I'm thinking I'd like to get rid of the textured black plastic OE flares on my Blue '04 FX4. Does anybody know what plastic the are? Are there any write ups on removing them, sanding, and painting them? Or does anybody know of any smooth paintable lower cost OE style replacements?

 

On my 07 I bought a set of Lariat take offs from ebay and had them painted to match. I gave the painter my old textured ones and he sanded them smooth and painted them to match his truck. You can leave them textured if you like and paint them or sand them smooth. There are a few bolts/screws near the ends of each flare and along the lip, the rest is held on with clips. To get the clips off, try a trim tool so you don't damage the paint, or just yank it off like a bandaid. If you break any clips, just use two layers of 3M double sided sticky tape where the clip used to be.

https://www.f150online.com/g/album/2296203

 

That's pretty much my truck. Thanks for the pictures. I think I like it better than the black. What did the take off flares cost you? They would save me lots of sanding, because I don't care for paint over texture.

 

IIRC I paid a hundred bucks for them, but that was almost 10 years ago. Factory take offs for the 04-08 body are damn near impossible to find nowdays. Search your local boneyards for an 04-08 lariat, king ranch, harley, or limited. The flares are all the same, just get them painted your color.