Instructions
|
 |
This is a shot of everything you should get with your Bushwacker Flat Style Fender Flares. Double check the contents for any missing or damaged parts prior to starting this project. |
Front Fender Installation Instructions
|
 |
1. Place your Bushwacker Flat Fender on a clean protected surface so that you have access to the inside face which will be mounted to the body of your Jeep. Then, take the double edge-tape trim and orient it over the fender’s edge so that the channel side is pointing down and facing the edge as shown in this pic. |
 |
 |
 |
| 2. Peel back about 2″-3″ of the edge trim backing. Then, starting just past the tube feature, affix the trim along the top edge of the fender as shown. |
3. Begin pulling the red backing off from underneath in 1 ft. increments and press the trim onto the fenders edge. Stop the trim at the opposite end of the fender just before the tube feature and then cut it with a pair of scissors. |
4. There are 4 small bolts under your Jeep JK Wrangler’s front fenders that will need to be removed using a 10mm socket. The 1st of these bolts can be seen in this pic. |
 |
 |
 |
| 5. The 2nd bolt can be found just in front of the metal support bracket as shown. |
6. The 3rd bolt is located on the bottom of the metal support bracket as shown. |
7. The 4th bolt is located further back and up inside a hole as shown in this pic. |
 |
 |
 |
| 8. Reach behind the side marker light, grab the plug, twist and remove it from the lens housing. Follow the wiring harness back to the grill and unplug it there as well. |
9. Grab the front of your fender and pull it firmly away and free from the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler. This action will cause a lot of noises that won’t sound right but trust me, this is totally normal. |
10. More than likely, you will have a few fender clips still attached to the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler. Use a trim tab removal tool to pry them free. |
 |
 |
 |
| 11. Using a trim tab removal tool, extract the push tabs securing the fender sub-structure to the fender pants. There is one large threaded engager toward the back of the fender and that can be removed by hand. |
12. The edge of the factory flares are riveted to the sub-structure. Use a trim tab removal tool to pry them apart. |
13. Place one of the provided 1.25″ washers on 2 of the factory bolts and use them to reinstall the fender pants on your Jeep JK Wrangler as shown. |
 |
14. Using the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler as a template, carefully trace the edge of it on top of the fender pants. A grease pencil will work best for this job but a standard lead pencil or marker will do the job as well. |
 |
 |
 |
| 15. Hold the fender pants in place and draw a line on it from the edge of the body to the edge of the grill. |
16. Remove the fender pants and then, using a utility knife or other suitable cutting tool, cut off the front extension at the line you had drawn in step #15. |
17. Using a utility knife or other suitable cutting tool, continue to trim down your fender pants at the line you had drawn in step #14. |
 |
18. Hold the fender pants up in the wheel well of your Jeep JK Wrangler and double check to make sure that the plastic edge does not protrude beyond the body. If it does, carefully trim off more of the plastic. Optimally, you’ll want the plastic to be sitting right at the edge of the body. If you remove too much, the Bushwacker flares will not be able to hold them in place properly. |
 |
 |
 |
| 19. Thoroughly clean up the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler using a damp cloth and then dry. |
20. Starting on the front driver side of your Jeep JK Wrangler, locate the 3 inner mounting pieces marked D1, D2 and D7 as shown. When you get to the passenger side, they will have the same number but the first letter will be a “P”. |
21. Install the speed clips over the pre-drilled holes along the bottom edge of the plastic inner mounting pieces. Make sure that the threaded side is pointing inward and that the holes are centered. |
 |
22. Place washers onto the 5/16″ bolts provided and use them to loosely hold the forward most Bushwacker inner mounting pieces onto the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler. |
 |
 |
 |
| 23. Put a piece of masking tape one side of a 1/2″ wrench and the place one of the provided nuts on it as shown. |
24. Use the 1/2″ wrench to hold the mounting nut up in between the body and loosely thread the bolt onto to it. Repeat this step for all the other bolts. |
25. As in steps 22-24, use the provided bolts to hold the rearward inner mounting piece and then loosely secure it in place with a nut. |
 |
26. Using a 1/2″ socket and wrench, carefully tighten the nuts and bolts securing the inner mounting pieces. You just need to tightened them to the point where the plastic mounting pieces are just snug up against the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler and that the washers do not spin. It is important that you DO NOT over tighten these bolts and nuts as that will deform the pieces and make the completion of this install difficult if not impossible. |
 |
 |
 |
| 27. Hold the small middle inner mounting piece over the 2 other pieces and then secure it in place using the plastic push retainers provided with the kit. |
28. Reconnect the side marker wiring harness to the plug near the grill of your Jeep JK Wrangler. |
29. Start the reinstallation of your Jeep JK Wrangler’s fender pants by securing it to the forward most mounting hole using a provided plastic push retainer. |
 |
 |
 |
| 30. Making sure that the side marker light wiring harness is routed up to the fender metal support bracket and hanging outside of the fender pants. |
31. Using a 10mm socket, secure the fender pants in place using the 2 factory bolts with supplied 1.25″ washers. |
