Overdrive

April 2014

Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info

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Custom Rigs FendeRs 56 | Overdrive | April 2014 By Tara Bullock Hogebuilt provides premium fenders and custom brackets that are suspension-specific for the customer's truck. The Nashville, Tenn.-based company uses 304 stainless steel designed not to rust or chip, and its prod- ucts also feature a 3-inch slide flange. Hogebuilt's Full Tandem Flanged Fender (pic- tured) is made of one solid sheet of stainless steel. Hogebuilt, hogebuilt.com Impact-resistant Double Hump Talladega Fiberglass used its knowledge of boat manufacturing to enter the fiberglass business 25 years ago. The Lincoln, Ala.-based company's impact-resistant Gangsta Double Hump fenders (pictured) are designed for a custom look. All fend- ers from Talladega Fiberglass have built-in liners and come with a five- year warranty. Talladega Fiberglass, talladegafiberglass.com HOW TO INSTALL FENDERS Fenders from most major fiberglass fender manufacturers come with marked drill spots, which helps make installation easier. To find out if the drill spots work, Nic Gillan, product engineer for Outlaw Customs, recom- mends clamping the fenders in place and find- ing the drill locations by leveling the front of the fender with the bottom of the truck's grille, and mark the drill spots if necessary. Most of the time, the dimpled marks will line up with the holes in the truck's hood, Gillan says. While the fender is clamped for fitting, figure out any clearance issues or personal height preferences. Measure the desired height, and use a piece of tape as a cutting line to ensure a level, even cut. A thin metal-cutting blade will cut the fiberglass easily, Gillan says, and the saw choice is up to the user. The fenders come with a smooth gel-coat fin- ish, and Gillan says a light sanding job is required to rough up the gel-coat and make the paint stick. Gillan hits the fenders with 80-grit, then moves to a finer grit – 180- to 220-grit works fine, he says. After the sanding work, check one more time that the fender's bolt holes are lined properly with their counterparts on the truck. "After that, pull them off, and get them painted," Gillan says. "Then use grade A bolts to fasten them on." Hogebuilt uses 304 stainless Fenders.indd 56 4/2/14 10:40 AM

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