im looking to buy a 2002 but dont like the years with the big bumpers...i was wondering if there was a way to just take them off...? i mean obviously this is possible but to take them off and have it look right...anyone have any pictures of this?
is there any sort of fiberglass body kit/air dam/front valance type things to go in its place? im new to these cars so any info would be nice...
bmw2002.com they sell the front air dam for the car it will look good with or with out a bumper
2002faq.com they have a fiberglass replica for the rear one
if it has the big bumpers im assuming the car is 74-76 i think the one they have on 2002faq is for the early one but im 90% sure it will fit with out a problem
i installed a 1602 '71 bumper on my 74 1602 with out any problem!!
....and 2002 without bumpers they look ok IMO
Big Bumpers in the Us model year 1974-76. They can be removed and replaced with the smaller ones. takes some bodywork to make it look perfect.
See Keith Kreeger's website, www.my2002tii.com. He has Euro bumpers on a '74 tii. In his October 2002 upgrade diary, he removed the "diving board" bumpers and did the necessary bodywork to fit bumpers from a '72 2002. And in March of 2003 (Part II), he installed the bumper mounts for the earlier bumpers. Extremely well illustrated with close-up pics.
I'm keeping the rear bumper on mycar, i drilled out the shock absorbers through and pushed it in, gives it a 100% cleaner look, and i've removed the front bumper, but i have to remove the shock absorbers outa the chassis. ireland engineering has a bunch of body kits, front air dams, etc.
Here's my '76 with the front bumper removed and a '68-'70 rear bumper. I used a Kamei spoiler up front. Installing the rear bumper is not too difficult with Keith's instructions.
HarryPR
'81 320/6 Baur (#2569)
BMW CCA # 19290
I still like that car Mr B.
thanks for the responses guys. i think im going to try to avoid a 74-later car and go for the earlier smaller bumpers just to avoid body work...im just so sick of it with my mustang i can wait it out for a earlier car to show up.
i actually might have found a 1969 '02 that im gonna check out on friday. apparently its just got a bit of surface rust in the trunk and runs perfectly (daily driver status)...but we shall see about that...still sounds/looks promising though.
Nice looking car. Are those the 14'' or 15'' e30 rims?
Thanks for the compliments!
The spoiler is pretty much a bolt-on deal. It is attached with screws at the top. The spoiler included a bottom brace to fasten it to the valance, but I decided not to use it to have a little flexibility in case I hit a curb or something with it.
The wheels are 14 inchers from an E30.
Best,
HarryPR
'81 320/6 Baur (#2569)
BMW CCA # 19290
Just a small comment - the big buggy bumpers on my 1976 car save me from a 30mph rear end collision when someone hit me fifteen years ago. they also help a ton if you park in a city like New York on any regular basis.
That said, I much prefer the look of the pretty, dainty chrome ones on my 72 tii, but I know full well they won't do much of anything in an accident.
If this car is your daily driver and safety is a concern, keep the big bumpers and be happy in the knowledge that you're better protected. If it's just an aesthetic thing, go with the small ones. I will say that the later cars (particularly 1976) had the best rustproofing and the loweest (3.91 I think) differential, so they acceleratte better than the earlier unmodified cars.
Just my thoughts - personally, I prefer the round light model so that's why I made the choice I did.
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"I'm not speeding, I'm qualifying..."
Freude am Fahren
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BIG BUMPERS SAVE LIVES....
76 02 #2375532
Big Bumpers are sexy... ;-)
IMHO, they elongate and lower the appearance, add safety (while driving or parked), integrate well with squarelights look, I like the aluminum look vs chrome (+no rust), they don't hamper a spoiler or other body mods, and provide a great occasional seat! Besides, with everyone else removing theirs, they'll be a rarity before too long.
Don't get me wrong, I like 02's in all forms - and everyone's entitled to 'their look'. I just don't think they're ugly at all.
Tom
I put an early bumper on a 76 with minimal body work. Body work was limited to cutting out slots in the front for the early mounts, which are lower than the big bumper mounts. The fogs sit right in front of the original bumper mount holes, avoiding need to cover the holes.
I've got a 74 2002 Inka and I removed the bumpers from it first thing. Getting rid of the front one reveals the beautiful lines of the shark nosed front end. However, I'm thinking about re-attaching the rear one, bc what's left when you remove it is an odd-looking sunken panel with 3 big ugly mounting holes. What I think I might do, though, is shorted the rear brackets so that the aluminum is almost touching the body. Maybe it won't look so bulky then.
Does anyone have any suggestions of a shop in Pennsylvania that can install euro bumpers on a '76 2002?
Willing to DIY? It's fairly easy for the rear and there are kits for the front.
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