How to Create a Flair with no welding

1. People ask me about my flairs all the time. I am not a sheetmetal guy but this is how I made my flairs. • This procedure worked for me, you may need to significantly alter dimensions to arrive at what you want. • You should be able to buy all needed tools brand new for less that $500. How to Create a Flair with no welding Tools and material Layout and Determine Material size Cut out blank Reference Lines Create Flanged edge Shape Flange Shrink Edge Test Fit

2. Tools and Material • Tools needed: Bead roller, Shrinker, leather hammer, steel block • Material is .062 3003 H14 aluminum sheet

3. Layout using wheel dia and desired width • Draw a 180 degree arc with the radius equal to your tire diameter”A” The centerpoint should be 8” below the bottom of your sheet • Determine width of desired flair(distance from car body to outside wheel)”B” • Add A to B and using the same center point draw a second 180 degree arc • Material must be at least as wide as 2 times A+B Height is A+B - 8 inches

4. Cut out Blank • Using tin snips, a Sabre saw, or a Bandsaw, cut out your shape

5. Add Layout lines • Layout lines enable you to shrink symetrically from both sides of the flair centerline

6. Bead Roll 3/4” Flange • The bead roller is used to bend / form a 45 degree flange on the wheel opening of the flair. This will provide a defining edge between the flair face and tapered portion. • Adjust your rollers so they force a groove into the backside of the flair. • Set a stop on the backside of the material so the 3/4” flange will be consistant. • As you crank the material thru, lift with your left hand to force the material to bend upward

7. Hammer rolled flange to straighten • Using a smooth metal or wood block, support the rear of the flange while hammering with a leather or plastic hammer. • Object is to smooth out ripples and provide fairly flat surface to insert into shrinking dies

8. Shrinking The Flange • My shrinker is a kick press that I modifid to accept shrinking dies from one of those $180. Units • In the picture I am using my foot, you will be pulling a handle both do the same job • Starting at the center start shrinking the flange on 2” centers, go from the center out in both directions. • The more times you do it, the tighter the radius of the flair will become, I usually end up doing the whole thing 3 times on 2” centers, alternating my starting point.

9. After Shrinking • Flair now has almost finished shape • Reshrink to fine tune shape

10. Fitting to the car • This the hardest part, basically, lay the flair against the car and trim it to conform to the shape of the existing fender. • Draw a centerline on the fender and align the centerline of the flair with it. • Make sure the flair is centered front to rear and is high enough to allow for wheel movement. • You can still see the old flair that has not yet been removed, am using blocks to hold new flair in place

11. Attaching the Flair • Trim the flair until it follows the contour of your car to your satisfaction. • Make sure centerlines are aligned and height is correct. • Draw a line on the car along the outside of the flair. • Remove the flair and draw another line roughly 1” inside the line just drawn. • This second line will be your cut line to enlarge your wheel opening. • Now is the time to figure out how you are going to attach your flair.

12. A video I shot shrinking • http://overbeckmachine.com/Fiesta/shrinking_flair.MP4