Mouning MSA ZG flares on a 260Z (How-To)

[Zs-ondabrain]

So I broke down and finally bought the MSA ZG fender flares for my 260Z project. I hope to have the car done and driving down the road by spring of 2010. But we all know how that "Hope" can be changed to "wanted to be done"

So after looking at as many pictures as I could find, I think I figured out which flare goes where, as they are NOT marked with any kind of identifying marks to give you a clue. The fronts and rears are different so that makes that part easier. (Fronts are skinnier than the rears) The rears have a wider section on one part of the top than the other. The wider section, for some reason goes towards the doors. (I swapped flares for 1/2 hour till I came to the conclusion previously stated)

So my first post is going to be ONLY of the rear left fender. You have to pull (bend) the flaretowards the center to get the flares to line up with the wheel well, as they are molded Wide. Narrowing them bows the top out for that flared look.

I test fitted then and clamped them in place till I could drill and screw them in place, temporarily.

I drew the outline first, then measured about 1-1/8th down (in) and drew my cut line. As per instructions found on Hybridz.org I only cut the outer metal first. REMEMBER!!! The Z's are a Unibody car and the folded fenders hold the outer skin to the inner body, SO it must be welded back together or you'll lose the integrity of the body. So at the widest point, I gain about 2.5" of clearance for the 17X9.5 ROTA wheels that are planned for the future.

So the outer sheet metal is removed and the inner fender is cut with enough hangover to fold the metal upwards and be able to tack it to the outer metal as shown above and below.

I'm going to bed but will keep adding to this as I go along. I promise.

I'm also doing the doglegs at the same time so it may take a while longer than previously thought.

Edited June 21, 2009 by Zs-ondabrain

[Zs-ondabrain]

OK, So I woke up late and got to work anyways. I bolted the flare to the remaining wheel well. And in the process of all this, I discovered just how bad my Dogleg was and went to work on that as well.

I'm also filling the 260Z bumper shock holes and the fender indents on the quarter panels. Hope the pictures help any and all.

Dave

[shamus1980]

Very interesting, thanks for the detailed pics, definitely appreciated.

How much metal ended up being removed from the inner wheel arches to meet it up with the outers? I've got some rust holes there that will hopefully be removed without needing to add new metal when I do my gaurds.

Also did you try several positions for the height of the wheel flare or did you line it up with the height of the original outer lip? I've heard some people say they dropped theirs down to reduce any gap from wheel to flare. Did they sit neatly any lower?

Good luck with the rest of the job. I'll be watching with interest.

[jmortensen]

lso did you try several positions for the height of the wheel flare or did you line it up with the height of the original outer lip? I've heard some people say they dropped theirs down to reduce any gap from wheel to flare. Did they sit neatly any lower?

I'm not sure how Dave did this, but I'll tell you how I did it, as I think my way is the "proper" way. I cut and welded, then put the suspension and wheel on the car without the spring and compressed it all the way and made sure there was tire clearance. There wasn't. So I cut and welded more. The second time I had enough clearance.

If you don't have enough clearance then when the tire comes up it will hit the flare (which is less resilient than the tire) and potentially also hit the metal edge of the fender. We've all seen what happens when people run tires that are too wide for stock fenders: the fender cuts a nice groove in the tread of the tire. That is what you should be trying to avoid, and if there is a gap to the tire at the "proper" height, then the flare should be adjusted for length, not its mounting point.

I think I got my methodology from John Coffey. Here's some pictures on his Beta Motorsports webpage: http://www.betamotorsports.com/services/Flares.html

Looks like very nice work Dave!

Edited June 22, 2009 by jmortensen

[John Coffey]

The definitive thread:

http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=113064

[Zs-ondabrain]

I got a lot of tips from "The Definitive Thread" That Blue Z is absolutely Gorgeous and also a big inspiration for wanting to do this and show the work involded in the process. The HybridZ thread left a few unanswered questions that were very apparent while doing the first mock-ups.

Where to start? How high for each specific aplication and tire size? Lowered car or not? The variences are infinate....

I have an idea of what tire and wheel combo I will have but doing the ZG flares first will help when measuring to fill the arch and well, in a manner that will look and operate best.

And I figure that with an additional 2.5+ inches of upper clearance, I won't have hitting or rubbing issues with wider tires.

**ALSO** The design of the MSA flares was a major factor in determiniing where and how they would sit and be mounted. They were basically flat and need to be bent inwards to match up with the fender lips, which also makes the flare more rigid and tight. Who knows, I might not even like the look when all is said and done, but that's next year and by that time, I may not even give a crap and just want to drive the damn car, finally.

Edited June 22, 2009 by Zs-ondabrain

[jmortensen]

And I figure that with an additional 2.5+ inches of upper clearance, I won't have hitting or rubbing issues with wider tires.

If you did, you could just run longer bumpstops and limit the amount of suspension travel, if there was a reasonable amount up to the point where the tire hit the fender.

[Zs-ondabrain]

If you did, you could just run longer bumpstops and limit the amount of suspension travel, if there was a reasonable amount up to the point where the tire hit the fender.

Exactly!! and funny enough, I need to pull the springs on the rears to install the bump stops, that I found on the shelf, AFTER I assembled the rear struts..... LOL Oh well, at least they are clean and not on the car yet, before I found my mistake.

[John Coffey]

FYI... the link Jon posted above was a flare cut to fit 285/30-18s on 10.5" wide wheels for a car with a 6 1/2" ride height. Its the most extreme cut I've ever made and not something anyone on this board needs to do.

[John Coffey]

Where to start? How high for each specific aplication and tire size? Lowered car or not? The variences are infinate....

Actually, the variables go away once you make the following decisions:

1. Wheel and tire size.

2. Ride height.

3. Spring and shock.

4. Strut length.

Do not cut any sheet metal until you make those four decisions in the order I list.

[Zs-ondabrain]

Standard driven 260Z (not a racer or driven like one)

Eibach PR lowering springs (MSA Bought) About 1.5" drop from stock height.

KYB Struts

17 X 10 Rota RB w/ 35mm Offset (I think)

25mm front and 19mm rear sway bars

So stiffer but comfy and lower but not extremely low. correct height tires but much wider (I'm thinking 275 or 265 / on 45 series 17's.)

What is the correct height of the stock tire (in inches, tall?)

and what combo is the correct one for a 17" wheel ___/__? (265/45? or 265/50?) Anyone know for sure.?? I'm doing the ZX rear disck brake conversion, but should I mount the wheels directly onto the stub axle or should I use a plate that is the same thickness as the previous brake drum??? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[tiresmokindad]

Nice MSA ZG flares! It looks good. I think I can do the same procedure as yours!