Rear Spare Tire Carrier Ouestion

[karl von]

I have just picked up a 65 Series IIA 109 Wagon. It is my first rover. I noticed when I removed the spare tire from the rear door mount, there was about a 6 inch tear in the alum skin just above the mount bracket. I assume it is from the weight of the tire over the years. Is this a common problem and is there any fix to reinforce the tire carrier ?

thank you

[pickuprover]

The tire carrier usually bolts through the metal tubing of the door rather than the actual skin. Check to make sure that the bolts are going through something other than the aliminum skin. As for fixing the tear, there are several methods.... Buy a new door skin. Buy a piece of aluminum about the size of the tire, paint it and pop rivet it over the tear. Or you can rivet a piece of checker plate over it as well (please though use the 5 hatch stuff not the 3 hatch stuff...) The final way, which I think is the best (however a lot more work...) is to strip the paint off the aluminum, then have someone braze weld the aluminum .....

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by karl von

I have just picked up a 65 Series IIA 109 Wagon. It is my first rover. I noticed when I removed the spare tire from the rear door mount, there was about a 6 inch tear in the alum skin just above the mount bracket. I assume it is from the weight of the tire over the years. Is this a common problem and is there any fix to reinforce the tire carrier ?

thank you

It is a fairly common problem. The weight of the tyre on the door also causes excessive wear on the hinges. Check there also. If you want to carry the wheel on the door it is best to get a carrier that hinges from the door onto the rear body work and takes the weight off the door itself.

Welcome to the family of landies and congratulations on getting a Series. Once they are in your blood, well that's it, you're hooked for life.

[acornhoek]

The tire carrier on the back door of my Carawagon was wrenching the door apart. When I went looking for an alternative, my #1 criteria was the ability to open the back door from the inside……..it’s a camper, so this was imperative. Most carriers that took the weight off the door had to be swung away before the door could be opened. I finally found one made for a Defender and LOOOOVE it! It looks great, connects to two minimally intrusive points on the body and hooks to the door where another hinge allows the door to open and swing the carrier at the same time. It also came w/ a platform for my HighLift to ride nice and quietly!………..had it shipped over from the UK.

Here’s the only pic I could find on the computer right now.