Aftermarket fender flare delete?

Yo Jeep Peeps... I'm just not in love with the fender flares on my jeep. Might be bushwacker or a cheaper copy of them. Previous owner put em on... ditching the fronts is easy, I can just trim above the holes that are left over.

But the rears? Bolts through the doors and pretty high into the fenders- much harder to conceal. I love the wide stance look of an XJ on 12.5" wide tires with ideal back spacing. Mine would have that look too, but with the flares its: meh. Im just not digging the plastic. The fronts are weathered and cracked at the mounting holes in many places. The rears are in better shape, but one side has a hole or two that the bolt s broken through. Id say ditching the fronts only would look silly. Bondo and body work seems silly on a camping/ trail rig. Am I crazy? Should I just wait until mother nature claims them? I have long term hopes for tube fenders, just lack a bender and/ or a friend with one.

Pic for reference

Easiest/cleanest would be to swap to new rear doors.

Back when I had a Mustang I pulled the rear spoiler. I bought little plastic plugs for the holes at home depot, hit them with some touch up paint so they matched and were tough to spot. Won't be the prettiest thing but at least you can close the holes up while you work on a better/more permanent solution.

You can also check out some better aftermarket flairs. They won't give you the wide tire look like you want, but they will help cove the problems with the doors. Check out Notch Customs flairs. They look a lot better than the bushwacker ones, more of an OEM look . I run them on my rig. https://notchcustoms.com/products/x-max-fender-flares?variant=4532938702881

Yaaaa I'm thinking new (old) doors if I find the right donor. Fear that age and different conditions might make em stand out though.

Those flares are pretty! If it was more of a dd I might consider it. For the coin, id much rather something more rugged, or not at all and put it towards an atlas or roll cage, something more useful than bling.

Main reason I want to delete them is they are cracked in places and what not.. I mean I got em on snug... but I also want to get the plastic crap off my rig and that means avoiding pretty parts LOL

ShoeterMcgav said:

Yaaaa I'm thinking new (old) doors if I find the right donor. Fear that age and different conditions might make em stand out though.

Those flares are pretty! If it was more of a dd I might consider it. For the coin, id much rather something more rugged, or not at all and put it towards an atlas or roll cage, something more useful than bling.

Main reason I want to delete them is they are cracked in places and what not.. I mean I got em on snug... but I also want to get the plastic crap off my rig and that means avoiding pretty parts LOL

Click to expand...

Well, those 'pretty' flares aren't plastic...they are fiberglass.

I also would not 'cut above the holes' when you take them off.....that will leave you no metal if you change your mind later. They are high enough they will put you past the point of recovery later on.

Why not use a rivet or similar to fill the hole ?? or maybe even weld them in ??

I know the linked flares are fiberglass- mine are hard plastic. Fibers are probably (slightly) more durable, but ya I'm not removing $500 dollar flares go buy $600 dollar flares that are unpainted fiberglass. As mentioned, the end goal is tube. Metal.

I think rivets might not look to bad actually... thats a good call. Didn't even think about that. Filling the holes with weld would make a mess of the paint and require more work to look nice I'd think.
That said, fenders are replaceable, I have no qualms about cutting on the current bolt lines.

I don't mind letting the Sawzall eat