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Bushwacker’s Form-Fitting Fenders Flares Have a Serious Function for Off-Roading
story by Steve Temple, photos courtesy of Bushwacker
Off-roading was once a sport where each ding was a badge of honor, where a serious dent translated into real character. But those days have changed somewhat. Who says you can’t look good as you crest a rock pile the size of Gibraltar, especially when looking good is incorporated into a valuable function-like rig protection and that annoying little matter of being street legal?
Like most 4x4 accessory manufacturers, Bushwacker started out as a good idea in the mind of an off-road enthusiast. Jerry Logan, Bushwacker’s founder, figured out that 4x4s needed durable, good-looking fender flares for a number of reasons. With the high flotation tires needed for heavy-duty trails, stock fenders just didn’t cut it. More room was needed in the wheel well to accommodate the extra wide, extra tall mudders.
One solution was just cutting away the fender area for that stark did-it-myself look. Who needs fenders when part of the point of off-roading was to have a vehicle that looked, “rode hard and put away wet?” Stark cut-aways were okay if you towed your 4x4 to the trailhead, but it fell into that ticket-magnet area of not street legal. Wheels and tires are not supposed extend beyond the vehicle’s sheetmetal. Since fat tires are in the majority of 4x4s, the solution is to widen the body. The rooster tail of road grime that flew off the gnarly tread was, let’s face it, a road hazard for anyone unlucky enough to be driving behind you on the Interstate.
So, some 38 years ago, Logan, who had an engineering background, designed his first fender flare for a Ford Bronco and Bushwacker was born. Today, Bushwacker designs, engineers and manufactures flares for every conceivable make and model of 4x4, from Ford, Chevy, Dodge, GMC and Jeep to imports such as Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu, Mazda and Honda. From full-sized pickups to SUVs to the growing number of compact 4x4s.
In addition to the fender flares, Bushwacker has expanded its line to include bedrail and tailgate caps. The latest big gun in its arsenal is a complete cladding package for the Jeep Wrangler: Bushwacker TrailArmor. If you doubt for a second just how cool Bushwacker flares are, take a look at the 2003 Jeep Wrangler Tomb Raider Special Edition. Yes, Lara Croft blasted through the jungle with Bushwacker. (And you have to admit she looked pretty good doing it, didn’t she? Bushwacker won’t take all the credit, of course, but the company did play a supporting role!)
The key to the durability and resilient good looks of the Bushwacker product line is the material: Dura-Flex thermoplastic (which has nothing to do with Croft’s personal appearance or resilience). The high-impact thermoplastic is UV coated to withstand environmental abuse and temperature extremes. It’s flexible, holding its shape through the body tweaks that are part of serious off-roading, and taking shots from rocks and heavy brush without dents or scrapes.
“Thermoplastic is better than metal,” explains Kim Ziebel of Bushwacker’s Marketing Department. “It has memory built into it, so it always returns to its original shape.” These are the characteristics that make Bushwacker flares, body cladding and bed rail and tailgate caps virtually indestructible. Which is something everyone craves for, but doesn’t always find.
The next challenge for high-quality flares is the fit. Fender flares have to conform perfectly to the contours of the vehicle. Again, Bushwacker, with its state-of-the-art robotics and computer-design capabilities leads the industry in manufacturing flares, caps and cladding that integrate perfectly with each application.
The manufacturing process starts with the engineering staff. The engineers meticulously research the design and aerodynamics of each vehicle, participating in the automotive manufacturers’ measuring sessions on new models. The new pick-up or SUV style is, literally, digitized as the engineers plot contour points and feed all the information into Bushwacker’s automated CAD system. The contours and design parameters are then translated into three-dimensional drawings.
At this stage, the human element re-enters the process. The 3D designs go through a rigorous design review process with analysis by sales and marketing to ensure the styling is right on and consistent with the ever-changing demands of the marketplace. Recommended modifications in style and fitment are incorporated into the final design. A five-axis router machine converts the engineer’s work into a three-dimensional form from which an aluminum mold is cast.
