HI, does anyone know of a nice fender flare, that will cover up the famous "rear wheel well rust problem". I don't want something that sticks out to far, and will look funny on a truck with no lift and 31x10.50's.
Thanks

 

have you considered fixing the rust?
check out bushwacker.com for fender flares

 

Xenon makes a very good looking set of 4 fender flares for our trucks but they are pricey at almost $400 for the set.

 

I would agree with godblessmud. You should fix it. The only thing flares are going to do is cover it until it spreads past them.

 

Ya, I probobly should fix it , the problem is I'm not a bodyman and the local body shop is busy enough with insurance claims that they charge an arm and a leg for rust repair.
Thanks guys!

 

my truck has the same problem. its weird there is no rust anywhere, except the rear wheel wells are completey rotted away. I have seen patch panels in the lmc catalog. I wondering if they can be fitted over the rusted area, or do u have to cut out the sheet metal and weld it in?... what's a normal price for some one to charge for this repair?

 

I use warn . But for expense of then you are on way to having fixed right. (I know moneys tight) But if you cover it it will bee a bed replacement instead of just a fix. Then Hose out yearly and spray with used motor oil.
Any flare will stick out with you tire combo (I know I down sized looked bad ) But there are low profile one (rubber ) But the rust will spread past em in no time . The are about 2" think tops but stick out 3/4 " at most .Good luck

 

Some places weld in the patch panels and some will glue them in. Either one, if done right, should last as long if not longer than the original metal did, tho that is seldom the case. A good honest body shop could do it for under 1000 dollars. A good way to save money is if you are good with a welder. Get the patch panels and trim them to size. I would cut them to be about 2 inches or so past the rusted area to be sure you will weld to solid metal. Hold the newly trimmed patch up to the wheel well and trace it onto the bedside with a sharpie. This will be where you need to cut out for the patch to fit into. Try and avoid a cutoff wheel if possible. Not that its bad to use, but its sometimes sloppy and you can end up cutting out too much metal by accident after you have already trimmed your patch. I would use a small air powered reciprocating saw to cut it out. Once the old metal is out, you can place the patch in its place and hold it in with some tape every few inches. You want the patch to be flush with the old metal. One you get it lined up, start tacking it, being sure to not apply too much heat so you dont warp the bedside. Once its all tacked in, grind the welds down and apply some primer over the bare metal. Then you can take it to your body shop and they can do the bodywork and paint. That could save you about 1/3 of the cost of if the shop just did the whole thing themselves. Make sure you find a good body shop that will do it for you first, so you dont do all that work and then not be able to find someone to finish it for you.

 

for that much $$$ and hassle wouldent it be cheaper to buy the entire bed??? I don't have a welder, but my buddy has mig. would that work or would we need tig? do you have to weld the entire seam solid or just tack it in spots. I might just duck tape it lol

 

I am yet to find a replacement bed that is rust free and cheaper than repairing it yourself. I found one once for 600 on ebay but it was in texas pickup only. A mig will do just fine, thats what I used. You dont have to weld the entire thing but if you do that, be sure to put down a layer of fiberglass strand body filler to keep the moisture from getting through the seam and under the paint and bondo. Its probably a good idea to weld the whole thing by just doing tack after tack and filling all the gaps. It makes for a stronger base and it ensures no moisture gets through the back. But again not necessary. Ive seen people pop rivet the whole patch on tight against the original metal, beat it down flush and use body filler right over. Not necessarily the right way, but its a quick and easy way to do it if you arent concerned about looks and it rusting again.

 

mrl390, I think I'm going to do as you sugested and weld them in myself, and have a shop do the bodywork.
Thanks

 

Thats good to hear. The first side will be the hardest, but once thats done, the other one will go real easily. Good luck.

 

Don't forget, you'll probably need to repair or replace the inner arch as well. I did this as well, pics in my gallery.