[AMC-List] Re; Disc rear interchanges/now Eagle Fender Flares

["John Elle" <johnelle@xxxxxxxxx>]

I am not sure all of the following is correct;
 
Snip
I meant that on the '82 Spirit, the wheel wells are shallower than the
Eagle, so if my friend put an XJ axle in (which is 2" wider) with XJ
rims
(to tuck the tires further in) in the "normal" Spirit axle position
(axle on
top of springs) the tires may still stick out past the wheel well
openings
and/or hit the fender lip or top. Eagles got around this issue with
fender
flares and the axle under the springs (which gave it 4" of lift too)
Snip
 
If my some what aging memory is not overly faulty it seemed to me that
the Eagle had to be lifted to allow all of the four wheel drive
mechanics fit under the chassis. This was the primary reason for lifting
although at the time 4 wheel drive vehicles had more ground clearance
than 2 wheel drive vehicles so that may have been a supporting reason
too. But it seems to me that it had to be raised to get stuff to fit. 
 
Once raised it looked silly, sort of like a Concord driving around on
stilts so the fender flares were incorporated along with the ground
affects to fill in the gap between the fender openings and the wheels
and to visually lower the car. I could be wrong, but it does not seem to
me that the flares were added to enhance the use of wider axles or
tires.
The 1980 product and information hand book lists 15 inch wheels as
standard equipment on the Eagle only and not available on other models. 
Although the 1980 AMC TSM lists the tread width front @59.6 inches and
rear @57.6 inches while a Concord is 58.4 inches front and rear is 57.5
 
The rear numbers are almost identical (these are for a 4 door) which to
me implies pretty much standard interchangeable parts and the difference
between 14 and 15 inch wheels maybe. The front differences could be for
a lot of reasons but probably to give room to get the 4whd parts out to
the front wheels. 1.2 inches or .6 inches per side does not seem very
big looking at it this way. 
 
I am sure the flares allowed some latitude in wheel size and width for
aftermarket but out of the factory I sure believe they were there to
foster the allusion of being lower to the ground. 
 
For what it's worth. 
John. 
 
 
 
 
_______________________________________________
AMC-List mailing list
AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list

or go to http://www.amc-list.com