverage.

These flares cost nearly $500. If only someone could order or borrow a set and see if they even remotely size up to our vans. If they did things could get interesting. :think:

Any thoughts? Anyone have an old 93-97 Ford Ranger XL, Sport, STX, XLT that they could check out and make some comparison measurements with? Other years might work too.

 

[Lumpy]

I'd like to hear what you have in mind re your slider door. You already have clearance problems with 31s. You're going bigger with that. Even without the flares, I'm seeing some clearance problems. I'd hate to see you spend a million bucks, do a ton of work and then only be able to open the door 8 inches.

Lump

 

[97cargocrawler]

One of the reasons I have yet to mod my slider door was because I knew someday I would want larger/wider tires. I didn't want to do it twice since it will probably involve some permanent sheet metal fab. I'm fairly certain....yes, I'm fairly certain that I won't go any larger than 33X11.5. I had wanted to go with 12.5's but I know that they would stick out a crazy amount from the side of the van and that my gas mileage would tank. I know from 18 years experience with my FJ40.

I have a few ideas on door mods, none of which have been really explored in depth. I do have clearance problems now because of my wheel spacers pushing the tires out another 1.5". I do use the slider door everyday but it really has not hindered me from getting in and out with it only opening 1/2 way. If I lost use of it altogether I wouldn't mind as long as i could exit through the rear doors. But yes, I do plan to mod it and I would imagine everyone else here wouldn't dare consider flares if the door couldn't open all the way.

I'm going to look around some more and see who else has cut-out style flares that are maybe 3" instead of 4". I'm less concerned with the width of the flare and more interested in how much wheel well it allows me to chop. :mrgreen:

 

[Lumpy]

I knew a guy that put huge slicks on a Corvair. He welded in half pieces of 55 gal drums for fender flares. Looked hilarious - both the flares and the fact that it was a Corvair with slicks.

Lump

 

[97cargocrawler]

Doooooood! Oil drums would look sweet! I have always wanted to make a BBQ with a 55gal drum...maybe I could use the leftovers and weld it into the slider or the rear doors!

I'm gonna have to fab up a spatula with an extra long handle so I can flip burgers while I'm trying not to run over other cars. I'm thinking 1/2" stainless steel telescoping tubing with ACME precision threaded rod inside, Faulhaber servo motor, fission reactor power cell, ergonomic neoprene rubber handle and a fully automatic stainless steel articulated gimbal arm between the seats to mount it on. Oh, and a temperature probe with an OLED screen so I can gauge the denaturing rate of the protein strands.

Now I'm hungry.

 

[Jasen]

Here ya go, slider extension

http://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5708&p=43893

Doesn't to front door tuck back in behind the fender when open?

 

[97cargocrawler]

Hmmm...I suppose I should go look. I think a cardboard mock-up might be in order. :doh:

 

[Jasen]

A thought on fabing some up. You could fit a piece of metal to the inner lip of the wheel well that sticks straight out 2,3,4" what ever you want, then cut and fit a piece to that that fits to the top curve of the existing wheel flare, so your basically enlarging the existing flare. Or, do you have any fiberglass experience.

 

[97cargocrawler]

I do not have any fiberglass experience.....yet. :mrgreen:

 

[Jasen]

Oh boy, here we go, a yetter :rofl:

If you can make then out of metal, smooth them out with some bondo till there just right, you could use them to cast some molds to lay up the glass.

 

[redfury]

Fiberglass isn't that hard to work with, once you understand a few basic principles...principally it itches!

All kidding aside, the deal with fiberglass to be done really right, is that you need to make a mold to make a mold out of to make the part, otherwise all you are doing is covering up the mold with fiberglass, see? :whack:

 

[dstahl]

nice safari :thumbup: where is the bumper from :ty: dstahl

 

[97cargocrawler]

Thank you! It's for a 2500HD series Chevy truck. Mods to the brackets are whatnot are needed to install it.

 

[Jasen]

Hey, I had a E350 4x pop top pass me today, didn't see the grill so don't know if it was the latest gen of Furd ugly or the last gen of Furd ugly, but it had molded fender flares on it. Might be worth looking into.

 

[Lumpy]

Hey, I had a E350 4x pop top pass me today, didn't see the grill so don't know if it was the latest gen of Furd ugly or the last gen of Furd ugly, but it had molded fender flares on it. Might be worth looking into.

Either way, I think a very good use for any Ford would be to cut the sheet metal up and make fender flares for Cargo's van. Get one cheap from one of those owners who just found out it costs $10K to change their gaskets.

Lump

 

[loopie]

A pic from an Icelandic van...I don't have any deets on it tho (other than they also converted the slider into a swing split open door somehow...like on the Ford E-series)

 

[a1towing]

A pic from an Icelandic van...I don't have any deets on it tho (other than they also converted the slider into a swing split open door somehow...like on the Ford E-series)

I went to Iceland over the summer and i have never seen so many vehicles with 40"+ tires in one place in my life !

 

[97cargocrawler]

Those guys are definitely the kings of offroad. That's an awesome van! :rockon:

 

[ssbf1]

Did you ever continue working on a sliding side door extension?

 

[SilverBullet1997]

yes, I'm fairly certain that I won't go any larger than 33X11.5. I had wanted to go with 12.5's but I know that they would stick out a crazy amount from the side of the van and that my gas mileage would tank. I know from 18 years experience with my FJ40.

Wow this is old thread that ssbf1 dug up.... First time I have read it.... But I love this snippet quote from above....
:rofl: