I've been debating removing the lid/metal "box" in the rear cargo area that covers the rear tire. Since I don't have a rear tire in the rear of the car as a spare I don't think that this hidey area is needed.
Has anyone done this, or has a reason to keep the "box" installed? I'd rather remove it, install a piece of painted/carpeted plywood to cover the tire hole, then have that 10" depth not being used and hiding damp spots.
I removed it on my big Eagle to make room for the 35" spare. It leaves a uneven surface though. On my 86, I made a speaker box that holds a shallow 10" woofer and it replaces the spare tire door. It's got a hinge so i can lift it and store some stuff in the spare tire indentation.
Some form of trim would have to be made to hide the sides where the current plastic trim doesnt fit.
Lift the panel up to just below the hatch glass for hidden from peeking eyes storage.
I fill the space full of tools and leave the spare on top with a spare tire rug from an SX4. My aluminum racing jack fits in the spare tire space nicely. I also sleep in the back while camping, and that is quite comfortable when the rear seat folds down to form a flat deck. Remove that piece of metal and you won't have that. In fact I've seen someone else modify the deck from a wagon for use in an SX4 before and I would like to do the same thing. Its pretty nice to have the full length flat space and a hidden stash of tools.