Anybody know where we can get PreRunner (desert racer) style bedsides for our '73-79 pick-ups?

I know that AutoFab makes flared front fenders, but they don't make flared bedsides.

I also know that you can get flared bedsides from Hanneman and Fiberwerx for the '80+ models, but not for previous to that. . .was told they won't match up. . .which is what I thought to begin with but was just hoping otherwise.

Anyone know who makes them, or any ideas on how to flare my current bedsides. . .otherwise I have a crazy feeling that I'm gonna be learning a LOT about shaping thin gauge sheetmetal over the winter. . .and I bet that it's gonna be one steep learning curve too!!!
Good thing I'm learning to weld!!!

Thanks,

 

Autofab DOES make them - I HAVE a set. They are a 3" flare I believe. Call and talk with John at Autofab.

As for any other makers - I only have ever heard of 1 guy, and he was out of Tiajuana in Mexico and pretty much just did a copy of the autofab stuff. No one knows how/where to get ahold of him though.

Here is a thread discussing fiberglass on another forum. It is a mesh of like 3 different threads and gets long, but the main point is no one really makes glass for these things. Scroll through it to see some cool pics though Desert Rides • View topic - Old skool ford guys!


As for flaring the stock bedsides it can be done. In fact there should be some info on that desertrides site about how to flare bedsides. I'm sure the write-up is for flaraing Ford ranger bedsides, but it is pretty much the same procedure. If you cannot find anything there I can walk you through it.

 

ChaseTruck,

thanks for the links. . .I'm gonna check them out now. . .yeah. . .I don't have a problem working with the stock sheetmetal. . .probably way easier. . .I'm sure I would have to cut down the middle of the wheelwell and add material but there's a junkyard here with plenty of donor vehicles that I can take sheetmetal off of!!!

I didn't know that AutoFab made the bedsides. . .I didn't see them on their website and I checked it just before I posted up!!! I will check again and call John if I need to thanks.

Thanks for passing the info on!!! and I would love to see pic's of your truck with the flares as well!

 

ChaseTruck. . .I see that AutoFab has the bedsides now. . .I remember why I thought they didn't have them is because they only have pic's of the flared front fenders and not the bedsides.

I don't mind working and find more satisfaction doing things myself so I may go ahead and try to flare my own bedsides before I drop the dough on a set of commercially available flares. . .save myself some money!!!

Anyway. . .thanks again for the links, the info. . .and I would love some pic's!!!

 

ChaseTruck,

might have to get you to give me the skinny on how to do this. . .can't seem to find a thread concerning "how to flare stock fenders", etc.

I tried searching a bunch of different ways with no luck. . .I'm gonna read the fiberglass thread now.

Thanks again,

 

No problem UT. . .I freaking LOVE desert racing trucks. . .when I lived in San Diego I went to the off-road shows every year. . .never got to make it to the CORR rounds in Chula Vista though. . .bummer. . .would have been awesome.

Now I live on the Olympic Pennisula of Washington and there is a ton of off-roading areas. . .this is why we got the '79 F-150 4x4 (and a set Yamaha Grizzly 600 4x4 and Yamaha Kodiak 400 4x4 utility quads with a trailer to go along with them!!!!). Now I'm hooked more than ever. . .problem is I still love those desert racing rigs and want my '79 to at least look (and function as close as I can get it to) like a desert racer!!!

 

AutoFab has been around and building these trucks forever. The website never seems to keep up with all he does, although if you go to the "table of contents" clicky on the upper left of the home page you'll see all sorts of cool pics.

He has a TON of products that never make it to the website. I guess he is making a 4.5" flare front fender for these trucks now, but not many people actually know about it.

OK - I did a search on desertrides.con and dezert-rangers.com and couldn't find the write-up I am thinking about which shows how to pull bedsides. I posted and asked for pics or a write-up though so I'm sure I'll have something for you soon.

Worse case scenario I guess I can get off my butt and take pics and type a bunch, but I know someone has done it all before and will save my lazy butt some typing time

In the mean time - I know it's not a 73-79, but here's a cool bump side to drool over
Ns '68 F100 - DezertRangers.com
Makes me want to pick up a dentside supercab to build for fun...


*EDIT* Ok - I did a google search and came up with 2 links. The 1st talks about a chebby and the pics don't work anymore, but the list of tools and step by step is ok
http://race-dezert.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18041

This second thread just shows a pic of the plate the 1st thread talks about spreading and cutting. Honestly I'd have to go look at my truck to see if the plate is even there on our old trucks - but the threads should give you the general points.
http://therangerstation.com/tech_lib...erFlaring.html

Also - on a side note. Flaring the bedsides like this is only good for 2, maybe 3" of flare, but that should be enough to tuck the tires. If you want to go bigger it will be a lot of sheet metal work, or buying fiberglass...

