96 GMC K2500 Suburban Restoration (with a couple of mods)

[South VA]

noooooo!!!

I get it, it's becoming your baby, and you want her to look great/perfect, but I'd stay focused on the mechanicals if it were me. It's just you and her and she don't care. As it is, she doesn't just look good doing chores now, she looks great, gaps and all.

Thank you for that. I love the way it looks too! And there's plenty left to do mechanically, mostly odds and ends at this point.

Losing the flares will dramatically change that truck, especially with the two-tone.

I fully agree with you and @OutlawDrifter on this. It makes my head hurt to think about it.

With the new garage, exposure will be limited anyway. It was a southwest truck and has just been thru a full body prep/paint. We'll all be dead by the time that beauty has a rust problem.

That's a good point, it will be parked in the garage. I don't know about removing the flares for detailing as suggested by @fancyTBI but I'll look into it. Maybe it's not as tough to do as I'm imagining. I could certainly use air to blow out behind them as suggested by @400Rogue. Maybe that would work well enough. Fortunately I've got some time to think about it, as Jim couldn't get to it for another month anyway, when the weather is more reliably warmer.

 

[GrimsterGMC]

The problem with these aftermarket flares is that they don't fit quite right. The rears are misaligned, and all of them have visible gaps between the flare and the body. Which makes it easy for water and debris to enter and become trapped.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

It's not a garage queen, but I'd like it to look good while doing its work.

Looking at those pictures the flares are sitting too low and are rubbing on the fresh paint, I would certainly remove and realign them before they wear right through that paint and cause rust to start. My flares were the same in that they wouldn't sit snug against the panel but they came with double sided foam tape to hold them in tight. Unfortunately the foam tape breaks down so I have purchased some better tape that is still thick but has no foam and will be removing and replacing them shortly, it will be interesting to see how much muck has got in behind them when I do. Without the added width of the flare you will be getting more mud splashing and stone chips so it's best to leave them on but get them fitting better.

 

[South VA]

Looking at those pictures the flares are sitting too low and are rubbing on the fresh paint, I would certainly remove and realign them before they wear right through that paint and cause rust to start. My flares were the same in that they wouldn't sit snug against the panel but they came with double sided foam tape to hold them in tight. Unfortunately the foam tape breaks down so I have purchased some better tape that is still thick but has no foam and will be removing and replacing them shortly, it will be interesting to see how much muck has got in behind them when I do. Without the added width of the flare you will be getting more mud splashing and stone chips so it's best to leave them on but get them fitting better.

Jim said that once they're on there for awhile, they tend to maintain whatever shape they've taken. I have considered finding a better set and having those installed, so they fit properly. Of course that's more expense, because the flares would have to be painted. But it might turn out to be worth doing, if I decide to keep the flares.

 

[GrimsterGMC]

Jim said that once they're on there for awhile, they tend to maintain whatever shape they've taken. I have considered finding a better set and having those installed, so they fit properly. Of course that's more expense, because the flares would have to be painted. But it might turn out to be worth doing, if I decide to keep the flares.

My flares were supplied by Xenon and they said that they may change shape in transit but to leave them laying out in the sun and they will return to original shape. They didn't, and required the double sided foam tape to pull the tops in and over time they still pulled that away as the foam deteriorate. So now that I am not concerned about pulling the fresh paint off I will replace the tape with super sticky panel bonding tape that has no foam in the middle to break down. I don't honestly think that you will find a set that will sit perfect so just try and lift those ones so that they don't have that rub point at the bottom off the instep so they don't get grit in there and chaff through the paint.

 

[South VA]

Still going back and forth on removing the flares.

In other news, a week from this coming Monday is our first camping trip of the season. It will be a comparatively short and easy trip. Time to prep the camper and Subdivision.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

+1 for Team Flares

 

[fancyTBI]

+1 for Team Flares

#teamflare

 

[South VA]

Thursday morning, and our camping trip starts Monday. I have done nothing in the way of prep for this trip.

The Subdivision hasn’t been started for over a week. Yesterday I also realized that the camper needs to be dewinterized. Plus it needs a good washing.

Time to break out the checklists and get busy.

 

[South VA]

Made it to the campground yesterday afternoon. Noticed the temp was just over 210°, and thinking I’ll install that new fan clutch I have on hand before summer. 85° F on the way down here.

We booked this trip to see the azaleas in the mansion gardens. They’re about a week past prime. Still beautiful.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Looks like a cool trip!

Were you working it hard when it was 210*? I've had mine run between 205-210* running down the interstate into a headwind with an enclosed trailer at 72mph.

Make sure all the fins are clean in your respective coolers to let the airflow through.