This is going to be costly. The tool maker used by this company happened to drive up as I was talking to the company president. Tool maker man estimated $12,000.00 to make the two sets of molds and install a cooling system in them to make the polyethylene form consistantly. My flares would be destroyed making the molds, thus I would have to purchase a set for myself.

I figure it would take 100+ willing purchasers to make this idea feasible. There is a market, though small and spread out across the world, for these fender flares. The plastics man suggested I phone Bushwacker (Portland, Oregon) and ask 1)if they would be willing to make another run of these 2)if the old dies or tooling still exist, and if so would Bushwacker sell and ship them to me 3)would Bushwacker care if the flares were reproduced.

Plastic man also brought up shipping costs, import taxes, container costs, and God knows how other many obstacles to sell these outside the continental USA. He did say, however, if he could get ahold of the original Bushwacker tooling he could reproduce the flares for under $250.00 per set.

I will make the call to Bushwacker in a few hours. Anybody out there have other ideas concerning this then lets hear them.

Hmmmmm... 12 Large for fender flares <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> Golly, sounds a little pricey. Just doing a rough-shot on the math. 25 sets = $550 each set. 50 sets = $290 each set. That's not factoring the difference in rear flares for the LWB-SWB. Seems cost-prohibitive unless we get ALOT more interest. Unless you can get Bushwacker to come up off the molds ( <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> yeah right <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> ) Good luck with that.
So far, you're getting an "A" for effort <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Tool-man is being reasonable. Parts are vacuum formed, and $3K for each pattern and alum water cooled 24 x 24 mold is a good estimate. Cheap actually, as the parts were also 5 axis CNC trimmed, which requires another set of largish fixtures.

One suggestion: it is as likely as not that Bushwhacker used a local vacuum former to make the parts on their behalf. You might try asking them if you can contact their former, who likely also still HAS their tooling. When I worked in the industry, it was typical for a marketer of lawn mowers <or whatever> to leave the cover molds in our inventory for years after the product was obsoleted.

If Bushwhacker doesn't have to 'fund the marketing' you are already doing on their behalf, they may be open to a 'one time license fee' for allowing the former to produce a private run of parts on their tools.

Just an idea. Its not an original one, if you have worked in the plastics industry.

--f

Just got off the phone with Kenneth Merritt, national sales manager of Bushwacker. He has been with the company nine years. He told me the "mold" is usually taken out of service and set aside, but the base is re-used. I am sending him an email, and he will do a search to see if he can locate the mold. He also stated he did not think Bushwacker would have a problem with anyone duplicating the set of flares.

When I receive a response from Kenneth Merritt, if the mold does still exist, I will forward that to Gary Webb at Multiplastics in Suwanee, GA as he told me this a.m. he could look at a photo and tell if he could re-use the mold.

Rear flares on a LWB will be another obstacle. Does anyone here have a LWB with Bushwackers on it?

For those of you who want a set, more will need to be sold to make these flares affordable. I cannot log into the Outerlimits board, due to changing my email addy a few months back. It would not hurt to make inquiries on other boards about flares.

Perhaps it would be easier to just convince bushwacker to make another run by getting enough advance orders to commit maybe get them to throw a minimum order number out to you and see if we can meet it. The LWB rear flares are completely different as they are in 2 seperater pieces to conform to the rear door openings.

Guys what about these, would they work ??? Can we get them shipped to the USA ???

http://www.oppositelock.com.au/rede...4&catID=21&itemID=D4001F

I'm still interested. Count me in. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

I Second that. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

what about a set of flares from a cherokee? They might work, but I don't have a monty handy to compare them to. That would give you about 1.25" ballpark, if they fit. And they are cheap like borscht in the scrap yards.

Wish they would fit, but I don't think they will, pretty sure they wont. Maybe someone else can chime in?