 

dangit man you got my mind racing again with this thread and looking up all these pics.
I have been contemplating putting the ranger on hold for a bit and building a 70's supercab as a quick, down and dirty desert truck using parts I have collected for the ranger. I already have full fiberglass for a 70's truck lying around (bought it for the crew cab) as well as race seats, a race c6 tranny, gate shifter, coil overs, full floater 9" and a bunch of DOM tubing. I think I could pump out a quick build and have something to drive that would get me excited about dirt again and entice me to work on the ranger.

On that note - here's another build in progress and an older build or 2 to drool on and get you as excited as me!
Desert Rides • View topic - GMR F-100

Desert Rides • View topic - updates on the 1969 ford

67 F100 Truck for PreRunning and MDR - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

 

ChaseTruck,

thanks for all the links. . .I'm checking them out now.

That first '68 has some BEEFY freaking spring mounts!!!

Good Links. . .I hadn't seen any of those before except for the BroDozer build.

There is a link on PreRunners.net on flaring your stock bedsides, but it doesn't work. . .and I couldn't find a back door for it. . . .it was a tip of the month, but I can't even find any tip's of the month. . .they must have removed that section.

Thanks again!!!

 

yeah - that write-up was supposed to be good and I'm sure it was the one I remember seeing. I just didn't post it because I couldn't find a way to make it work.

 

you could build a flare into yours alot cheaper... cut the inner fender off of the bed skin, and build some braces... cut a strip of metal and rivit/ weld it into the gap. worked awesome for my ranger. people always ask me where i bought em.

 

That's pretty much what I figured I was gonna be doing. . .cut out the inner fender well. . .cut a strip down the middle of the fender well. . .get donor bedside from local junk yard. . .push my bedsides out . . .weld in patch panel (cut from middle of wheelwell) from donor bedside to fill the gap, that way I end up with bedside flare and slightly extended wheelwell to fit bigger meats into as well.

How did you find the easiest/best way to flare the bedsides out?

 

you don't need the donor piece from a junk yard truck. A peice of aluminum and pop rivets or sheet metal screws works just fine. You can do the donor strip and weld it in if you want. It will possibly be a bit "cleaner" of an install, but no one ever sees it and it will take a lot more effort.

After looking at my truck this weekend here is what I would do.

1) unbolt lower bed supports (the bars that go to the lower front and rear of the wheel arch)

2) unbolt gas tank filler neck from bed (if you have one in the bedside)

3) cut a slit down the inner fender support

4) get about a 4 or 5" by 8" or so piece of aluminum (1/16th - 3/16" thick is fine) and pop rivet one side to the inner fender.

5) use a bottle jack with 2x4's on either end (to spread the load and protect the bed metal - 1x4's or even a scrap or plywood works) to spread/push the bedside out. *be careful to go slow as you push the bedside out as you don't want the sheetmetal to kink.

6) When you have gotten the flare you want - pop rvet the other side of the aluminum plate to the inner bedside.

7) re-bolt up the gas filler neck. You should have enough play in it to get it to the new bedside location.

8) Extend the lower bed supports. Mine are 1/2" or so solid steel. I would cut them in half and run a sleeve of .125 wall 3/4" tubing over them to extend them. You can easily make new ones by using 1/2" conduit bought from a Homo-depot or similar. That stuff is cheap and you can just punch the ends of the tube and drill holes for the bolt locations - it looks almost factory.


*one final note. I'm not sure how much flare you are looking for, but you SHOULD be able to get more pop or flare out of your bedsides if you cut the rear of the bedside up at an angle from behind the rear wheel arch up towards the tail light. If you look most fiberglass is cut like that anyways. It won't look good with a stock bumper, but if you are building a prerunner you'll want to do a 1 3/4" tubular rear bumper anyways

 

ChaseTruck. . . how much flare do you think I could get with what you just described?

Any chance of pic's of the cut from the rear wheelwell to the tail lights you are talking about? I am gonna be building custom front/rear bumpers, bedcage, cab cage, engine cage/shock hoops, etc. . .once I get started on this thing I'm gonna go hell for broke on it. . .only spent $800 to get the truck in the first place and there isn't anything wrong with it (OK wo it's missing the driver side door interior trim panel. . .but who's complaining) so it's a perfect project truck!!!

I've seen the '73-79's with the front fender trimmed up and the below the headlight turn signal cut-out as well. . .and I've seen the bumpers angle cut up to match that cut as well. . .but I don't recall seeing the rear bedsides cut like you say before. . .but I probably just didn't notice/wasn't paying close enough attention.

New Yamaha YZF-R1 is revealed in 5 minutes. . .I'm excited!!!

 

I have pics of the cut I am talking about - but it is on my ranger from back in the day. I'll PM you my email address so I can send pics. After that maybe I'll get off my butt and make a photobucket account so I can share with everyone else...