Xmas Update!

Well i promised an update on the '88 around Xmas, so here it is:
​
First things first: Reinstalled the brake booster/master on firewall and then removed the steering column in trade for my original column. I also managed to find an 87-91 wheel w/o the cruise buttons which will be going on at a later date

So, then this happened:
​
​Front clip + 42s back on!!!

​Truck is so big, the garage door wouldnt open if the hard top was on!

​The front clip was inevitable. I needed the 42s on though. Since i want it to be a bit more streetable, last year i bought a set of Bushwacker cut-out flares. But, i dont like the look of the 87-96 flares, so i bought 80-86 instead. Since they technically dont fit, i couldnt follow the directions to install them. So instead i needed the tires on the bronco so i could figure out where the flares actually need to go. So, here we go!
I started at the rear left, because gas filler door.
Cardboard mockup of sheetmetal to be removed:

some rust thats gonna have to go:

Bam! Flare mocked up!

​Its impossible to get good pics with this side against the wall.
I have the filler door cut and sitting on my work bench, need to get that reinstalled.

​Passenger side installed!

​Looks good, i really like the shape of these flares

They just barely cover the tires

​With the rear done, i can move on to the front:

​This shows the absolute minimal amount of sheetmetal you can remove to install the flares. Its mostly in the corners

​Flare mocked up

​The corner will get cut off, but not till way later down the road, when i get around to building a front bumper

​The money shot: This shows how much more material i can remove w/o impacting the install of the flare. More on this later.

​Driver-side cut

​Rust: repaired

So, here's the plan. Once all 4 flares are 'installed', ill then remove them. Plan is to install riv-nuts in the fenders, and use machine screws to hold them in place. I want to be able to easily remove them when i go wheeling. Theyre too expensive to smash on a tree!

So, back to these two pics:
This actually looks like a pretty good amount of room for the 42s. Most of the clearance issues i ever had were at the corners anyway, not at the top.

​However, as you can see from this pic, theres lot of more sheet metal i can remove, and still be able to reinstall the flare:

​So the plan now is to open the wheel wells up a tad bit more, install riv-nuts and then weld them back together again. My goal is to have a nice open wheel well for wheeling, and then install the flares over top of them for when im not offroad. But before i can cut the wheel wells any further, i need to reinstall the fender liners, and see what i can get away with. Thats why im doing the front first; once i get a final shape to the fronts ill remove the rear flares and do the same. Then the flares can go back in their boxes, and the 42s can come back off, until way later down the road.

---