Painting fender flares gloss black

[Austin O.]

So I have the stock plastic fender flares on my tj that are black and a bit textured. But I would love for them to be completely gloss black like the Sahara fender flares are… Have any of y’all done this before? I know there’s the option of just buying someone’s Sahara flares, but they seem to be surprisingly expensive…

 

[Vtx531]

You would have to sand them completely smooth like glass

 

[AndyG]

The Sahara and Rubi flares are smooth- no texture.

Would I attempt it with stock flares? Not sure I would. Too much prep.

@Boogieman runs a Rough Country flare that may be smooth and paintable that is the same width as the Sahara.

 

[Mike Z]

So I have the stock plastic fender flares on my tj that are black and a bit textured. But I would love for them to be completely gloss black like the Sahara fender flares are… Have any of y’all done this before? I know there’s the option of just buying someone’s Sahara flares, but they seem to be surprisingly expensive…

Austin,
I agree with @Vtx531...your end goal is a little more difficult based on the fact that your flares are currently textured. Wet sand them smooth. I painted my flares with SEM Landau Black and then cleared with an SEM low luster clear because I was going for a factory sheen.

Just my two cents is to be meticulous on your prep, I would recommend using SEM products and I think you will get a better end result if you take the time to remove the flares.

I was happy with the products I used.

Mike

 

[AndyG]

MikeZ has very nice Jeeps. He’s awesome.

 

[Mike Z]

MikeZ is very nice. He’s awesome.

I just changed this a tiny bit and sent it to my wife. She needs reminding

 

[Mike_H]

as an alternative to sanding, you may use some body filler to smooth the surface, but either way to make it look good you're going to need to do a TON of sanding a prep for gloss black. Way easier to buy some Sahara flares (plus you get an extra inch of tire coverage).

 

[Austin O.]

Austin,
I agree with @Vtx531...your end goal is a little more difficult based on the fact that your flares are currently textured. Wet sand them smooth. I painted my flares with SEM Landau Black and then cleared with an SEM low luster clear because I was going for a factory sheen.

Just my two cents is to be meticulous on your prep, I would recommend using SEM products and I think you will get a better end result if you take the time to remove the flares.

I was happy with the products I used.

Mike

View attachment 381685

Those look great. I’ll look into it and maybe I’ll try it out in a week or so when I have a day off school. Thanks for the help!

 

[Mike Z]

Those look great. I’ll look into it and maybe I’ll try it out in a week or so when I have a day off school. Thanks for the help!

You are welcome. @mrblaine is the one who told me about SEM products. It is really quite addicting to use them.

 

[TheBoogieman]

@Boogieman runs a Rough Country flare that may be smooth and paintable that is the same width as the Sahara.

They're textured.

 

[TheBoogieman]

So I have the stock plastic fender flares on my tj that are black and a bit textured. But I would love for them to be completely gloss black like the Sahara fender flares are… Have any of y’all done this before? I know there’s the option of just buying someone’s Sahara flares, but they seem to be surprisingly expensive…

Just gloss black or clear coated like a black Sahara? Gloss black flares only look good on black Jeeps IMO. I painted some gloss black with Krylon Fusion and didn't like the shine.

 

[AndyG]

You are welcome. @mrblaine is the one who told me about SEM products. It is really quite addicting to use them.

It is - but we really discourage people from spraying them into a bag and inhaling the fumes.

 

[Mike Z]

It is -here in Alabama we spray them into a paper bag and inhale the fumes- Very addictive

You shouldn’t perpetuate these stereotypes

 

[Austin O.]

Just gloss black or clear coated like a black Sahara? Gloss black flares only look good on black Jeeps IMO. I painted some gloss black with Krylon Fusion and didn't like the shine.

View attachment 381716

I meant with the clear coat like a black Sahara…

 

[TheBoogieman]

I meant with the clear coat like a black Sahara…

A body shop charged me $100 to paint ONE flare on one of my Sahara's. Mine was desert sand color. Then I found a full set on Craigslist for $120.

 

[Austin O.]

A body shop charged me $100 to paint ONE flare on one of my Sahara's. Mine was desert sand color. Then I found a full set on Craigslist for $120.

Wow, I just looked today on eBay and Craigslist for them, and I’m seeing $150+ per flare