1966 Ford Mustang Fender Flares - Build Your Own Fender Flares

Here is the '71 flare after it has been cut from the fender. Mani marked the fender 1/4 inch outside of where the taper begins. He carefully cuts it out using a cut-off wheel, tin snips, and power sheers. Mani points to the drop off that is factory on the '71 but not on the '66. Jeff wanted to keep the look closer to that of the '66, so Mani will be removing the flat edge.

The '66 Mustang wheel openings are significantly smaller than those of the '71, so they would need to narrow the flare. Using a plumb bob, they mark the center of the '66 fender and mark the '71 flare's center using a square.

Mani fits them on the car until the look is just right. The overhang gives the car a slammed look. They use tape to attach the pieces so they can stand back and take a look.

Once the general position is established, Mani uses clekos to hold the panels in their final location. Clekos are like temporary rivets that use 1/8-inch holes to mount them. These holes will later be welded up.

Since they cut the original drop off on the '71 flare, the edge needs to be finished. Mani creates a cardboard template of the wheel opening. A new template will have to be made for each corner of the car to accommodate minor inconsistencies.

Mani bends a piece of wire to match the template that will be attached to the wheel opening. The closer the shape is to the template, the less it will fight you later on.

Here Mani uses simple spring clamps to hold the wire to the fender. These can be purchased at any hardware store. He also replaces the Clekos with self-tapping screws for a tighter fit.

Mani tack welds the wire onto the flare every couple inches. This helps keep the shape while they remove and replace the flare in the next couple steps.

Now is a great time to make a template of the wheel opening so it can be duplicated for the other side.

Between the tack welds, Mani cuts along the edge of the new flare through the original fender. On the backside, Mani peels away the old fender where the two overlap so there is an even transition from the old fender to the new flare.

Here you can see how the overlap fit has been turned into a butt joint.

Now is the time for any last minute adjustments before the flare is welded on completely. Mani uses a hammer and dolly to smooth out the metal.

They like to use a MIG welder to do the final weld because it keeps the heataffected zone relatively small. After each squirt of the welder, Mani cools off the weld with compressed air. This keeps the panel from getting distorted.

Metal finishing starts with a grinding disc, then ends with a 36-grit sanding pad seen here. When completed, the body should look like it came from the factory that way.