Here is my OEM tire carrier installed on my 95 FZJ80… I know there is a lot of doubt out there about this being able to be done successfully, and really, it wasn't that hard.
I bought the carrier for $300, then swapped my lower tailgate with a friend that bought the lower tailgate off the HDJ81 parts truck we got it from. He was happy to have my north american version and I was happy to have his for my OEM swing out mod.
Swapping in the lower gate was very easy to do, everything lines up perfectly, mounting the upper bracket on the upper lift gate was super easy as well (there is no special reinforcement for the upper lift gate bracket). There is already a place up there that lines up the holes for you, you just need to source your own bolts.
The lower brace for the swing arm was fairly easy, it does take a bit of maneuvering to get it into place. it is held on with 3 bolts. 2 of the holes are already there (factory), and the third hole requires drilling on the north american models.
The upper brace was not so easy, I had to use a 4-ton press to push the bracket in. Be warned, you can NOT do this without minor body damage. Once the bracket is in, it needs to be welded to the pillar. I had the braces welded to the sheet metal as well by drilling holes through the sheet metal and brace, then welding afterwards… then the bottom brace was welded as well, just for extra strength. So yes, this is actually stronger than OEM.
The body was hammered back in with a special hammer and the chipped paint was temporarily sealed with primer to keep the exposed metal from rusting… I used primer on all holes I drilled as well. The damaged body area will eventually get fixed, but it is so minor that it is not the top of my priority list. So is painting the lower gate to match the rest of the 80, which will be done at the same time as everything else, again, this is not high on my priority list as it's hard to tell, even in daylight, that the colours don't match.
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Yes, I did come out of this with a tiny bit of body damage, but I have done worse damage to the body on the trails. I wasn't in the position to get a fancy swing out bumper and with all the wheeling I have done since owning my 80, my bumpers are still near perfect. Combine that with being able to source the right parts, friends willing to trade parts, and a body mechanic father-in-law, this really was a great solution for me.
The carrier has already survived a few wheeling trips, one being River Shiver 2010, lots of gravel roads, and lots of opening and closing, all with a full size 315 spare on it. There is absolutely no wiggle in the carrier and I have full confidence in it to survive much more.
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