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  My Momma always said, "If your tires don't rub, they just ain't big enough..."

  But let's face it, Momma wasn't always right. Tires rubbing against your body work can be expensive, embarrassing and just plain dangerous. A big tire hitting a fender at speed can cause major body damage, or worse a tire blowout.

   And of course... Please repeat after me, "May result in severe injury or death."

   In deciding what tire/wheel/lift combination to use on our project "Baja Expedition," we knew that we wanted to run 37x12.50R17 B.F. Goodrich Baja T/As. Yup, the 124 mph "T" rated tires. Just like the tires the Trophy Trucks run. With that decision we also knew that unless we made some big room, we were going to have some very serious tire clearance problems.

   With the lift we chose giving us five inches, just enough to clear 35's. That left us coming up short,  both in the front and rear. At full suspension compression the tires would hit the edges of the fenders and rear quarter panels, requiring too much trimming.

   Doing a body lift was out of the question. A 3" body lift requires extensive mods to the bumpers, trailer hitch, lines, linkages and all sorts of other parts. Plus, they screw up the center of gravity more than just doing a suspension lift. And that frame hanging down, well it just looks bad.

     We dusted off the trusty old high school geometry book and did a little basic triangulation...

   If we went with Daystar's polyurethane body bushings, that would give us 1" of lift on the body while firming up the mounts. This negates the center of gravity issues and gave us enough tire clearance to run the 37's on the rear. The front, well the front was still a problem...

  FabTech Motorsports to the rescue!

  Those fabricating gurus down in Brea, California are who ya call when you need to fit 120 lbs. of tire in a 50 lb. sack. They carry an F150/Expedition fender that has a 3" rise and a 3" bulge. Just what the Doctor ordered! A little more quick geometry and we figured we'd have not just the perfect tire clearance, but pick up an aggressive, in your face look for the front end of our truck.

   Manufactured from high quality, hand laid fiberglass, these fenders fit much better than expected. In fact they required no trimming and almost no shimming. Only two fender shims were needed on the upper bolts at the fire wall/windshield junction. The hood needed to be shimmed up slightly at the hinge, but the edge of the fender then followed it perfectly. The only place that needed any significant adjustment were the tabs that connect vertically to the firewall along the door seam. Very minor and easy to adjust.

  If you have ever had any experience with 'glass body parts, you know that fitment can be more than a bitch. That even after hours of grinding, drilling and cussing, the damn pieces won't go together without huge gaps. Not so with FabTech's fenders, every pre-marked hole lined up perfectly, making installation a breeze. In fact, I only cussed once, in a totally self induced incident I dropped one of the hood bolts down a hole in the firewall, never to be seen again... "@#%&*)#!!!!"

   Painting them was a task far beyond my limited mental capacity and artistic skills, these newfangled clearcoats being difficult to work with. That and the fact that this is a show truck we are building, making huge gooey runs of pigment not an option. I thought it better to seek out a professional to handling the spraying chores. I did apply several coats of sandable primer and went through one large tub of elbow grease getting the fenders ready to be shot with color.

   I will give you this one caveat: Fiberglass fenders are never perfect, while these from FabTech are the best fitting I've installed to date, do not expect the smooth, flawless finish of factory sheetmetal. You're gonna need to do some sanding and prep. And even then expect a small whoop or two.

   When all was said and done the final results were fantastic! Only an experienced body and fender man could detect any waves.
      

   Installation is pretty much a snap for a shade tree mechanic.

   What you will need:

• Standard and Metric tools
• Plastic trim plug puller
• Drill
• Dremel Moto-Tool or equivalent
• Fender Washers
• Miscellaneous fasteners
• Sand Paper
• And as always... A SHOP MANUAL!

Click any image for blow up, or to get to the photo gallery.

The difference in the wheel well opening is significant. With a three inch rise and a three inch bulge there will be ample room to clear 37's.	First remove the bumper, light assemblies, inner fenders and grill. To get to one of the fender bolts you will have to remove the wipers and windshield cowl.
With the fender lined up verify all holes before drilling. Drill carefully, fenders that have been cut or drilled cannot be returned!	Bolt the fender in place and test fit the grill shell before drilling. You will need some new 6mm nuts, bolts and fender washers to attach the grill frame.
Here was the only location where the fit was less than perfect. We had to stack several washers to shim the firewall mounting tabs.	Use your Moto-Tool to make any final adjustments in the mounting holes.
Cut out the notch for the rubber hood snubber.	Using the Moto-Tool to enlarge some holes for final fitting.
The lower mount didn't have quite the meat on it that we would have preferred...	So we used a couple sheet metal screws and fender washers to get a much stronger bite.
The line of the fenders was a little high along the hood. To gauge the correct amount of shims you'll need to stack them on the hood at the hood bolt locations until flush.	With the fenders now installed, CAREFULLY drill the large hole for the antenna. Then drop it in and mark the screw holes for drilling with a 1/8" bit. BE VERY CAREFUL HERE!
With both fenders securely in place, we're off to the body shop to get sprayed!

The finished product...

Looks good, eh?

   Are 'glass fenders for everyone? Probably not. But they are the best way to go if you want or need real clearance for big tires and/or long travel suspensions. Or just want that in your face aggressive look. Then these from FabTech are the hot ticket.

   On a scale of 1 to 10 we'd give these a solid 9. While overall fit was almost perfect, the tabs at the firewall needed a few "extra" shims. In truth this is minor, in our last article, "Wrapping It Up" we will fabricate new inner fenders that will cover this area completely.

   With the fenders installed and painted our project Baja Expedition's new image is starting to take shape. The 'glass fenders accentuate the lines of the vehicle and just plain look bitchin'! 

   FabTech also carries a wide selection of other fender applications as well as lift kits, long travel suspension conversions and fabrication components like tabs, gussets and Dzus Fasteners. Be sure to follow the link to their website below to check out the wide range of excellent products they offer.

   And don't forget to tell them you learned about FabTech Motorsports on Off-Road.com!