DeTomaso Mailing List: May 1997, Message #214
     



From: MikeLDrew@aol.com

Subject: Re: Flares

Date: Thu, 8 May 1997 04:32:21 -0400 (EDT)



Capt Mike Drew

150 Westgate Dr.

San Francisco, CA  94127



Home:   (415) 334-7860



E-mail:  MikeLDrew@aol.com



Scott wrote:



I am having my 74L converted to GT-4 spec's.  I am having

the steel flares welded on.  The problem is that when I started looking

very close at pictures of other GT-4 cars, no 2 cars are the same.  The

flares are slightly different in shape and how high they are mounted on

the car.  I have Hall's 17" wheels with the correct offset, but the flares

are to wide.  Does anyone have an opinion/recommendation on this?



>>>Just this; make sure your wheels and tires are mounted on the car before

welding on the flares.  There was a beautiful car in the ballroom Las Vegas

last year that had been absolutely massacred.  It was painted nicely and all,

but clearly the body shop doing the GT-4 conversion had no idea what they

were doing, and welded the flares on while the car was without wheels.  When

the went to put the wheels on, the flares were too low, and the only way the

car could be driven was to jack up the rear suspension like a dune-buggy!

Really, I compared with other nearby cars by standing behind the decklid and

holding my hand against my side, then walking to a regular Pantera and seeing

how much higher my hand was over its decklid.  How about eight

inches????!!!!!!



Also, it's not uncommon to see cars whose flares are either too far forward

or back (even factory Group 4 cars had this problem, for the same reason)



Set the car up with the kind of ground clearance and rake you're looking for,

then mount the flares where they look right.  It's an eyeball thing, mostly.

Maybe if you're real lucky ol' Bill Hohnhorst will go to his factory Group 4

car and measure from the top of the fenders down to the top of the flares,

and let you know how the REAL cars are set up.  But only if you're lucky....



As to your wheels being too narrow, remember that Group 4 cars originally

came with 14x15 inch rear wheels, 14 inches wide is WIDE!!!  I would daresay

most aftermarket wheels aren't more than 12 inches wide, so that could be

part of your problem right there.  Maybe if your studs are long enough (or,

more properly, if the wheels are thin enough) you can fit spacers to make

things look better.



Mike