$40 spare tire relocation

[ykp53]

Well I got tired of always having the envoy spare that I bought laying in the bed so I decided to relocate it to under the bed. I followed the path that others here have taken and decided to build a frame out of 1" angle iron to relocate the battery to the passenger side of the frame.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ykpowe...nm=7707re2.jpg

The three things that I did different was (1) used my left over angle iron and two 10" bolts to create a bolt down bar rather than a tie down strap to hold the battery in place.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ykpowe...e2.jpg&.src=ph

This bar also hold the battery close to the frame and it also keeps it resting on the factory muffler bracket.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ykpowe...e2.jpg&.src=ph

Second I used some steel cable to make a safety line for the battery. it is attached to a eye bolt at the outside of the new bracket and over the frame to a screw that originally held the battery box.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ykpowe...e2.jpg&.src=ph
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ykpowe...e2.jpg&.src=ph

I figured that this would relive some of the moment that was being applied to the welded brackets holding the new battery. also I thought that if my welds did fail this line might keep the battery from falling off completely and hurting someone else.

third, I did not buy the winch the cheapest I could find was $130+ so I bought some 2'x 3/8" threaded rod bent and bent it into a ubolt. place these ubolts over the existing support member and mounted the tire using two locking nuts and washers. it a little awkward getting the tire up there but using a bottle jack it went easily. again I used my safety wire to secure the tire with a second means incase the bolts back off.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ykpowe...e2.jpg&.src=ph


When it is all said and done the tire does not hang any lower than the trailer hitch. the tire is a 235/55 17 which is the same height as the front. it took about 4 hours to cut the angle iron and have a friend help me weld it in place. this was my first time at welding so I had to do a few practice pieces, which was okay with me I want to be safe. we used a small tig welder. after we had it welded on we checked it by seeing if it would hold our weight. so I figure since the battery is resting on the muffler mount not he bracket, I have a safety line and the bracket can support 150lbs and the battery is on 35 I should be okay. I have been driving around like this for three weeks and so far so good. next week I am traveling 3000 mile with it so that will be the true test.

total cost of the project: $15 at home depot for angle iron, $15 at ace hard ware for bolts and wire, $10 for beer for helping me out

[SSRENITY]

I like the safety precautions you took with the safety wire. A word of caution when welding on modern vehicles....precautions must be taken to prevent damage to electronic components. Service manual will have details.

[ykp53]

i just disconnected the battery. did i do any damage?

[SSRENITY]

Originally Posted by ykp53

i just disconnected the battery. did i do any damage?

Sorry if I got you nervous. The service manual says the SIR (I think it stands for Supplemental Inflatable Restraint) system should be disabled by pulling the appropriate fuses. Battery disconnect is the other important thing, which obviously in your case you already did.

[freezer]

Very nice job for the amount you spent.

[XSELER8]

Very nice DIY. You have the spare on demand. My spare is garaged, covered and safe.

[ykp53]

Thanks freezer you were one of the ones that i was hoping wouldn't go "oh my god what have you done. you will crash and burn"

[striaghtup]

HMMMM! I also used a GOODYEAR 235/55/17 TIRE on a trailblazer aluminum rim. For the same reason...it matches the height and tire type perfectly for the fronts. But when i asked if this combination would fit under the bed using bernies system I was told my tire diameter was to big to fit under the bed. Just goes to show sometimes a Man needs to try things for himself instead of listening to the guru's. Nice job!



Ron

[ZsSSR]

Originally Posted by striaghtup

HMMMM! I also used a GOODYEAR 235/55/17 TIRE on a trailblazer aluminum rim. For the same reason...it matches the height and tire type perfectly for the fronts. But when i asked if this combination would fit under the bed using bernies system I was told my tire diameter was to big to fit under the bed. Just goes to show sometimes a Man needs to try things for himself instead of listening to the guru's. Nice job!

Ron

The difference is that ykp53 mounted his battery on the outside of the frame. With Bernie's kit the battery is still on the inside of the frame. You are still short on space with the battery inside the frame. If you get a tire the same size as the fronts to fit with Bernie's kit, let me know how you did it. It sure wouldn't fit without hitting the exhaust when I tried it with one of the stock front wheels. The tire (205/40-17) Bernie recommends is much smaller (23.5" diameter) than a stock front wheel.

-Z

[FlashBack]

Some good old fashioned yankee inginuity. Thanks for the ideas.
I have been thinking of doing something for a spare and now have two possible solutions, yours and Bernies. I'm still not sure what to do about the flat tire/wheel.
Will the rear (or front) fit into the spare storage created, or into the truck bed. If not, and probably not if there is any thing else in the bed, then maybe something to attatch to the hitch could be fashioned.

