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1986 Tire Carrier onto 01 XJ ?

D

danny Benavidez

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Texas
I'm thinking about pulling off a tire carrier for a 86 xj and installing It onto my 2001 XJ. I will also take the bumper so I do not have to spend time drilling holes in the right spot on my bumper. I may also have the cast iron hinges sand blasted to remove the rust. Otherwise the hinges work good with not play to them. But I'm wandering If I do need new parts who made this tire carrier and can I get parts for It ? And is there Any bad things about this carrier ?

http://iidesign.info/or_partbin.htm
 
thats an stock carrier. if you brace the inside, the max size tire ive herd was a 33 would fit.
 
If you look closely at the picture below you can see that I modified mine by cutting the tire mounting "box" diagonally and flipped it up to raise the tire about 6 inches. I welded a plate from the box down to the to tube to stiffen the box significantly I also put a skid under it so the tire wont catch coming off of a ledge. Another good thing to do is to take apart the latch and reverse the handle so it is between the tire carrier frame and the body. This prevents it from unlatching and opening when the latch, the lowest part of the OEM carrier, catches on rocks or other stuff.

OopsAlittlehelphereplease.jpg


I carry a 31 on mine and use it on multi-day off road trips or to carry a second spare to the campsite. Primary spare goes inside anytime I have room. I have never had any problems and I suspect you could carry a 33l. The hinges and latch point and hinges are widely spaced and its a very strong mounting, if you reinforce the body with plates and washers where it attaches The biggest problem I see is that the frame does not have a lot of torsional stiffness. Not sure how you fix that without going to larger diameter tube in the frame or an additional latch point on the FIBERGLASS hatch (probably a bad idea).

John
 
I'v got a 01 XJ with a steel rear hatch. 31" tires are the biggeist tire i'm planing to have. Any one have a good idea on removeing this from the 86 ? I get paid next friday I hope it will be wating for me that long
 
I remember it taking quite a bit of time to remove. You absolutely must get the factory reinforcing plates and gussets that are inside the rear fender behind the upper hinge point. This requires pulling the plastic interior liner on the passenger side which simply one fun little surprise after another. Take torx bits, some sort of chisel or drill (I believe cutting rivets is involved in getting the gussets off if I remember right) and a fine tooth ratchet really helps with the rear bumper but is not mandatory.

Oh and dont leave patience behind. Its worth it, but it takes time.

John
 
Dont forget the rubber bumper on the gate, kinda pricey from the dealer! If I ever have it back off my jeep I'll mount and sandwich a plate between the carrier and quarter panel for more strenght. With a 33" for a couple years it has slightly distorted the sheetmetal.
 
nosigma said:
I remember it taking quite a bit of time to remove. You absolutely must get the factory reinforcing plates and gussets that are inside the rear fender behind the upper hinge point. This requires pulling the plastic interior liner on the passenger side which simply one fun little surprise after another. Take torx bits, some sort of chisel or drill (I believe cutting rivets is involved in getting the gussets off if I remember right) and a fine tooth ratchet really helps with the rear bumper but is not mandatory.

Oh and dont leave patience behind. Its worth it, but it takes time.

John
Click to expand...

a drill and or a cold chisel makes getting that brace off a lot easier. while your there, take some measurements for the correct placement of the brace. also, dont forget to to grab the brace that is under the pass side of the bumper.

bcmaxx said:
Dont forget the rubber bumper on the gate, kinda pricey from the dealer! If I ever have it back off my jeep I'll mount and sandwich a plate between the carrier and quarter panel for more strenght. With a 33" for a couple years it has slightly distorted the sheetmetal.
Click to expand...

x2. i forgot the rubber bumper piece for the hatch. i ended up using a bumper piece from a s10 blazer tire carrier and having it rest on the hatch when closed.

and be sure to put a washer under the hinges to help hold the weight in the event the brass bushings inside the hinge go south.
 
Yep I was thinking of making a templates for hole locations with cardboard and a knife blade tip. I'll look for the factory reinforcing plates behind the upper hinge and the rubber bumper pad on the liftgate. And i have Torx bits and fine tooth ratchet. And I'm good with patience I got alot of time to pull it off.

chisel or drill for cutting rivets .
SAY WHAT ? I'll need a 600 feet a/c cord for my drill to work out were the jeep is at. Maybe I'll get me a battery powered drill i'v been wanting one for a long time but a/c power has alway been nearby.


But I'm not dead sure if it will fit a 2001 XJ ? Are the bumpers the same ?
 
OK it toke me some time to finish up But here it is Done !
tire-carr-03b_small.jpg
tire-carr-02b_small.jpg

I was not really found of having my spare tire taking up all my cargo space. And the after market tire carriers run over $200 each. So I figured I go OEM style. At Pick-N-Pull I fond my donor form a 1986 XJ. It toke me about 3 hours to pull it off and $30 to walk out the gate with it. Apparently it did not fit on my jeep as I hoped. Jeep made same hidden changes to the sheet metal inside the body where the upper mount bolted up. This thoue the bumper latch all out of whack. Now a welder is needed to make the latch fit in to the bumper lock box. $50 for two plates and some welding. Now the bumper fits and time to primer for panting. Not bad for only $80.

tire-carr-07b_small.jpg
tire-carr-08b_small.jpg

Wow how much more room I now have in the cargo area

Full Report At
http://www.iidesign.info/OR_01XJ.htm
 
What is that side toolbox in your cargo area? I really like that design. Would a newer bumper mounted tire carrier from the dealership work? I've seen those on a 95 and a 96 XJ. Nothing bolted to the body. Just to the bumper.
 
If this is the type of carrier you are going to use:

jeepmta1634.jpg

The biggest thing I'd worry about is the body mount. There's probably different ways to go about it. I did need to modify mine to fit a 31"tire on a stock rim. I just had to cut the mount in half and bolt it back on spaced out a bit with some 1/8" steel. This can kinda be seen in the photo. It has been said that they will fit larger tires without modification, perhaps if you have aftermarket rims with non-stock offset then the tire will fit. For my setup the tire just barely did not fit on. I don't know if the bumper is mounted differently with this carrier, most likely, so you probably want the bumper and its mounts. A newer carrier would likely be easier to make work, but I've seen several of them fail at the hinge. This old type of carrier appears to be much sturdier, the only thing I don't like is the possibility of it popping open if hit on terrain in the right spot - which I've only had happen once.
 
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I used one from a early 90s Isuzu Rodeo. Far more plentiful at junkyards than the XJ version and much cheaper and yet stronger too. Mine holds a 32" BFG AT KO on 15x7 aluminum rim. No signs of cracks or sagging either and it sees whoops/washboard roads regularly.
 
vagrant said:
I used one from a early 90s Isuzu Rodeo. Far more plentiful at junkyards than the XJ version and much cheaper and yet stronger too. Mine holds a 32" BFG AT KO on 15x7 aluminum rim. No signs of cracks or sagging either and it sees whoops/washboard roads regularly.
Click to expand...

Have any pics? I'd lie to see that! It sounds like a great alternative.
 
Jeepm@n
What is that side toolbox in your cargo area?
Click to expand...
do you mean this tool box ?
xj-toolbox02.jpg

I fond this tool box somewhere on the web
One day I'm going to build one for myself


Jeepm@n said:
Would a newer bumper mounted tire carrier from the dealership work? I've seen those on a 95 and a 96 XJ. Nothing bolted to the body. Just to the bumper.
Click to expand...

I have not seen one like that at the junk yard, But that sound better,.. Not having to drill holes into my 2001 body panels.
 
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