Removing EB Flares?

I'm thinking about taking off my factory flares and running boards and Monochroming my Whole Explorer White. I know i'm destroying a perfectly good Eddie Bauer but there are way too many truck just like mine and I can't lower it or put different wheels on and make it look right.

Does anyone know if the body is painted and presentable behind the factory flares?? Or would I have to have it painted? Also, I'd like to keep the running boards but I don't know if there is anyway to make them blend without the flares. Lastly, can I paint the bumper, grill, airdam etc in front fairly easy??

Thanks.

 

[Jason_25]

Brad, i'm curious, are your front fender flares just as wide as your rear ones?

 

[CougarX]

Truthfully I have no idea. I'll check tomorrow (my trucks in campus parking garage). As far as I know they are but I've never actually measured.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Hey, why don't you just repaint the flares and running boards?? I personally think that it's not an Eddie Bauer without its fender flares. Ya know what I mean??

 

[nosaj122081]

IMHO way more trouble than it would be worth...

The body is painted under the flares, but it is gonna be dirty and rough, and it would take lots of work to blend it with the exposed paint.

The biggest obsticle would be the mounting holes. The flares are connected with push-in fasteners through holes in the body. To fix those holes, you'd need to weld them up, grind down the welds smooth, run a film of bondo over the ground welds, sand, smooth, prime, and paint. Lots of work.

Don't know about the running boards, I have factory step bars, and my bumpers and grilles are painted so not sure about that either.

 

[funksta818]

IMHO way more trouble than it would be worth...

The body is painted under the flares, but it is gonna be dirty and rough, and it would take lots of work to blend it with the exposed paint.

The biggest obsticle would be the mounting holes. The flares are connected with push-in fasteners through holes in the body. To fix those holes, you'd need to weld them up, grind down the welds smooth, run a film of bondo over the ground welds, sand, smooth, prime, and paint. Lots of work.

Don't know about the running boards, I have factory step bars, and my bumpers and grilles are painted so not sure about that either.

can't you just bondo the holes instead of welding them shut?