pic request from you BII guys

[SVO42]

If any of you have the time and a digital camera, would you mind getting some detailed pics of the spare tire carrier setup for me? Thanks to my work schedule, it will be a while before I can get to a junkyard and take my own measurements. (Obviously, I don't know anyone with a BII.) I want to adapt the carrier to my '94 Explorer since I need a cheap way to get my spare out of the cargo area before a big trip in July. I don't want to put it on the roof, either. If you could get some shots of the attachment points, latch on the liftgate, etc., I'd really appreciate it.

I know a cutom bumper with a built-in swing away carrier is the way to go, but I need to be cheap for now since I don't have a welder or welding skills, and the local 4x4 shops would probably want about $300 or more for one. I can probably score a BII carrier from a JY about 20 miles from me for $20 (if it's still there).

I currently have 33x9.50s, and I know the BII carrier will need some reinforcement at the attachment points. My next set of tires will either be 33x12.50s or 35x12.50s, depending on how much I can get to fit after my planned body lift and some more "trimming" with the sawzall.

Maybe I'll snag the BII 23-gallon gas tank while I'm at it, hmm...

It never ends, does it?

 

[Joe93]

You may wana try modifying the original spare location to fit your spare. I would think it would be less work. I have seen it done to fit a 33" spare. I would like to help you out but im missing most if the BII tire carrier. sorry.

 

[CBII]

I think it might be easier to make something else but I'll leave that for you to decide.

Here's the pics you requested, if you need more just ask.

Gate latch on the hatch.

Lower Mount

Upper mount

It is re-enforced on the inside of the quarter panels and the hatch. However it's far to cold here to be removing interior panels to take pics.

After looking at it you might get away with using 2 lower mounting brackets to make it work. The wife took the X to work so I can't compare it right now.

 

[SVO42]

Joe93, ever since I put the class III hitch on, I had a hard time getting the stock 235/75R15 to fit in there. Well, it would fit once in, but it was a PITA to get it in OR out. If I had on-board air, I might consider deflating the tire for storage and inflating if needed, but I don't have OBA.

CBII, thank you very much for the pics. If you or anyone else can get some shots of the reinforcement plates, I'd appreciate it. I completely understand about the cold, though. Although it's usually warmer in Missouri than Alberta, we've had a bunch of your Canadian Arctic air lately , and it's been in the teens (*F) a lot.

I'd also like to know the measurments of the distance between the upper and lower brackets, the dimensions of the brackets, where the liftgate latch is in relation to the mounting brackets, and the dimensions of the carrier "arm." I know this is a lot, but if someone can indulge me, I'd really appreciate it.

If this looks do-able, when I do the BII-to-Explorer tire carrier swap, I'll take pics and do a write up to have on this site for others.

 

[Gatorblazer]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178008

We've been dicussing the same thing here. I think that the general opinion is that it can be done, but with a lot of reinforcing and reconfiguring.

I looking into doing it personally but found that the distance between the two mounts were too much for the explorer. I think there was a difference of about an inch. An inch is lot of reconfiguring to make that work I think

 

[Joe93]

maybe just a thought if you are gona do it. maybe put the hinge parts on the bumper so it folds down when un latched and then up to latch on the gate? Make any sense? The bumper would be a stronger mounting surface then the explorer body. Dont know if it would work or not.

 

[pope_face]

Just saw this thread... it's a good thing to see the pictures finally...

And yeah, I'm doing the same thing... I'm picking up the carrier tommorow... but feel free to try it out too. Two heads are better than one.

And I'm looking into the latch on the bumper as well... or at least an additional mount on the bumper itself...

The link to the other thread is two posts above if you want it...

 

[SBJ420]

CBII where did you get those tail lights?

 

[410Fortune]

Ebay for the tail lights, 84-90 BII or ranger

okay you said you will not be welding on this project.
You said you are in a hurry to get the BII spare tire carrier mounted.

These are not good ideas.
I know there have not been pictures of the internal bracing behind the quarter panel (the metal structure the BII hing bolts thread into), but believe me it is substantial. The reason there are no pictures right now is you have to remove the interior cargo plastic panel to get access back there.

With a 33" tire on the carrier and it swung out there is alot of weight on those hinges, they take alot of abuse with a big tire, and you MUST have some structure behind the Explorer 1/4 panel to support them. Later model BII's (88+?) have a larger catch plate on the tailgate, after realizing they crack the fiberglass Ford tried to fix it by making larger striker which extend further down the tailgate. If you can get one of these it will help.

To me this requires metal fabrication and welding, I would NOT be in a hurry to complete this project, instead I would plan it out carefully and then do the actual work.

 

[SVO42]

Gatorblazer, thanks for the link. I can't see how I missed that thread.

410, For once, I'm not waiting until the last minute. The trip I'm taking won't be until July, so I figured if I start now I'll have the time to get things figured out; either adapting the BII carrier or scrapping the idea for something else.

I appreciate the info, guys. Thanks. If anyone has any more or some pics let me know.

 

[CBII]

CBII where did you get those tail lights?

Actually I got them from matrixracing.com. My Friend is a dealer. But ya you can get them on e-bay...probably cheaper them directly from the website.

You're welcome for the pics. Like 410fortune said you have to complete remove the rear cargo plastic and that's not very quick thing to do. Best bet is to go to a junk yard and piss around with one so that you can inspect it and anything you may need or want to know.

 

[pope_face]

SVO...

I just picked up one of these carriers today... it's off of an '88, but I don't know if they vary year to year... if you want I can make any measurements you need... just let me know what to look for...

 

[SVO42]

SVO...

I just picked up one of these carriers today... it's off of an '88, but I don't know if they vary year to year... if you want I can make any measurements you need... just let me know what to look for...

Cool! I'd like to know the distance between the two body mounting brackets and how wide each bracket is. Then, how far away the liftgate latch is from each bracket. Thanks in advance!