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Installing Hannemann Fiberglass Fenders
Wider is Better
Front Installation
Tools Needed
10mm 12mm Socket with Extension
Flat Bit and Phillips screwdriver
Dremel with cutting disc and sanding drum
Drill + bits
Eye protection and a respirator for cutting and sanding fiberglass
Gloves for handling fenders
Long sleeve shirt to protect you from the fiberglass itch
3 Pacificos with Lime and 3 hours install time
I got pretty itchy from handling the fenders so I'd recommend handling them with gloves and wearing a long sleeve shirt. Compare your new fenders with the OEM ones to make sure they are the right ones first. Remove the wipers with 12mm socket. Pop up hood cowling underneath the wipers. I started from the corner by the windshield and pried it up with a screwdriver. Remove both sides of the cowling. I removed the bumper to make things easier. There are 6 fasteners under the hood and a brace with another faster underneath on each side. Unplug the fog lights if equipped. Remove the mud flaps with Phillips. Under the fenders, remove the Phillips head screws attached to flare and black plastic fender protector. Unbolt the fenders. There are 3 bolts under the hood, 1 under the cowl, 1 behind the mudflap, open the door and there is 1 bolt, 2 under the headlight, and 1 by the nerf bar. The fender should pullout easily but there may be some factory glue holding it on.
Test fit the new fender. The fender needed a little sanding to fit on my 02 truck, 01 style may be different. On the front of the fender was a 1” x 2” tab the pushed into the headlights. I cut this off with the Dremel. I also had to sand underneath the forward most tip of the fender where it lays on the headlight. It was pushed up too high and didn’t align with the hood right. Then I made sure it aligned everywhere like the door and with the hood closed. Mark the drill holes with a black marker. Take it off and drill. I started with a small pilot hole and went slightly oversized so I could move it around a little. 1 of the tabs was really close to the end and didn’t line up perfectly. You can stick the drill bit back in and move it sideways to enlarge the hole if needed. Fiberglass cuts like butter using a Dremel or Drill. I’d recommend using longer screws with a bigger washer and a rubber washer to keep it from slipping and cracking. There are a couple spots under the hood where I need spacers under the fender to lift it up a little to better align with the hood. Since I am having a pre-runner bumper fabricated, I cut the OEM bumper in half horizontally. About 10” down from the top, there is a inset seam on the bumper. I just used my Makita reciprocating saw to cut though the seam.
My new bumper should fit under that. Some people don’t like the look, but I do. Included with the fenders were extensions for the bumper flares if you keep the bumper on. Since the fenders are farther forward, the flares need to be smaller. I didn’t use these though. There is a tab on the front bottom of the fenders to mesh with the bumper. I’ll cut those off to make more clearance for the tires.
Rear Flare Installation
Stock vs. Hannemann Flare
Additional Tools Needed
Reciprocating Saw for trimming rear quarter panels
Tin Snips might help
4 Pacificos with Lime & 4 Hours to install the flares including trimming fenders
Dremel Router bit
Rear Installation
Remove your stock fender flare, and mud flap. You'll have to pop out the fastener covers on top with a flat bit. Remove the gas filler door with a Phillips. Mount it on the flare. There are marks for the holes and it lined up perfectly using them. Stick on the 2 rubber bumpers also. My gas cap chain isn't long enough now to reach the Orange Thingy so I'll have to extend it a couple inches. I used a router bit in my Dremel to remove cut the gas door hole. Don't heat up the bit too much or it'll be toast. I used a glass of water to cool it down every 30 seconds.
Test fit the new flare to make sure it is the right one. Mine was about 3 inches bigger than the stock flare. I placed it with the gas door as high as it could be on the right side to make sure a gas nozzle would fit in. On the rear side there is a bend in the lower part of the quarter panel to line it up. Next I taped it on in 5 places. I had to Dremel various places where it meets the quarter panel to make it flush. When it looked like it fit well, I drilled holes in the fiberglass to bolt it on. Make sure you push lightly when you drill otherwise it'll crack the flare once the bit pops through. I then marked through the holes on the fender with a marker. On the lower front most part of the flare there is a stock hole to bolt the fender, mark it and drill. Then I drilled the fender. The holes were about 2.5" higher than the stock ones. I used 1" long 5/16" bolts with washers and a rubber washer against the fiberglass. I also used a washer on the other side with a nylon locking nut. Install the other side. After installing you'll see the quarter panel needs to be trimmed, since the fender is about 4" taller and wider.
Before Trim
Dangling is the piece I trimmed off
I marked the cut with a marker then removed the fender. I used a 24tpi metal blade in my Makita reciprocating saw. If you look under the fender you'll see it's welded to another panel which makes the cut a little difficult. On the right side I started the cut by the door. I decided to cut about 3/4" below my mark so I can bend the fender in and have a flat place to bolt a fabricated fender well. Make sure you wear eye protection!! I broke 2 blades doing this so get extras!
After trimming
I figure I can make something out of metal or plastic to attach from the flare to the fender for protection, strength and better looks. I don't think it's really needed, but I'll probably do it. Also, on the lower rear part of the flare, you might want to bolt that part using a metal strap to the bolt underneath the quarter panel. Otherwise it is a little loose.
My Impression
Hannemann did a great job in making these look factory. I also love the curves. It makes the truck look lifted and gives you lots of room for taller/wider tires and more offset rims. I got Rockcrawler 3.75” offset rims which is perfect as the fenders give you 3”-4” of clearance up and out. I am guessing my wheelbase has been extended 9 - 10 inches. They come painted in a white gel coat and are a little rough in spots with swirl sanding marks. 10-20 minutes of sanding is all that is needed to remove all the marks and prep them for painting. My friend who paints cars for a living was impressed with them and said they probably don’t need priming, just a coat or 2 of white and 2 coats of clear. These things are about half the weight of the metal fenders and are very very tough! And fixing fiberglass is easy and cheap should you have a problem down the road. There are several companies selling these and several claiming to make them. www.spencerlowracing.com & www.4x4parts.com sell them. www.Duffcoenterprises.com and www.Glassworksunlimited.com claim to make them. You’ll see identical pictures of the fenders on those 2 sites as well as www.Hannemannfiberglass.com however Hannemann makes them and supplies the others from what I learned. They also said other companies mold off of their products and copy them. They shipped the same day and arrived 3 days later in tons bubblewrap. Shipping was $45 to Arizona from California and bubblewrap was $35 more. I got the front fenders for $150 each and they came with bumper extensions which I didn’t need. The rear fenders were $100 each for a total of $580 shipped.
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