i just got in a wreck in my 73 914 and the body shop is probably going to work on the car, while they were at it i was thinking of having them put some flares on... i was wondering what was better altogether... fiberglass or steel?

if money is no object, steel...

steel flares cost at a minimum 2X the 'glass flares and the labor to install them correctly (butt welding) is going to be expensive

glass flares work fine and if done right last years and years.....

a car with steel flares might have a slight edge when it comes to resale value

get a quote from the bodyshop for both, that might make your desision a little easier

This is my opinion only! I would never do a fender flare that was not steel. I would however do a fiberglass quarter panel with no reservations.

As Mueller said it juts comes down to COST$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


I don't think anyone would choose FG flares over Steel if they cost the same.

I have FG and it was a PITA to bond them and get them smooth. If you like the "Bolt-on" look the FG is the way to go. There are some owenrs on the board that have this "Bolt-on" look and it actually looks good

Cheers

Steel, FG will crack (eventually) Here is mine (under construction right now) with steel custom front spoiler!

i voted steel, but glass CAN be fine, if it is installed in a professional manner... someone with good 'glass experience can make the flares look good...

I voted steel, but if you install FG flares right, they will last many, many years. Glass flares are about 1/4 the cost of steel ones.

So what is average ball park cost for FG or steel install with a respray? About how many shop hours?

If you have more time than money, stretching your own steel flares is the best combination of frugality and quality..an unusual mix:

http://allshops.org/cgi-bin/community/comm...d=9980138836765

We are having a workshop in San Jose June 12th if you are interested in this type of work.

John www.ghiaspecialties.com

I installed fiberglass flares, but if I were to do it again I'd go steel. The fiberglass takes a lot of time to get the featheriing and blending just right.

Andys

I'd use only steel for a street car & would use whole fiberglass quaters for racing.

Holy old threads batman



Mike

I just did the rivet on fiberglass look for a track car. It took a lot of fitting. I'm picky and it still looks just okay. If your doing a street car go steel.

I did factory steel on my conversion. A friend had fiberglass on his and rocks from the road and track hitting from underneath started cracking the outer portion of the flares.
I think that with standard fiberglass you can get a 9" wheel under there in the rear, but with steel 8" is all you can get. At least on my LR, I don't have enough room for a wheel wider than a 8".

You left out the "Don't do either" selection.
Pat

Mike, Tell me it didn't happen, But what happen ,curios minds want to know. John

9in no problem for me! (w/steel)

No flares on the street /6. Fiberglass on the track car ... never know who you'll run into!

Got a friend with 9" BBS. I'm going to try his 9" on rear sometime and see how they fit on my car. I'd like to use some 8 & 9's, but won't buy any untill I know that 9's will fit on my car.

I went FG for cost reasons. My car was dumpster material so I wasn't looking for originality. I just wanted a cool looking cruiser.

I am gonna run 7s & 8s X 16 fuchs, 1" spacers with 944 turbo offset ....... I hope that will work ...... ................ do you have any pics of your machine ??



Mine will not be a restoration level either ...... just a functionally solid, great looking GT clone example ........ but since I have a new Miller Inverter TIG coming ...... I have no choice but to do 'perfect' flares in steel ........

Fiberglass = SILICONE

Steel = SALINE

I believe they say Saline is better in the long run :-)

The only reference I have to cost for installation is $400 per fender for steel plus the cost of the flares and then of course...paint.

Just save your $$$ and watch for parts at a good price. I found a set of steel flares for $900. But, that was back in '96.....

I cannot wait to get my new TIG welder ......

http://www.autoatlanta.org/detail.lasso?-d...E8E&-Search

Who did CPR on this 2 year old thread?

It was not me but the forums I come from always get mad when one does not do a 'search' before starting a new thread about a common subject.

This forum is just crazy with new threads starting up every minute or so ..... it is hard to follow threads on this forum ..... they get lost to the second or third page after just a couple hours ...

I think the 'garage' section should be divided into at least three sections ....... 'body/chassis', 'brakes/wheels/suspension' and 'drive-train'

I put together a group buy last summer, and we got them for $875 shipped, including rockers.

How about you do a search on why it is not a good idea to split the main forum.

It's been discussed many times ...
Andy

It is bad enough to do searches for something actually I care about ....... + this - that .......... it obviously doesn't matter much to anyone ....... but compared to other automotive forums ......... this place seems like a third world country .......

it s nice and comfy here....if you like other forums better, don't bother complaining,
its a simple click with your mouse!!
and then there is the club....
Or just stick around...the comraderie is great!
your choice
......or you could try to become an admin

....... of course, no one is forced to be here .......... just like no one is forced to read or respond to my posts ............. I love 914s ................. my '914 owner/enthusiast card' is old enough to buy alcohol in any state of the union .......... so I am gonna build my GT clone with AA steel flares and you guys are gonna like it .........

I just stated a simple fact, this place is busier than a tokyo subway during rush hour .......... and there is nothing wrong with wanting this layout to be a tad more organized ...... instead of being a 'mosh pit' of miscelaneous threads ....... ............... rest assured, I will continue to visit and sleep very soundly if this place stays just like it is .......

For instance when I was studying the best 911 emergency brake solution I bet it took several days to "discover the best stuff" I'm sure it was more than 15 pages and posts that were several years old. One thing though on the discovery I ran across some other neat info while I was lost in the wilderness.

That's the size and offset of my BBS
Click to view attachment

Stop while you are ahead, you are making far too much sense with your logic and ideas about actually organizing topics here.

We will have none of that!

Chaos, difficult searching, and repeated threads about questions people are sick of answering will be the norm so that you can be less productive and they can be annoyed that there is another thread over question X that has been answered so many times, if those noobs could only use a search then wade through pages upon pages of results in 1 single forum.

Most of the searches I've done have provided results that were useless...not sure why though. Therefore, I just ask the question in a new thread and it;s probably been asked and answered before.

Back on point! I say steel as I finally own a set

Are the flares lap welded or butt welded? How were the factory flares added?
By the by I don't see anything on the filler after the flares are attached. Since I perfer lead, that would of course be my vote........since I'm new do I get vote?

Steel flares are butt welded. Filling with lead would be ideal.