Bushwacker manufactures several hundred fender flares per day. The parts are formed from a flat, solid sheet of Dura-Flex thermoplastic, which is heated with a gas jet and then draped onto an aluminum male mold. A vacuum system draws the plastic over the mold for consistency and tight tolerances.
To ensure all components are precision-crafted from Dura-Flex thermoplastic, Bushwacker uses a robotic arm for trimming parts such as this TrailArmor cladding package, producing an OE-quality edge and finish.
The Dura-Flex thermoplastic comes into the facility in solid sheets. As the sheets are heated with a gas jet, they drape onto the aluminum male mold. A vacuum system draws the plastic over the mold. The finished product is removed, trimmed of excess materials, inspected, packaged and shipped to the customer. “The facility produces hundreds of four-fender sets each day,” Ziebel said.
The manufacturing process is continuous, explained Ziebel, with raw materials coming in one end of the facility and leaving as finished product through the loading area. “It’s a very efficient system,” he said. “We manufacture product as needed when orders come in from our distributors. It takes just five days from the time we get the order until it reaches the distributor’s warehouse.”
The TrailArmor for the Jeep Wrangler is the latest addition to the Bushwacker product line. This cladding package can turn a well-used, dented Wrangler into a thing of unmarred beauty, or keeps a new Wrangler looking good through the toughest off-road tests.
The TrailArmor package, manufactured from the high impact Dura-Flex with the same meticulous fit, includes a number of components. There are two front-fender pieces that incorporate the Wrangler’s marker lights, two rear corner pieces that integrate the license plate holder and gas flange, two rocker panels, a rear tail gate and front bumper piece and a stone guard that shields the Wrangler hood. The cladding comes in matte black with a nifty diamond texture.
A five-axis router machine converts the engineer’s work into a three-dimensional form from which an aluminum mold is cast.
Logan started with fender flares and they continue to be the foundation of Bushwacker’s product line. The company manufactures five distinct styles of fender flares offering a broad range of wheel/tire coverage. The flares are finished in matte black, but can be custom painted to match or contrast with the vehicle’s color scheme. To simplify color matching, no flex or special paint is required, and conventional primer adheres nicely to the surface.
The styles are easy installs, with all the mounting hardware and Tuff-Lok fasteners included. Depending on the style and vehicle model, the flares require no drilling, using existing vehicle bolt holes.
To keep up with the influence off-roading has had on vehicle styles in general, the Street Flare style offers a subtle, low- profile flare more appropriate for enhancing looks than off-road function.
The “OE” Style replicates the manufacturer’s fender treatment while providing the off-road enthusiast a little extra wheel/tire coverage and a lot more protection against fender dings. The OE Style follows the vehicle contours, wrapping under the body for additional protection and a seamless fit.
Being an environmentally conscious company, Bushwacker recycles excess material once the finished product is removed from the mold and trimmed.
Next up the chain of off-road gnarly, the Extend-A-Fender flare offers extra coverage for big wheel/tire combos. For bold styling, the Pocket Style has the aggressive, simulated bolt-on look without the bolt-on hassle and bother. This style installs just like the other Bushwacker flare styles, with no-drill, using existing vehicle holes.
Finally, the Cut-Out style fender is a true pocket, bolt-on flare specifically designed for maximum coverage and protection. With the Bushwacker Cut-Out flare, enthusiasts can legally roll on the biggest tires available.
Four years ago, Bushwacker took the flare technology and applied it to bed rail and tailgate caps. The caps are made from the same Dura-Flex thermoplastic and feature the same custom fit. The caps are available with three texture patterns: DiamondBack, RidgeBack with a ribbed surface and SmoothBack for a lightly textured OE look. Like the flares, the caps come in matte black but can be painted to match the pick-up. Bushwacker caps provide protection for Ford, Chevy, Dodge, GMC, Mazda and Toyota pickups.
So, the next time you hear that nasty metal-crunch sound when you’ve made too close an encounter with mother earth or marvel at the pattern of scratches and dings on your pick-up bed rails, think of Bushwacker. Or, when you realize your trail-veteran Jeep maybe has a bit too much character and could use a new suit of armor, again, think of Bushwacker. A lot of manufacturers talk about the marriage of form and function; Bushwacker officiates at that ceremony.