Fiberglass fender flares

[Nerd Racing]

I say send them as is so we don't have to wait longer and possibly pay more...

[drddan]

My Mitsubishi roots left me with a legacy of not only wanting but expecting retailers to have genuine interest in their customer base. The DSM/Eclipse market is so competitive that businesses have to cater and really draw in their customers because build quality was so high and loyalty was really low unless it was a premium product like Buschur for example. As such, most retailers like this chap would not only reply on time, they would also register on FordFestiva.com and get authenticated with the administrators for retailer status. This permitted easy management, easy communication, and really high quality/quantity purchasing exchanges.

It's one of the worst disasters imaginable in modern capitalism when the potential buyer has to scream "TAKE MY MONEY!" in order for retail exchange, growth, and commerce to commence. Nothing is more frustrating to either party.

You know Aaron, those are good points...all....and why I was getting leary of this guy..and why I sent the BS email to him. I mean if he wasnt going to make arches for us in the first place, it wasnt going to hurt to send an EM that made that point. If a person/company does have a product to sell, they will get back to you quickly!
On the other hand, apparently the company he works for DOES NOT make the arches...Rob does, and in his spare time at home. We all know how much "spare" time we all have! So it may take a while to get the sets made, ordered, and shipped.
Prompt EM replies is a good thing, holiday or not, and it wasnt very clear in his replies to us that we were to get the group buy together, and get back in touch with him. As can be seen, the replies to him were not answered for a month. Maybe he leaves the computer, and work , behind him while he is on holiday.
I do hope this all comes together, but I still have my doubts!

[Ghost]

i really need to get some pics of the inside of my wheel well. so you guys know what you are in for

[getnpsi]

I have a niche car as well where there were lots of "vendors" in the beginning and lots of good shops that catered to anything fast who made some quality pieces. Unfortunately most shops don't have their own lathes and cnc machines etc. so work was being sent out to their specs. However some of the really good or unique pieces that many people wanted were side projects from a young guy's school, or a side project where the guy only had access to facilities only once in a while. when the demand rolled in lot of people got labeled scammers and only the lucky few got to sport that actual products on their rides. Remember young guys seeing $4500 bucks at once in orders may catch up on personal bills or order more materials with no credit to back it up to be able to refund money when timeframe wasn't met or something else went wrong. When you do that practice and it works for you, you're a successful entrepreneur. When people start labeling you negative you might as well make a new screen name and have a brother in law front your "company."

[festyfreak39]

i really need to get some pics of the inside of my wheel well. so you guys know what you are in for

yah that would be interesting!

im def still in either way

Just waiting on a price +shipping.

[Nerd Racing]

Any word on this? I'll be needing them over the winter... or sooner!

[Safety Guy]

It's been almost a week and there has been no response. It is evident that there is a high interest in this type of wheel arch, so we should see if someone who does fiberglass stateside could do up a bunch for us. Shipping would be a lot cheaper, too!

There are two VW Cabrios (older Rabbit based) in a 'yard here in Columbus with two types of wheel arches. I'll see if I can post pics soon. They could serve as fitment parts and maybe base the arches we want on them.

Karl

[Safety Guy]

As I promised:

Cabrio with sideskirts:





And Karmann type with just flares:








I'm thinking since I already have one rear flare and sideskirt matching panel, I should grab the flares only from the Karmann. These might best be used to create molds for our wheel arches, with the addition of the screw spaces for that "industrial look."

The VW parts look like they would fit until they get to the bumper.rocker panel area, where they look a bit too curved to fit right. That's where a good fiberglass molding guy would come in to adapt the flares to our cars.

If this works with "just flares" then maybe we could also go the flares plus sideskirt route as well. But the flares alone would make an easier trial run and be cheaper and quicker.

Comments, ideas, etc?

Karl

[Nerd Racing]

as long as you can get the bolt on look I'd be down. I like the aggressive look they add.

[Safety Guy]

I know what you mean. Actually, I like both types, and would be fine with the "plain and smooth" Rabbit style for a car that I would want to be "understated." However, I want the ones I put on AquaMutt to be more "aggressive" like you say. I just called it "industrial."

A good fiberglass guy could possibly do both without too much trouble, but I do want the "aggressive/industrial" first.

Karl

[91_festy_Gl]

Im totally positive me and my brother could make them from fiberglass but we would have to make a mold and go from there. Im going to make my own set and see what happens. Does all rabbits have flares? If so there is one at the yard that could possibly be a donor for a mold.

[eurotiva]

Look at that rear shock.....WOW.

I'd like a set of smoothies possibly

[drddan]

I used to see the "industrial" look flares on jeeps, and other 4x4"s. The ones with the bolt look. There should be some around in JY's to copy the look.
Maybe use a smoothie from Cabrio to get the size, and the bolt type industrial from a 4x4 for the (fake) bolt pattern?
The male side of the mold would do both types, the female side would require 2. One for the smoothie, one for the bolt look.

[festivafeva]

has any progress been made on this topic?

[Safety Guy]

No. I never got a response from the UK guy, so I assume he isn't interested.

Right now I'm working on a water heater replacement for my house, so I'm a bit busy. I'm sure there are fiberglass folks here in the US who could fab this design up without too much trouble. How do we find and choose one?

Karl