Living in the Past
SILVER Star
I just made the move from little old stock tires on my '70 FJ40 to 33" Kenda Klevers, and as soon as I put one on the spare carrier I questioned my sanity. First off, thanks to @zerotreedelta for the spacer- the tire is in the right place on both axes. It's just so damn heavy and there's a ton of play in the carrier (spacer is solid).
My question is: if the stock carrier is tightened up and the slop is removed, do you think it would be strong enough to hold this big tire (w/spacer adding leverage)? Or is it a doomed mission from the start?
Big tire:
View attachment 3371063
Here's the spacer in place:
View attachment 3371067
One point of weakness- this rubber grommet isn't touching. Will this add much stability if replaced?
View attachment 3371065
Both hinges have play in them. Can they be refurbed/new gaskets?
View attachment 3371064
I know it's hard to say, but that's a lot of work to put into the stock carrier (also needs a new stud to the spacer) and if it's a fool's errand to begin please tell me.
Once you rebuild the hinges remove that wheel spacer and figure another way to have the tire up against the plate. That's how that left the factory. Toyota never had a gap on the back. Tire tight against the carrier helps prevent movement.That cushion at the top was still available a few years ago and probably still is. Believe actually being sold as a hood bumper on a later Toyota. I know I bought a few. I would use double stick tape and put a strip of steel on the barn door where the bumper rests at the top. This spreads the pressure across a larger area and allows adjusting the bumper tighter. Before doing all that you want the pad at the bottom to be up against the bottom of the barn door. If you need to add spacer between the latch and the plate to tighten it. May need to replace the latch if the loop is worn where it contacts the catch. Besides the pad on the bottom the tube style latch has a much wider surface on the catch to reduce wear.