32. Reinstall the large threaded plastic engage back onto the rear most hole as shown. |
 |
 |
 |
| 33. Using a pair of wire cutters, cut the plug off the factory side marker light. |
34. Strip the ends of the wires and install the provided female bullet connectors to the end of them using a pair of Solderless wire crimps. Seal the base of the connectors with electrical tape. |
35. Take the new side marker light provided with the kit and feed the wires through the center hole on the Bushwacker fenders as shown. |
 |
36. Hold one of the provided mounting nuts with a pair of needle nose pliers and carefully extended it toward the light fixture. Holding the nut in place, use your other hand to slowly thread a mounting screw onto the nut and just get it finger tight. Repeat process with the other screw. Space it very tight and this may take a few tries to get on. |
 |
37. Using an 11/32″ socket attached to a long ratchet extension, hold the side marker light mounting nut in place and then tighten the mounting screw using a phillips head screwdriver as shown. |
 |
38. Making sure that the threaded side is pointing up, install a speed clip onto the metal fender support bracket. |
 |
39. Open up one of the alcohol application pads and use it to thoroughly clean the surface just above the plastic inner mounting pieces attached to your Jeep JK Wrangler. |
 |
 |
 |
| 40. Plug in the new side marker light wires into the factory wiring harness. |
41. Turn on your side marker lights to test them out. If they do not come on, you will need to switch the wires. |
42. Peel back 1″-2″ of the edge trim backing and fold it toward the outside. |
 |
43. Position the Bushwacker Flat fender over the plastic inner mounting pieces, tuck the side marker light wiring inside the flare and then push it on until it’s sitting flush up against the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler. Make sure that the fender pants are tucked up behind the flare. |
 |
44. Insert a scratch awl, center punch or other pointed tool up through the mounting holes located on the bottom of the Bushwacker Flat Fenders. Use the tool to help line up the speed clips inside with the holes on the fender. |
 |
45. Push on the Bushwacker Flat Fender to hold it in place and then screw in the pan head screw into each of the mounting holes as shown. A phillips head screwdriver will be needed for this job. |
 |
 |
 |
| 46. Lightly push down on the Bushwacker Flat Fender and peel off the red edge trim backing. |
47. Push the Bushwacker Flat Fender firmly up against the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler for about 10 seconds. |
48. Insert the provided edge trim tool in between the trim and the fender. Then, starting from one end, push and slide the tool along the edge all the way to the other side. |
Rear Fender Installation Instructions
|
 |
 |
 |
| 1. Using a trim tab removal tool, pry off the plastic push fastener located on the forward part of the rear fender pants as shown. |
2. Using a trim tab removal tool, pry off the 2 plastic push fasteners located on the upper part of the fender pants. |
3. Using a trim tab removal tool, pry off the 2 plastic push fasteners located on the side of the fender pants. |
 |
 |
 |
| 4. Grab the front of your fender and pull it firmly away and free from the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler. Again, this action will cause a lot of noises that won’t sound right but trust me, this is totally normal. |
5. As be fore, you will more than likely have a few fender clips still attached to the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler. Use a trim tab removal tool to pry them free. |
6. The edge of the factory flares are riveted to the fender pants. Use a trim tab removal tool to pry them apart. |
 |
 |
 |
| 7. Thoroughly clean up the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler using a damp cloth and then dry. |
8. Loosely reinstall your rear fender pants using 2 plastic push tabs provided with the kit. Remember to just barely push them in so that they can be easily removed. |
9. Using the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler as a template, carefully trace the edge of it on top of the fender pants. A grease pencil will work best for this job but a standard lead pencil or marker will do the job as well. |
 |
 |
 |
| 10. Making sure to INCLUDE the mounting tab, use a utility knife or other suitable cutting tool to trim down your fender pants at the line you had drawn in step #9. |
11. There is a part of your Jeep JK Wrangler’s body that dips inward towards the forward half of the wheel well and you need to make sure that the fender pants is trimmed for it as well or else it will not fit properly during the final install. |
12. Use a utility knife to clean up and flatten the edge of the upper mounting tabs. |
 |
 |
 |
| 13. Measure 1/8″ below the hole on the rear most upper mounting tab and mark it with a center punch. |
14. Using a 5/16″ bit, drill a hole through the mark you just made in step #13. |
15. Just like you did up front, locate the 3 inner mounting pieces marked D5, D6 and D9 as shown. The passenger side will have the same number but will have the letter “P” instead. |
 |
 |
 |
| 16.Install the speed clips over the pre-drilled holes along the bottom edge of the plastic inner mounting pieces. Make sure that the threaded side is pointing inward and that the holes are centered. |
17. Hold up the forward most plastic inner mounting piece up to the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler and then secure it in place using the plastic push retainers provided. |
18. Hold up the rear most plastic inner mounting piece up to the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler and then secure it in place using 3 plastic push retainers in the 3 rear most holes. |
 |
