PM returned w/email address attached

 

back to life a little bit. The 1st pic in this thread shows how a pop-riveted in "spreader" plate will look inside the wheel well.

Desert Rides • View topic - 03 silverado upper arm

 

Thanks ChaseTruck!!! That definitely helps. . .I think that maybe it might be pretty (relatively) easy for me to flare the stock bedsides!!!

 

no problem - and yeah it is actually pretty easy once you get started on it.

 

Hey ChaseTruck. . .that pic that you showed me of splitting the inner fenderwell totally made sense of how to flare the stock sheetmetal bedsides using 2x4 and bottle jacking it out to achieve the flare and then attaching sheetmetal in between to retain the flare. . .but by doing this wouldn't I possibly be increasing the gap between the bed and the cab and possibly pulling the tail of the bedside toward the middle as well???

I ask this because I think the terms that I was using in an earlier post were not adequatedly describing what I thought I needed to do. . .I was saying fenderwell and meaning making a cut right down the middle of the wheelwell (on the exterior bedside) in addition to splitting the inner fenderwell longwise to push it out. . .then welding a donor piece of bedside to the exterior of the bedside after I get the flare I wanted. . .this would (theoretically) keep me from messing with the gap between the cab and bed and would also (once again theoretically) allow me to get more flare from my stock bedsides than I could without increasing the length of the wheelwell. . .right???

Or am I just off my rocker here???

Thanks again!!!

 

1/2 way off the rocker - but we can keep you on it

You ONLY need to split the inner fender support. NOT the wheel arch you can see from inside the bed.

By flaring the bedside out you are doing just that - pushing the BEDSIDE. It will NOT effect the gap at the cab or the tail light. Those 2 portions of the BEDSIDE are spot welded to the bed - as is the top of each BEDSIDE.

What you are doing is pushing the middle of the bedside (where the wheel sits) away from the inside of the bed structure, and therefore flaring out the middle of the BEDSIDE only.

If you want more pics of my ranger then just hit me up. Or have another look at the black chebby in that other thread I sent.

On a separate note - a guy I talk to is in the middle of making bedsides for these things. They will have a 5.5" flare and a 5" wider wheel opening. He is supposedly making glass for the front end as well.

 

Yea, its not hard to do at all. I flared mine about two inches with the method above and then lengthened the 4 supports by cutting them in half and welding in a piece of half inch round stock. Im only running 11.50 wide tires right now but it will tuck a 12.50

 

 

 

That is a good lucking truck there!

Yup - that's how it's done - thanks for adding more, helpful pics.