They Dont Have to Stay White - How To Paint Your Fiberglass Fenders
| Here are the fenders in question we picked up from Hannemann Fiberglass. They are constructed out of fiberglass and provide the necessary clearance for our long-travel suspension. The gelcoat finish is superb, as is the quality of the fenders themselves. They are thick enough to not be flimsy and feature an inner fender area to cut down on the possibility of rock chips on the back of the fender.
We are seeing a trend here in California that's turning toward lifted, bulged-fendered trucks. When completed, this type of rig is not only a mode of transportation, but also a big toy you can play with. If you think hitting switches and draggin' your truck is fun, just think how killer it would be to launch your truck Dukes of Hazzard-style.
One problem we see within this trend is the fact that the fenders aren't getting painted. We have seen way too many of these trucks sporting the white finish of the gelcoat instead of the body color of the truck. We don't know if it's a badge of honor to leave it or just a "I can't paint, so I am not doing it" situation. Now, if you don't have the cash because you just spent a couple grand on the suspension, we understand. But don't you think that for about $500 (California prices) it's worth it to have the job done in order to complete the look? We do.
| Here they are on the truck. As you can see, the suspension sticks the tires well past where the stock fenders would be, so they are a necessity. But that doesn't mean they have to stay white.
We installed a set of Hannemann 4-inch bulged fenders on a Tacoma project. If the truck was white, we probably wouldn't worry too much, because of how nice the gelcoat finish is. The truck in question, however, was black, so as nice as the coat was, it still stuck out like a sore thumb. We took a trip to Performance Paint in Torrance, California, and spoke to owner Gary Svecko, our local king of the paint gun, to have them sprayed. This shop is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and talented collision repair specialists, and it shows in the quality of job they did for us.
