As you can plainly see the massive 35"
Goodyear meats need to be covered. This is a fairly dramatic picture as
we have removed the factory flares. This current setup is a ticket
waiting to happen.
The only real work to this install is removing
the factory flares, the '88 had a lot of crap inside the
wheelwells and it was a bit tough to remove the factory hardware
because it was rusted. Nothing is as easy as it looks. While we were
at it the side steps had to go too, future plans call for rock
guards on the side.
These are the parts you have to become
familiar with. Pop rivet, washer, plastic seat and black plastic
cap. Now all you need is a drill, bit and pop rivet gun.
The front Bushwacker flares are the
easy ones to install as they just hang on the front fender.
Once you have them hanging make sure you line up the rear
edge with the fender line. The dust arrows say it all.
Insert the pop rivet in the hole
and stand back again, make sure its straight! I started
at the front and alternated between the rear to make
sure it didn't go on crooked. Of some importance is
the way the pop rivets go on, you have to push them
through the clear plastic buttons and then rivet them in
place, if you can reach behind what you are drilling
through I recommend using a supplied washer.
The rear was relatively easy;
the hardest part is holding the flare and drilling
the holes at the same time. I started at the top of
the flare and worked my way out. The Bushwacker
flare has a lip on the bottom so all you have to do
is place the lip against the Jeep body, make sure
the rear leading edge matches the body line at the
rear of the Jeep and drill your first hole. The
entire installation after the factory flares were
removed took about an hour and a half.
This is the picture that
made us fall in love. This photo is courtesy of
Bushwacker.
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