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C3 Corvette Fender Flares - Open Wide

1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
Since the fiberglass will... 
   
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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
Since the fiberglass will bond to our cardboard mold, it was covered with vinyl tape so that it can be removed once the 'glass cured. The top tape layer tucked a fraction of an inch under the cut edges at the wheel lips and quarter, leaving the cut edge fully exposed.
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
Next, the fiberglass was laid... 
   
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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
Next, the fiberglass was laid over the temporary mold; it took about 5-6 layers to equal the thickness of the original material and sit flush, then another layer on top just overlapping both sides a little for strength.
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
The finished fiberglass work... 
   
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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
The finished fiberglass work showed a very accurate net shape for our revised fender. After the 'glass cured, the mold and bracing brackets were removed and the seams were overlapped with 'glass from the inside, providing full strength to the bridge section of the flare.
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
A D/A air sander with #40-grit... 
   
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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
A D/A air sander with #40-grit discs was used to rough-finish to raw fiberglass. We sanded back any high spots until the entire surface was a smooth flowing curve.
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
A layer of Mar Glass reinforced... 
   
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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
A layer of Mar Glass reinforced filler was used next to fill and smooth the flare. It is best to apply the material in one clean continuous wipe.
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
We worked the Mar Glass with... 
   
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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
We worked the Mar Glass with a body file before it reached full hardness. One layer was enough to get the shape nearly perfect.
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
Once the Mar Glass reached... 
   
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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
Once the Mar Glass reached full hardness, the rough filed surface was smoothed by sanding with relatively coarse #40-grit paper on a sanding block.
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
Reinforced filler like Mar... 
   
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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
Reinforced filler like Mar Glass cannot be worked to a perfectly smooth and fine finish. To take our new flare to this level, we gave the entire surface a thin wipe of filler, and block sanded with #80-grit, followed by #180-grit paper.
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
Once sanded and sprayed with... 
   
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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
Once sanded and sprayed with a coat of primer, the new flare looked great. We achieved our goal of retaining the original character of the fender line, while providing for substantially increased tire clearance.
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
From the front, we were quite... 
   
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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
From the front, we were quite pleased with the nice tapered flow of the flare from the door seam out to the fender lip. This is an area where many flare designs can look rather abrupt as the fender line moves outward.

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1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares 1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares 1976 Chevrolet Corvette Fender Flares
 
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