# Spare tire mount?



## UNCLE BOB (Jan 20, 2001)

I saw a jeep cherokee the other day w/33" tires. The guy had his spare tire mounted on the roof over the cab.Does any one make such a mount for G.M. pickup's or is it a fab. job??? 74' P.U. CHEVY UNCLE BOB


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## 85w/350 (Sep 15, 2000)

Plenty of those down here in southern Louisiana...Many of my buddies have cherokee's one with 33's the other two have 36's...all three have a slightly undersized(30/31inch) spare on the roof...I have never seen this on a chevy truck...what I have seen that I might mention is the spare tire up front...almost like a brushguard on the front but the tire mounts right in the middle four probably 3inch pipes meet at the mount in a pyramid shape...the guy in my city that drives his late 70's model chevy has probably 33's and his spare is a full size meat...I think it looks aggressive and he definately drives it with chevy pride


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## UNCLE BOB (Jan 20, 2001)

*spare mount*

Thank's 85' But I have plow hardware up front. I just thought it looked really cool,I have a rollbar in the bed with a bed tool box.so the bed is out of the question.


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## 85w/350 (Sep 15, 2000)

sorry forgot about ya'll northern people and snow...i just never think about that I have seen snow as few times as to count on the fingers of one hand....i'm sure anything can be fabricated though...just never seen one...sorry about that


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## UNCLE BOB (Jan 20, 2001)

That's ok at least you guy's have TIDE CRAFT Bass boats down there.we do not


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## thelawnguy (May 20, 2001)

i had a ford pu once with glue-on receiver so the tire couldnt go underneath, the spare tire carrier was inside the bed, behind the wheel well, the tire stood upright between the gate and the wheelwell on the drivers side. Like a stepside only inside and behind the wheel.

I have been inside a truck with tire mounted to the roof, wind noise and rattles would drive me nuts.


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## 2401 (Feb 3, 2001)

*Spare tire mount*

Hey Uncle Bob, I read your reply to my post regarding my truck pic in the snowplowing forum and answered your question about the spare tire mount. I apologize for some duplication between the two forums, but here's how I mounted mine: Yes, fab job for sure. (I weld for a living, fabbing's fun!) My tire carrier is attached to the roll bar (or "headache rack", depending on preference) and consists of a piece of channel long enough to touch both sidewalls. I use a short piece of pipe to fit the rim centre hole to keep the tire in place, and hold it down with a threaded stud welded to the channel that a lug bolt hole slips over. I cinch it down with a nut, and it stays put. My friend (who does upholstery and leather work) made me a tire cover. Thelawnguy is right, mounting the spare to the roof itself would cause a lot of rattles. As for wind noise, well, I run glass packs and 3" stainless stacks up both sides so it there is any wind noise, I don't notice it! I like the look of the tire "up top", and there's a practical reason for it too: I can pin a fifth wheel on my truck and pull my 25' flatbed trailer. I have to keep the deck area clear for trailer swing when I do this. One thing to keep in mind if planning to mount a tire to a pickup rollbar is that you're putting a lot of weight up there - some of the bars I've seen are pretty light. Make sure whatever you mount your tire carrier on is substantial enough. Sorry about the long post guys!

1975 GMC C-35

PS - can we see some pics of your rig?


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## UNCLE BOB (Jan 20, 2001)

*Pic.'s*

I'm working on the pic.s,when I get some time.My last day off went to rebuild my power unit, including new base.And it was'nt that difficult,"suprise" to me.So It'll be soon I hope.


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## 2401 (Feb 3, 2001)

Yes, I saw your post over in the snowplowing forum regarding your power unit - glad you've got it going again. Are you still thinking of mounting your spare "up top"?


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## UNCLE BOB (Jan 20, 2001)

*Spare mount*

Thanks 75,Yes I am.And I think I have it figured out! 1 in. pipe across cab with a pyrimid of same pipe in center to hold rim firmly,with 1/2 in. all thread welded to the point.The 2 pieces of pipe giong across cab will angle down from 4 in. above cab down to 1/4 in.x1 in. flat bar. Which will sit flush against the inside of the rain gutter on each side,where they will be welded. The tire will be held down with a 1/4 in. thick round disk w/ 1/2in. hole in center.Large wing nut will hold tire down.I will drill a hole in the all thread to put a "r" pin through to keep it from vibrating loose. Just a rough idea what do you think? now that I read that it sounds pretty stout! Uncle Bob


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## 2401 (Feb 3, 2001)

*Spare tire mount*

Hi, Uncle Bob! I've read your post and, basing this on my own experience of working with both, am wondering if 1" HSS (square tube) might be easier to work with than 1" pipe? I'm thinking mostly of the layout for the different miter cuts required. How does this idea sound? Same idea with the tubes going across the cab, attached to 1/4" x 1" flat bar at the rain gutters and rising to 4" above the cab in the centre as you described. They can be about 10" apart. In the centre, use a piece of 1/4" plate 10" long x 4" wide. In the centre of that, weld a pipe to fit the rim centre hole, leaving it a little long for now. (I think just under 3" OD, check your rim to make sure!) Then cut a piece of 1/4" plate into a circle big enough to cover all the lug bolt holes. I believe 7" diameter will work here. Cut out the centre of this circle to fit tightly over the pipe in the middle of the tire rack. You may want to do a "test fit" at this point to determine just how high above the roof your tire should be. Once you've decided on a height, weld the collar onto the pipe. Now take two pieces of the 1/2" all thread you mentioned and weld them to the collar to match two of the lug bolt holes. In essence you've made a dummy spindle that does not turn. Now your tire cannot move in any direction, once you cinch it down. And your idea of drilling and placing "r" pins is a good one. As long as you don't mind having your tire carrier permanently attached, and you do a good job of securing it to the roof, this should work fine. If you want it on a bit of an angle the way I built mine, you can simply mount the pipe for the rim centre hole on the angle you like. Again, I've worked with both pipe and square and for laying out and building something like this I find the square to be easier to work with. Once again I apologize for the long post, but it's hard to draw with words! Any way I could post a drawing? Let us know how it turns out!

1975 GMC C-35


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## UNCLE BOB (Jan 20, 2001)

*SPARE*

Square tube-FOR SURE,spindle type mounting-I love it!sounds 10 x stronger,Test fitting-OH YEAH.If I do'nt like it -with a little modification,Light bar?,Cooler rack?Fishing rod holder?.Sounds like a transformer dose'nt it???? cool I think you made up my mind Thanks .


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