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Perry Mack
Rugged Ridge Fender Flares
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Perry Mack
Get started the night before by mounting the trim hardware.
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Perry Mack
This is also a good time to carefully apply the edge trim while you’re enjoying the comfort of your own living room and a cold beverage.
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If you’re installing yours on a Dodge with a Hemi, be prepared – your beloved Hemi logo will be partially covered.
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Lose the factory trim
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Perry Mack
Perry Mack
It wasn’t until after I bought the silver 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 that I noticed how many thousands of silver Dodge Ram 1500’s there are on the road. Not to worry though, I knew there were a lot of ways to dress the old girl up.
Rugged Ridge recently began marketing a bolt on flare kit that looked like a great start so I called them up and ordered a set – and ‘Boom’ it was at my door. This is what I like to call a driveway mod. No fancy tools, drilling or cutting required.
What you will need is a Philips screw driver (regular and stubby), 5/16” & 1/2” socket (or wrench), scissors, ¼” allen key and a pencil. I actually used my ¼” Gear Wrench which is a wrench with a ratchet built in one end. The set of Gear Wrenches was on my father-in-laws Christmas wish list – he didn’t get them.
Let’s start with some preparation to make your install easier than mine. Wash your truck, especially under the rear wheel wells (in case you too, have been testing the new Toyo Open Country AT II traction in the mud). You can start the evening before by spraying some WD40 onto the factory screws inside the wheel wells. They will then loosened up for you easily the next day.
Step one is to crack open the box and make sure all the hardware is in there. Nothing worse than getting halfway through a project on a Saturday only to discover you can’t finish. You begin by installing the trim hardware on to the fenders. It’s a mindless operation – do it while you’re watching television the night before. Then install the edge trim. Don’t stretch the trim during the install, you’ll have lots – I had a couple of feet left over when I was done.
Now it’s time to head out to your truck. If you have existing factory trim, remove it. I did install this by myself but there’s a couple of times it would have been handy to have a buddy (with a bit of weight behind him) to hold the fenders in place and apply ‘moderate pressure’ in order to get the screws in.
The entire install can be done in less than 3 hours and you end up with a much more aggressive looking rig for around $320. For more info or to find a dealer near you visit www.ruggedridge.com.