19. Secure the 2 remaining mounting holes with the 5/16″ bolts, washers and nuts provided. A 1/2″ socket and wrench will be needed for this job. As before, it is very important that you just tighten the bolts and nuts to the point where the plastic mounting pieces are just snug up against the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler and that the washers do not spin. It is important that you DO NOT over tighten these bolts and nuts as that will deform the pieces and make the completion of this install difficult if not impossible. |
 |
 |
 |
| 20. Place the small middle plastic inner mounting piece between the 2 other pieces and secure it in place with a plastic push retainer as shown. |
21. Reinstalling the rear fender pants and secure the 2 upper mounting tabs to the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler using the 1/4″ plastic retainers provided. |
22. Secure the 3 inner mounting holes to the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler using the 1/4″ plastic retainers provided. |
 |
 |
 |
| 23. Open up one of the alcohol application pads and use it to thoroughly clean the surface just above the plastic inner mounting pieces attached to your Jeep JK Wrangler. |
24. Peel back 1″-2″ of the edge trim backing and fold it toward the outside. |
25. Position the Bushwacker Flat fender over the plastic inner mounting pieces and then push it on until it’s sitting flush up against the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler. Make sure that the fender pants are tucked up behind the flare. |
 |
 |
 |
| 26. Insert a scratch awl, center punch or other pointed tool up through the mounting holes located on the bottom of the Bushwacker Flat Fenders. Use the tool to help line up the speed clips inside with the holes on the fender. |
27. Push on the Bushwacker Flat Fender to hold it in place and then screw in the pan head screw into each of the mounting holes as shown. A phillips head screwdriver will be needed for this job. |
28. Lightly push down on the Bushwacker Flat Fender and peel off the red edge trim backing. |
 |
29. Push the Bushwacker Flat Fender firmly up against the body of your Jeep JK Wrangler for about 10 seconds. |
 |
30. Insert the provided edge trim tool in between the trim and the fender. Then, starting from one end, push and slide the tool along the edge all the way to the other side. |
And with that, you’re done. Take a step back and admire your Jeep JK Wrangler cause it should be a real looker now. |
After Shots
|
 |
 |
 |
| To see more pics of what your Jeep JK Wrangler can look like with Bushwacker Flat Fenders installed, click on the link below:Bushwacker Flat Fender Photo Gallery |
What are your specs on the lift, tires, etc on the jeep shown in your bushwacker installation?
Please email me the details.
as you see it in this installation, the JK is running an Old Man Emu Long Travel Lift which yields a bit over 3″ of lift. the tires are 35″ goodyear MT/R’s mounted on stock wheels and spidertrax wheel spacers.
Thanks for the lift info.
Any chance you have your writeup in PDF format or something? I’d like to print it off for my installation, but it doesn’t format properly.
I installed new bushwackers flat fenders on my 07 jk in july 10, now that it is done the side marker lights don’t work, I have tried all types of ways to get them to work but nothing works, any advice?
just to make sure, did you try reversing your wires – black to white and white to black? also, did you verifiy that the plug is in securely?
That’s interesting. I installed mine last November and have had the same problems with the side marker lights no longer working. I’ve tried reversing the wires, checked all the fuses. The front and rear’s still work, just not the sides.
Thanks for the write up WOL, helps seeing actual colored pictures rather than black and white in the instructions, did the front two fenders tonight, going to start on the back tomorrow. The first one was pretty dang difficult but the second went very fast. Couldnt get every screw to line up though, Think I have 5 out of 7 on both and one lock nut on the driver side got messed up, wouldnt tighten or loosen. Other than my few problems, great write up! helped me out a ton
Are these the wide or narrow bushwacker finders?
is anyone running the flares and 35’s just looking for insight to functionality
Just a word of advise Put the plastic push retaining clips in a container of hot water to keep them pliable if not they will break and no spares are in the kit,and just a dab of antiseize on lock nuts to keep them fron getting messed up…other than that they are pretty staight forward to install. fits great with 35’s with 2″ lift.
Does it cover all the tire wide or the tire still not fully cover, I have 35 inches tire with offset wheels.
So I would like to know if these fender flares, will be cover my tires because presently the original jeep jk fender flare does not, my tires are not cover of 2 inches
Just wondering whats the tire coverage for these flares? I am looking to buy new flares due to germanys road law. I currently have 35×12.5 tires, I need to completely cover the tire to be street legal but I still want to look good. Anyone have an answer or an alternative suggestion?
THANKS for the write-up and instructions. Just got my flares in from Northridge 4X4. The flares look GREAT!!
I would not have got this install done without this write up!!! The instruction from whacker are horrible… out of focus black and white??? Its almost 2012 wtf? But any how thanks a ton WOL!!! Very pleased with the look and toughness of the flares just not the instructions.
Thanks for the help! Great write-up.
Do you even need to take the fender pants all the way off. Can’t you just take the fender off and carefully cut the pants with a utility tool while still on? Thoughts?
Just completed the install. I followed this write-up step-by-step for a perfect install. Thanks again for the write-up
Love the detailed instruction and the tips. How long does this generally take to do?