Spare Tire Mount?

[FloridaLife]

I've been looking at a lot of FJ40's online, and I've noticed that some have the spare tire mounted on the left, and some have the spare tire mounted on the right. Anyone care to enlighten me on this? Is there any logic, rhyme, or reason behind it? Does it mean anything, or does it just come down to which ever the original buyer selected?

Thanks

 

[charliemeyer007]

No clue if you could order left or right. My 72 has it on the passenger side. My 76 top has ambulance doors, so its a pia because I have to open the tire carrier to open the cab door. If the carrier was on the drivers side it would be much easier.

 

[brian]

Depends on year, and in some cases hardtop vs soft....was not the buyer choise.

 

[FloridaLife]

No clue if you could order left or right. My 72 has it on the passenger side. My 76 top has ambulance doors, so its a pia because I have to open the tire carrier to open the cab door. If the carrier was on the drivers side it would be much easier.

M 71 is on the right too, and the thing I don't like is that it covers or blocks the "4 Wheel Drive" badge which I think looks cool. I'm 1/2 tempted to move the badge to the left where it is visible. Is that an unpardonable sin in the FJ40 world?

 

[FloridaLife]

No clue if you could order left or right. My 72 has it on the passenger side. My 76 top has ambulance doors, so its a pia because I have to open the tire carrier to open the cab door. If the carrier was on the drivers side it would be much easier.

I'll have to swing the spare tire out, swing both lower doors open, and then lift up the lift gate (or whatever it's called) to get full access to the back.

 

[1911]

I'm 1/2 tempted to move the badge to the left where it is visible. Is that an unpardonable sin in the FJ40 world?

[Cheech and Chong voice mode] Bailiff, whack his pee-pee!

 

[thatcabledude]

M 71 is on the right too, and the thing I don't like is that it covers or blocks the "4 Wheel Drive" badge which I think looks cool. I'm 1/2 tempted to move the badge to the left where it is visible. Is that an unpardonable sin in the FJ40 world?

Move it. As far as I know, it’s supposed to be over there anyway. I’ve never seen badging on the same side as a factory carrier.

 

[FloridaLife]

Move it. As far as I know, it’s supposed to be over there anyway. I’ve never seen badging on the same side as a factory carrier.

Will do! Thanks. If I get this thing driving again, I'll have to drive over and maybe meet up at Margaritaville and grab a cheeseburger in paradise!

 

[1911]

Seriously though, I feel your pain. This is the only possible complaint I can come up with for my 4Plus tire carrier/rear bumper - it does hide the factory badges on the rear.

 

[FloridaLife]

Seriously though, I feel your pain. This is the only possible complaint I can come up with for my 4Plus tire carrier/rear bumper - it does hide the factory badges on the rear.

Here is an example of one like mine (just WAY nicer) where they moved the badges to the left. I'm going to go for it.

I also noticed the running boards are red too. I'm trying to decide if I should do mine red, or black with bed liner for a good non-slip surface.

 

[Sky King]

That picture is also where the factory put the badges on my 73, I don't think they ever buried them behind the tire carrier. The ambulance door models redesigned the carrier and moved it to the left with the badges in the corresponding location.

 

[FJ40Savvy]

Here is my 73. I think the spare tire carrier was on the right hand side in the early model years and shifted to the left. I'm sure @Living in the Past would have the details on the shift.

 

[Sky King]

Here is my rare 73 and 3/4 where the badge is mounted on the side, if you find one of these they are worth thousands more than the earlier ones.

 

[Living in the Past]

The spare was on the passenger side. So RHD would be on the left side. Once the US started the ambulance doors it was moved to the left side. Ambulance doors were on the left side expect for a rare ambulance doors the opened left side first. Never seen one but believe somewhere in the world there were a few.

 

[FloridaLife]

That picture is also where the factory put the badges on my 73, I don't think they ever buried them behind the tire carrier. The ambulance door models redesigned the carrier and moved it to the left with the badges in the corresponding location.

Could be that mine are just missing. I have seen some online that you couldn't see until you swung the spare out.

 

[MOTOV8R]

The spare was on the passenger side. So RHD would be on the left side. Once the US started the ambulance doors it was moved to the left side. Ambulance doors were on the left side expect for a rare ambulance doors the opened left side first. Never seen one but believe somewhere in the world there were a few.

75 model year was the start of ambulance doors and the updated front doors for US. For 75 and 76 models the carrier was the square flat type but just changed sides. 77 model year had the tube style carrier and added vent windows to the hard top sides.