Early v. late model wheel arches: What year is the breakover?

[phenryiv1]

I searched, but saw no answers regarding the arches. Saw the lights, bumpers, etc.- nothing on the rear wheel arches.

I have an 88 and don't know which I have.

[TopOfTheLine89]

Look at my sig, i have high arches.

[slow e30]

arches reflect with bumper change, IIRC. late models have higher arches.

The best e30? a swapped tail lights early model car with plastic bumper swap. best of both worlds.

EDIT:

metal bumpers- high arches
plastic bumpers - low arches

[phenryiv1]

Cool- so my 88 has "early" (low) arches.

Edit: for some reason, I thought that the late model had the lower arches.

[Stephen]

your 88 has low arches. latemodels have low arches. if you have the big tails you have low arches

[JasonC]

1987 was the last year for high rear arches. 1988 was the first year for them but the car still had the diving board bumpers for 88. Dont ask me about verts though.

[rThor432]

The best e30? a swapped tail lights early model car with plastic bumper swap. best of both worlds.

metal bumpers- high arches
plastic bumpers - low arches

No, '88's still had metal bumpers with the low arches and new tail lights.

Best E30 is a swapped early model with METAL bumpers--->



Plastic bumpers are unnecessary work when you can bolt on steel bumpers. High arches are great cause you can fit 245's under them (easily enough) without putting the fender into them when the suspension compresses. That's all my opinion by the way. Other than the '88 thing, that's a fact for US spec cars.

[Stephen]

yeah but plastics are more easily available and dont completely crush from love taps. But euros do look
good. Either way, i like my high arches :D

[Van Westervelt]

You guys are all idiots.

1987 All cars had small tails and higher arches with metal bumpers

1988 Verts stayed the same until late 90, all coupes and sedans got lower arches and bigger tails while retaining metal bumper. (This is the easiest year to put plastics on, as they slide on perfect as the car was designed for them.

1989 and on all coupes and sedans have hardtops, big tails, low arches and plastic bumpers. Verts still the same until 90/91.

[rThor432]

yeah but plastics are more easily available and dont completely crush from love taps.

If I'm gonna love-tap, it will be with diving boards :p. Plastic scratches, euros crush, but you cannot hurt a diving board. I've seen terrible front end collisions where the frame rails are bent in, grilles and lights are blown up, and the hood is taco'd, but the diving board will just have a cracked turn signal lense. And that's probably just because someone on R3V owns it and is too cheap to replace the lense.

You guys are all idiots.

In all fairness, I have 1/2 a clue what is going on..

[Van Westervelt]

In all fairness, I have 1/2 a clue what is going on..

In all fairness, I have 1/2 a clue what is going on..

So much so that you double post but not even on accident? lol ;)

[rThor432]

Ha I was passing out and trying to condense my posts. I had just posted the one above that and didnt like the idea of having one right after the other.

Then I passed out. Second post is now deleted.

[phenryiv1]

Thanks for the breakdown, guys. This is the most clear and concise summary of the wheel arch discussion that I have seen. I searched (here and on bf.c) but everything that I could find broke it down by bumpers and/or taillights.

Knowing that the 88s were frankencars (such as early bumpers with late mounts), I wanted to be sure as to which I had.

[325ix]

You guys are all idiots.

1987 All cars had small tails and higher arches with metal bumpers

1988 Verts stayed the same until late 90, all coupes and sedans got lower arches and bigger tails while retaining metal bumper. (This is the easiest year to put plastics on, as they slide on perfect as the car was designed for them.

1989 and on all coupes and sedans have hardtops, big tails, low arches and plastic bumpers. Verts still the same until 90/91.

So an 88 ix would be low arches?

[nando]

You guys are all idiots.

1987 All cars had small tails and higher arches with metal bumpers

1988 Verts stayed the same until late 90, all coupes and sedans got lower arches and bigger tails while retaining metal bumper. (This is the easiest year to put plastics on, as they slide on perfect as the car was designed for them.

1989 and on all coupes and sedans have hardtops, big tails, low arches and plastic bumpers. Verts still the same until 90/91.

minor correction, but all verts have lower rear arches, including 87's.