Time to make room for a full size spare

[tougeagle]

I decided to ditch the donut since the day I hit the curb, as it rendered the car almost undriveable. I still have it, but it's not in the car anymore. I'm going with a full size spare, I saved one of the steel wheels out of my old set, for such a purpose. However, I am getting rid of the metal cargo shelf in th eback, and replacing it with particleboard that will have a (hopefully) tastefully chosen short pile carpet glued onto it. Underneath the board I will have carpet padding for noise reduction. I plan to mount the spare facing toward the back hatch, at a 60 degree angle or so, to make sure the back seat can still clip in. The OSB will be cut and joined in such a way that it meets up with the bottom of the cargo area interior panels cleanly, to the point of being able to still use christmas tree clips along the bottom lip. I'm trying to decide if I want to make a few storage areas or not....

I pulled the shelf out tonight, I will post pictures tomorrow when it's light outside. Also bought the OSB and may continue to look for carpet samples. If I can't find anything that I really feel comfortable using, I may just go with diamond plate...

[83Eagle!]

I will be curious to see this project.  I have been trying to thing of a way to carry a full size spare for years.  I looked into making a contential type mount, but did not like the idea.  I have also looked a roof racks like Mick, RegalWizard and others have, but do not have a way to modify the mounts properly like Mick does.

[tougeagle]

I will be curious to see this project.  I have been trying to thing of a way to carry a full size spare for years.  I looked into making a contential type mount, but did not like the idea.  I have also looked a roof racks like Mick, RegalWizard and others have, but do not have a way to modify the mounts properly like Mick does.

I had considered mounting it to the roof, but I do NOT want the aerodynamic resistance at 80mph or the car's center of gravity raised in a very undesirable way, since it is my daily and I enjoy driving it in a spirited manner. It's an awesome way to do it on a 4wheeling setup though...

I will definitely get some pics tomorrow, I forgot my camera tonight. I may or may not make much progress on it tomorrow, depends on how much work I have at the shop....I should be able to at least get a start on insulation material, perhaps some carpet padding off craigslist. I discovered most of the noise is coming from the cherrybomb outlet/exhaust tip, thanks to my hatch seal and general lack of insulation, so when I do this I'm going to make sure it greatly quiets the ride.

[83Eagle!]

Sounds like a good plan.  I agree on not wanting the aerodynamic resistance to increase, but I can't imagine getting an Eagle to 80 mph.  I can barely get mine up to 70 mph. 

are you running stock wheels and tires on your eagle?  I have Wrangler wheels and tires on mine.

[tougeagle]

I'm running all season tires (except for one studded snow, driver front) stock 205/75/15... There is a spot to store the donut, but a fullsize will not fit below the cargo shelf.

I've had mine to 115 before I backed off, from 70 mph fifth gear pull. Any more power and I'd be getting in TONS of trouble...When taking the I25 65 miles south to my parents' place, I generally average 85.

[thereverendbill]

ssshhhh, dont tell certai people, but after a good tune up, the mc 2150 carb, all new exhaust, and a couple of other things, on our open highways here, i have had mine in the tripples. ;-) hehe. ok, back to the tire issue. this MUST be on a wagon? they have the little storage spot down low for a spare dont they? i have 2 sx4's. i need to figure out if a 215/75 for a spare will fit on the spare tire mount. they mount right on top of the floor. no storage hole. takes up a lot of the nonexisting space they already lack. lol.

the answer is yes a full size spare fits nicely in the back of an SX/4. My 83 has a covered full size spare in the back of it   

[tougeagle]

Just a followup, I'll be getting to this project probably Sunday, came across some material tonight that will be perfect as insulation under the board.

[83Eagle!]

Just a followup, I'll be getting to this project probably Sunday, came across some material tonight that will be perfect as insulation under the board.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.  Doubt I will be able to translate it to my Eagle and be able to carry the Wrangler spare, but you never know.

[tougeagle]

Just a followup, I'll be getting to this project probably Sunday, came across some material tonight that will be perfect as insulation under the board.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.  Doubt I will be able to translate it to my Eagle and be able to carry the Wrangler spare, but you never know.

I'll make sure and post a lot of pics if I can. It might be snowing tomorrow, and if that's the case I won't be doing a ton of fab work on it, though it depends on how cold it is. At the very least, I'll get a picture of what it looks like without the cargo tray.

[83Eagle!]

Sounds great

[eaglefreek]

I mounted a Yakima rack with the purpose of carrying a full size spare. I refuse to compromise the rear cargo area, I use it quite often. Not to mention if mounted in the vehicle, it needs to be SECURED WELL otherwise injury or death could occur from it getting loose in an accident. With the addition of the rack I have lost 3 mpg and it is a little unstable when windy. I just added a third cargo bar and attached the Yakima rack to the factory bars no special fabrication needed to be done. I am planning on making a rear mount for the spare. I'm trying to figure out which way to tackle it. I "made" and installed a receiver hitch and thought about making one of these http://tiregate.com/hg_series_0.shtml or make a rear bumper with a swingout carrier. I leaning towards the second because I would like to add recovery points also to the Eagle. It would have to be in the center because of the Eagles tail lights. I like the look of this one:

[tougeagle]

If I were driving mostly around town and/or to the trails, I'd use a roof rack, but as windy as it gets here and as often as I travel the highway, I can't compromise my mileage or driveability. If necessary I can secure the spare to the roof with ratchet straps, but I don't use the cargo area very much for anything other than groceries. The spare will be secured to the floor, I need to figure out how I want to secure it. I will probably just install a very long 1/2" bolt into the floor to go up through the hub of the wheel with a large nut and washer to secure it. I'm going to start on it today even though I haven't had time to find a spare, I'll just take one of my wheels off and go from there.

[83Eagle!]

EagleFreek I like the idea of the mount like you show on the back of that Wrangler.  I looked into mounting a swing out spare carrier (that would swing down) out of a spare carrier from a Bronco II I found in the local U-Pull-It, but I could not figure out how to mount it without compromising the strength of my receivier hitch.

[83Eagle!]

I also tried mounting an RV spare tire carrier to the Eagle.  I did not think the bumper was strong enough to support the weight of having something like this bolted around it.

[tougeagle]

I also tried mounting an RV spare tire carrier to the Eagle.  I did not think the bumper was strong enough to support the weight of having something like this bolted around it.

The bumpers are meant to support the weight of the entire car, hence the design of our jacks, so it wouldn't have a problem holding that. Just make sure you can still see out the back window reasonably well, for backing up.