That sounds like a nice solution. This foam I use here is only 2 lb. density. It's great for flotation, but not great where a stiffer core, or mold substrate, is needed. Just about all of the molds I've made are pretty large...the smallest being a 16.5 ft. solo canoe. I just use multiple layers of glass cloth or mat with indexed flanges for stiffness and splittable seams. If I were to make a smaller mold, like one for fender flares, boxing it in with heavier foam would be a sweet solution. Thanks for the info. One of the things I love about composites is that after over 40 years of messing with the stickey/stinkey stuff, there's always something new to learn.

I stopped working with the stinky stuff decades ago and only work with epoxies now and they are just about all odor free or low odor, but still require ventilation/respirators depending upon the resin. I mostly use the vacuum bag with ramped temperature curing cycles and post curing. All it takes is that aluminum backed insulation foam board from the lumber store, a roll of duct tape, some heat lamps, a fan and a thermo switch to make an oven capable of producing aerograde composites.

I guess you didn't notice the walls in the pic of the canoe (top one). It's actually part of my shop that I used as an oven for heat curing epoxies. But that discussion can be for another thread on another board...I think I'd like to keep this thread focused on making fender flares utilizing easily attained materials with methods that anyone can try...don't you agree?

Yes, I agree 

LOL,, missed that! LOL

I do like the picture of your almost completed flare(first picture), I like how you incorporated the edge ridge as a stiffner, most people would have tried to make the flairs smooth sided.

The nuts you were at a loss to remember the name of, are called blind nuts.

Are you contemplating making some molds from these or will they be the final product?

Blind nuts...thank you.

 I wanted to add a little shadow line on the edge of the flare, plus like you pointed out, it stiffens up the edge a bit. I won't be making molds of these...I'd like to get this thing done in the next couple of months, and I still have to figure out what to do with the top and back. I'm thinking of putting a raised pickup bed in it...like over the wheel wells. I can store the spare, and other stuff under it. And I want to put a slider window in it behind the front seats...think Chevy Avalanche or Honda Ridgeline. I know I won't be able to put too much in the bed, but it will be somewhat functional.

A couple of members have expressed interest in fender flares for their Tracker or Sidekick. Making them for the Sami, with it's fairly flat fenders, is easy compared to the complex curves in the others. Any ideas how you would approach that problem?

to make the face that attaches to the fender just apply some clear packing tape onto the fender/wheel well, apply some wax and then lay up a composite backer vrs the ply backer used on your sammi flairs, when cured drill your holes for the ply blocks with blind nuts. remove and cut to shape, install with your blocks with blind nuts, add your blocking and ribs, remove and add your foam then shape and finish. (that makes it sound so easy, doesnt it?, LOL)

you could just use the same basic shape as your sammi flairs, it isnt that disimilar to the body clading on my 98' Sidekick(same as the sport clading) right above the fender wells, you would just continue it down like you did your sammi flairs.

You make it sound so easy...

Nice looking Sidekick!

You and I both know it isnt all that easy,LOL  especially with that nasty guy Mr. Murphy lurking around...


thnx, I plan on fabbing up a 2 piece cab wall for it, similar to what you described for your sammi. I already have a front RallyTop hardtop section(no sense re-inventing the wheel everytime, LOL) and started cutting the 1/2" blue foam board to shape to make the lower wall last week.

I will make a thread with pics when closer to being finished, I think you will like it.

I'm looking forward to that!

Are the fenders on the Sidekick single or double paneled? One nice thing about the Samurai, at least for attaching flares, it that it's single walled and will be fairly easy to get at most of the bolts from behind.

they are single paneled and I have been kicking around building molds for sidekick fenders for years..

Do you mean build molds to make parts to sell? Or just build flares for your rig?

Okay...the fender flares are done and here I'm starting to work on the running boards. These are just going to be mud deflectors and not for stepping on, so I do want them to stand out from the body a few inches. And I'm not planning on doing any rock crawling so they won't be too beefy. But if I was I could laminate in some aluminum angle iron or something like that to really beef them up.

My son and I have taped off the area with red sheathing tape. I like this stuff over clear tape because you can see where it is...and more importantly, where it isn't. I used a scrap piece of quarter inch ply for the bottom, and a couple of pieces of scrap so the bottom doesn't sag as I build up layers of glass. The red area is covered with release wax also. I want to be able to remove the piece I'm molding and use foam to build it out.

We built up three layers of fiberglass mat, and as you can see they form perfectly to the flares and rockers. We'll add a couple more layers before we pull the part for foaming and shaping. I'll add pictures as I go, but this is as far as I am right now...

I like the red tape,,,,,I have only used the clear stuff,,,not any longer! thnx for the tip, see old dogs can learn new tricks! LOL