After doing everything to properly clear my new 35s, my front fender flares were struggling to stay on since I removed about 2/3 of the things they bolt to for structure.
Tried cheap Amazon fender clips, and the fenders would fall off.
Tried OEM clips with 3m tape and the fenders would fall off.
Not one to lose a fight with my car I came up with this solution that is super sturdy, without looking hacked together.
I was able to modify the fender to fit an M8 25mm stainless flanged button head bolt. A few of the clips required no modification at all. These are a perfect snug fit, which allowed me to thread a nut on the backside of the fender before the bolt started spinning.
To solve the bolt spinning, I used a grinder to grind flats on the end of the bolt (I bought 25mm bolts which are excessively long to allow this).
That allowed me to use a combination of knipex pliers or long reach needle nose to hold the bolt while I ran the bolt tight with a 13mm wrench.
I will circle back and use a lock washer but for now I just threw some lock tite on and called it a day.
It might be incompetence that I couldn’t get the fender clips to work, but I’ve seen a lot of nice rigs that resorted to drilling holes in the outside of their fenders to allow through bolts, or even leaving the fenders off entirely, so I know I’m not alone haha.
Nothing groundbreaking here, but hope this helps someone who’s dealing with the same struggles.
Now time to clean up the wheel wells, seam seal, and undercoat.