Are the fender flares on a 2004 GMC removeable, and if so, is the area underneath them completely finished? Anyone running with them removed? I'm am going to order this week, and all of a sudden have decided I didn't care for the looks of them.

Yes, the same finish under the flair as rest of the truck.


But if you don't mine me asking, why do you want to remove them?


They protect the wheel house from getting all stone chipped.


Also they keep boneheads from banging their doors into your nice paint.

John,


I wasn't thinking about the "bonehead factor". That's a good point. I just don't like the way they look. I've got this thing about screw-on additions to the truck body....

There not screwed on there stuck to the body with 2 sided foam tape, and hooked with them push pins at the wheel opening.


You can be glad there like this now, they used to have 5, holes 1/2" in diameter drilled in the fender and box side to attache them to the body.


Used to really suck when A truck would come down the line drilled and didn't take the flair's.

You may regret taking them off. IMO I don't think as big as our trucks are they would look right without them. Just look at a 1/2 ton without them. Basically the same thing.

I took mine off on my last 2500HD and I really liked it better that way. I too don't like screw on additions to the body. RUST is the main problem here in Minnesota...


As for the stock flares - they will take you about an hour to remove. The body is painted under them... so take out the plastic plugs on them and carefully peel them back as they have double sided tape holding them on the fenders.

They will not cause rust. There is no bare metal to rust.

Here are some pics when I took my black ones off and had them painted. Take a look.


http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=542715&uid=437876

I asked a body shop about painting the ones I have and they told me that they could'nt because of the rough texture. What's the deal?Been shopping ebay for some painted ones but still have to match colors. There going for $125.00 a set.

DieselDude:


I went through the same thing. I ended up buying a set off EBay and getting them painted to match. I have a red truck and I hated the look of the black flares on in. I'm very happy I made the change, the painted flares and Escalade door handle really set it off and set it apart.


What I don't get is that you see "show" trucks all the time with the front and rear bumper valances painted. They are the same texture as the black stock flares, so you must be able to do it.

It can be done, but they need to be sanded to remove some of the texture, and have the crap primed out of them.