ati's Spare Tire Mod

[ati]

I decided I needed a spare tire so I bought a stock front tire and rim. I had to trim the plastic piece in the rear of the trunk. You only have to cut a small arc in it, I used a metal cutting snips to cut the plastic and then I used a wood rasp to file it smooth. With the arc cut the tire will fit into the wheel well but the tire sits 2-1/4" higher than the floor of the trunk. In the convertible when you raise the floor the carpet wants to move toward the rear of the trunk and the wood backing underneath interfered with a proper alignment. So I made a card board template of the back panel then I cut away the wood backing as needed and then I folded the carpet under the remaining wood backing and glued it in place. I also put a piece of carpet in the spare tire well to eliminate any vibrations and I glued a piece of carpet to the back side of the trunk carpet so it would not scratch the spare tire rim. Now when I install the carpet I have an exact fit up to the plastic piece. I ordered the jack and mounting hardware from Ford and installed it in the usual place. I had an extra breaker bar and a 13/16 deep well socket so I put that in a foam sleeve and and put that under the tire as well.
I lost 2-1/4" of height in the trunk but now I have a permanent spare and don't have to worry about being stranded with a flat or blow out
I also bought a new trunk carpet just in-case 25 years from now my son wants to put it back to factory stock..

[Spring Lil Cobra]

nice job...what sort of issues did you have with removing the air compressor? electrical wiring issues?

[6-Speed]

Nice job. Do you think you can stow a flat 285 tire in the trunk?

Make sure you have a lug nut wrench in there somewhere. I bought a breaker bar from Harbor Frieght and a 13/16" deep socket for that purpose.

[ati]

Originally Posted by Spring Lil Cobra

nice job...what sort of issues did you have with removing the air compressor? electrical wiring issues?

None, I unscrewed the wing nut and removed it, No wires.

[ati]

Originally Posted by 6-Speed

Nice job. Do you think you can stow a flat 285 tire in the trunk?
Make sure you have a lug nut wrench in there somewhere. I bought a breaker bar from Harbor Frieght and a 13/16" deep socket for that purpose.

Yes

[HSURB]

Nice clean "stock looking" installation Alan.

HSURB®

[SLGT750]

Nice job! I wish Ford could gave us a wheel instead of that kit, I'm always concerned on road trips!
Also you could have a stock wheel narrowed @ weldcraft for a flat finish

[Birdman]

Nice clean job Alan .

[black vert ss]

Very nice job!

I'll just have to keep my spare tire around my waist

[TOMMY GUN]

Originally Posted by black vert ss

Very nice job!

I'll just have to keep my spare tire around my waist

I thought HSURB was muffin top?


.

[HSURB]

Originally Posted by TOMMY GUN

I thought HSURB was muffin top?


.

Think again Bozo.

HSURB®

[gr8snkbite]

nice Alan....there's an air compressor in there.....

[VaporDude]

Nice job Alan. As the tires get older on my car, I might consider this mod. How much additional traction did you gain with the weight all the way back there now?

[ati]

Originally Posted by gr8snkbite

nice Alan....there's an air compressor in there.....

Not any more......

[GT500GATOR]

Alan...great job. You did a really good job making it look stock. And a great idea to buy the carpet now....just in case you want to go back to original.

One of my biggest fears is getting stranded without a spare. I do not have a lot faith in our tire repair kit.

I wonder how small of a tire you would have to go with to get it to fit flush? You said it's about 2 1/4" higher......so I wonder if a 18x7 rim with like a 235/50R18 tire (about 27" inches high) would fit. Of course it would look ridiculous installed...but at least it would get you home and be close to the same height.

I have also worried about having a flat front tire (with a lowered car) and not being able to get a jack under it. Anybody had that happen? I have actually consider some type of air bladder jacking system.

[ati]

Originally Posted by GT500GATOR

Alan...great job. You did a really good job making it look stock. And a great idea to buy the carpet now....just in case you want to go back to original.

One of my biggest fears is getting stranded without a spare. I do not have a lot faith in our tire repair kit.

I wonder how small of a tire you would have to go with to get it to fit flush? You said it's about 2 1/4" higher......so I wonder if a 18x7 rim with like a 235/50R18 tire (about 27" inches high) would fit. Of course it would look ridiculous installed...but at least it would get you home and be close to the same height.

I have also worried about having a flat front tire (with a lowered car) and not being able to get a jack under it. Anybody had that happen? I have actually consider some type of air bladder jacking system.

The problem with a narrower rim is that it won't fit over the front brakes. I put a lot of thought in this and going with a stock front tire and rim made the most sense. With my set up if I get a flat on the front or rear I'm covered either way. The factory scissors jack is low profile so I would think it would fit a lowered car.

[Alloy Dave]

Originally Posted by ati

The problem with a narrower rim is that it won't fit over the front brakes.

Doesn't that depend on the offset? Some company just needs to make a special wheel for this and get rich. One of you guys are smart enough to do that...get to it.

[Johnny Lupara]

Originally Posted by Alloy Dave

Doesn't that depend on the offset? Some company just needs to make a special wheel for this and get rich. One of you guys are smart enough to do that...get to it.

just take a stock wheel and remove a few inches.......takes a couple of dollars but is pragmatically the easiest way to go.......I will have to take another look at my set up, since it stuck up more than a couple of inches...maybe the tire was not really settled all the way down because of interference with the soundproofing in that area......plus the coupe carpeting is set up a bit differently than the vert....so I need to take a close look at that also......

[GT500GATOR]

Originally Posted by Johnny Lupara

just take a stock wheel and remove a few inches.......takes a couple of dollars but is pragmatically the easiest way to go.......I will have to take another look at my set up, since it stuck up more than a couple of inches...maybe the tire was not really settled all the way down because of interference with the soundproofing in that area......plus the coupe carpeting is set up a bit differently than the vert....so I need to take a close look at that also......

Yea thats what I was thinking.....send an extra OEM wheel to Weldcraft and have them take off 2.5" from the inside.

I didn't realize that the trunk area and carpet was different between the coupe and conv. Looking forward to your measurement on your coupe.

[ati]

Originally Posted by Alloy Dave

Doesn't that depend on the offset? Some company just needs to make a special wheel for this and get rich. One of you guys are smart enough to do that...get to it.

Your right it does depend on the off set. I was talking readily available wheels not custom wheels. I searched endlessly and couldn't find a narrower rim that fit. I thought dollar for dollar my Idea was the best route to go. Plus after all is said and done I have a spare GT500 front wheel and tire with APMS balanced and ready to go. Would even come in handy if I ever curb a rim. JMFO