[RUN ROD RUN]

I really like what ykp53 did. If I had a flat tire, I’ll just call AAA and tell the lad my spare tire under the truck, you’ll have to get it down yourself.

[striaghtup]

The difference is that ykp53 mounted his battery on the outside of the frame. With Bernie's kit the battery is still on the inside of the frame. You are still short on space with the battery inside the frame. If you get a tire the same size as the fronts to fit with Bernie's kit, let me know how you did it. It sure wouldn't fit without hitting the exhaust when I tried it with one of the stock front wheels. The tire (205/40-17) Bernie recommends is much smaller (23.5" diameter) than a stock front wheel.

-Z

By golly your rite, i guessed i should have noticed it on the outside of the frame. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Foot in mouth desease ! Guess i need to invest in a welder so i can fab the brkts.


Ron

[bcbear10]

Originally Posted by striaghtup

The difference is that ykp53 mounted his battery on the outside of the frame. With Bernie's kit the battery is still on the inside of the frame. You are still short on space with the battery inside the frame. If you get a tire the same size as the fronts to fit with Bernie's kit, let me know how you did it. It sure wouldn't fit without hitting the exhaust when I tried it with one of the stock front wheels. The tire (205/40-17) Bernie recommends is much smaller (23.5" diameter) than a stock front wheel.

-Z

By golly your rite, i guessed i should have noticed it on the outside of the frame. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Foot in mouth desease ! Guess i need to invest in a welder so i can fab the brkts.


Ron

Also, with the kit from Bernie, the battery remains in the box and the wheel can be lowered to the gtound in less then 2 minutes.

Either way, my idea of having a spare tire is hoping I never need it!!! Have plenty of spare wheels and tires mounted at home but I can't remember the last time I had a flat at home.

Always better to be safe then sorry---

bcbear


Thanks Bernie

[texster68]

I already know I'm crazy. Please don't feel obligated to remind me again. Here's what I did and from recent experience, it works.

OBJECTIVE: I wanted a full size spare tire that could be used for an extended time if required. Not be towed to a Chevy dealer, not wait for a tire shop to order a tire while I hung out in a Holiday Inn on the road, not pay a fortune for an emergency tire, not be stranded out of cell range waiting for a tow truck on a holiday.

HOW I REACHED THE OBJECTIVE:

- I have a full sized tire that is half way between the diameter of the rear and front tires and can be used as a spare on either end.
- I bought a wheel adapter from http://www.adaptitusa.com/index.asp?...TS&Category=11 Three reasons: 1. allows the narrower spare to be extended out two inches from the hub for better looks and stability. 2. Can adapt the SSR 6 on 5" to a more common wheel pattern and better choice of spare tires. 3. allows the wheel to be spaced further from the disk brakes, meaning that a 16" rim can be made to fit with very minor grinding on the front cooling fins on the front calipers.
- I rotated the battery placement 90 degrees to make enough room to mount the 16" rim full size spare if the tire is deflated and "formed to fit the space".
- Mounted a tire winch(similar to Bernie's) so that the tire can be winched into place instead of trying to lift it. The jack and lug wrench are stored in the middle of the spare.

It's extra work to inflate the spare, bolt on the adapter and then bolt the tire to it(twelve lug nuts instead of six). But when you get it done, you have a setup that can travel a long distance with no concerns over small tires or differential damage. As long as you don't have a second flat, all is good.

One more suggestion on what to do with the flat tire that you removed. Assuming that the tire is unrepairable, or else you would have used the super duper Chevy green goop...take a sharp box cutter that you keep in the console for just this purpose and slit the sidewalls along the edge of the rim. If you only cut the sidewalls, you don't hit a steel belt. Takes a little arm strength, but if I can do it so can you. Once you have cut the outside and inside sidewalls of the tire, it comes off and all you have left is the rim. The rim alone is small enough that you can mount it under the bed where the spare tire fits. (note: we are all environmentally sensitive and will place the cut off tire on the side of the road where we can come back later when the bed is empty and properly dispose of it)

With the tire cut off, all you have left is the rim with the bead still wedged on. The tire dealer is not going to be happy with you if you bring in this rim for a replacement tire. You have to use a big screw driver wedged under the left over bead and cut the steel belts embedded in the bead with a grinder to get the last remnants of the tire off of the wheel. Again, extra work, but you meet your objective of having a spare tire and not throwing away an expensive wheel that won't fit in a loaded bed.

From recent experience, it's not that hard to fix a flat and it feels good to know you are self sufficient if you lose a tire. That said, I hope I never have to do it again.

Texster68