New Member - Looking for Fender Flares

[jbejster]

Hello, I'm Joe a new member in Dearborn Michigan. I just helped my daughter purchase a 2008 Silver Explorer XLT 4.0L 4wd. She wants to modify the vehicle to perform better off road and make it look like a trail runner. I emailed her the photo below and her reaction was " That… looks… AWESOME ". I know we can find a bull bar, roof rack and off road lighting. That leaves me with the task of trying to find fender flares. My preliminary look on the internet yielded no results. So I have two questions. We're the fender flares on the vehicle shown ever sold in the aftermarket ? If not, has anyone ever thought of going down the road of having fender flares 3D printed?

Thanks in advance!

-Joe

 

[1996EB]

Hello, I'm Joe a new member in Dearborn Michigan. I just helped my daughter purchase a 2008 Silver Explorer XLT 4.0L 4wd. She wants to modify the vehicle to perform better off road and make it look like a trail runner. I emailed her the photo below and her reaction was " That… looks… AWESOME ". I know we can find a bull bar, roof rack and off road lighting. That leaves me with the task of trying to find fender flares. My preliminary look on the internet yielded no results. So I have two questions. We're the fender flares on the vehicle shown ever sold in the aftermarket ? If not, has anyone ever thought of going down the road of having fender flares 3D printed?

Thanks in advance!

-Joe

View attachment 320043

There was a write up somewhere here on the site years ago. The owner made those fender flares. I believe he created molds and layered fiberglass- something like that. They definitely aren’t aftermarket.

 

[zerodevil]

Those look like IronMan explorer fender flares, they are an OEM part that is not sold aftermarket, and hard to source at a junkyard/ford parts dealer.

 

[jbejster]

There was a write up somewhere here on the site years ago. The owner made those fender flares. I believe he created molds and layered fiberglass- something like that. They definitely aren’t aftermarket.

Thank you for the info. I was thinking the flares were one-off parts. If I ever end up with 4th gen flares I'll post to site site.

 

[jbejster]

Those look like IronMan explorer fender flares, they are an OEM part that is not sold aftermarket, and hard to source at a junkyard/ford parts dealer.

They do look like Iron Man flares but taller. To my eye the additional height is what makes them stand out. Thanks for the reply!

 

[1996EB]

They do look like Iron Man flares but taller. To my eye the additional height is what makes them stand out. Thanks for the reply!

Yes, but definitely not Iron Man flares. I clearly remember the post in this forum, but can’t find it. It was several years ago. BTW, I’m just across the river from you, in Windsor.

 

[bterfift]

Check out Bushwacker Fender Flares.

 

[jbejster]

Yes, but definitely not Iron Man flares. I clearly remember the post in this forum, but can’t find it. It was several years ago. BTW, I’m just across the river from you, in Windsor.

I remember back in the day crossing the bridge into Windsor to get a few cases from the Brewer's Retail every other week or so.

Back to the subject of fender flares. It looks like no one makes them for the 4th generation Explorer. I might look into what it would take to 3D print them. I found an article on-line that claims to have instructions on how to build a 3D printer with a 1200mm x 1200mm x 800mm printing envelope. The build cost is stated at $2000-$2500. A lot of money for a set of fender flares but you're left with a 3D printer and a lot of possibilities. There's a lot of CAD talent in the area so it shouldn't be too difficult to work out the 3D modeling with someone. Looking into this will be a good winter project.

 

[jbejster]

Check out Bushwacker Fender Flares.

Checked out the Bushwacker web site. They seem to make flares for everything except the Explorer???

 

[1996EB]

I remember back in the day crossing the bridge into Windsor to get a few cases from the Brewer's Retail every other week or so.

Back to the subject of fender flares. It looks like no one makes them for the 4th generation Explorer. I might look into what it would take to 3D print them. I found an article on-line that claims to have instructions on how to build a 3D printer with a 1200mm x 1200mm x 800mm printing envelope. The build cost is stated at $2000-$2500. A lot of money for a set of fender flares but you're left with a 3D printer and a lot of possibilities. There's a lot of CAD talent in the area so it shouldn't be too difficult to work out the 3D modeling with someone. Looking into this will be a good winter project.

Ah yes, Brewers Retail. The just go by The Beer Store now. Interesting idea about the 3D printer. Although Ford now designs body in CATIA, the 3rd/4th Gen Explorers were obviously designed before Ford was using CATIA. I believe they were designed in C3P I-DEAS. Yes, definitely a ton of CAD talent in the area. Good luck with the project. You may find a market for them. I noticed a guy just joined this forum and is selling custom Explorer emblems in the 3rd gen section.

 

[loooney2ns]

How about trying to modify a set for an older Ranger? They should be close in size.

 

[jbejster]

A good suggestion. I've been keeping my eyes open for flare off another vehicle that might work. I'll look at the Ranger flares.

How about trying to modify a set for an older Ranger? They should be close in size.