I have 2 non-running, early 40 series projects currently taking up the majority of my 3 car garage. I've made it my new year's resolution to get them both put together by the end of the year. I'm getting close with one of them, but an issue I had with both is that the early slab style spare tire carriers don't allow for much more tire than the truck came with stock. Certainly not the 33"s I'm running. The tire hits the latch so you can't open it and swing the tire out of the way to open the hatch. The later year slab style carriers ('72 and later?) mount the tire bracket higher so all you need to do to fit a bigger tire is space the wheel out if the tire is too wide. The early ones like I have need to both raise the wheel up and space it out.
Since I had 2 vehicles that needed spacers it seemed wise to doodle something nice up and have parts laser cut rather than just hack together something out of square tube. An opportunity came to piggyback on somebody else's order and avoid the full minimum purchase with the Fab shop, so I pulled the trigger and was able to get 10 sets of plates cut with my half of the order.
They plates are 3/16" plate steel. I used my CNC to make a jig to keep the lugs in perfect alignment while iIwelded them. The spacers hold the tire out 1.75" and up 1.25", enough to clear 33x12.5's comfortably, and possibly enough for 35’s depending on the brand and the amount of tread left. I have about 1.5" clearance with my well worn 33x9.5 BFG mud terrain at full open with the latch, but only about .5" clearance with my full-tread 33x10.5 BFG mud.
They work so well I'd feel bad keeping them all to myself. I have 6 welded up already and parts to make 2 more. I left some un-welded because a friend already wanted just the plate with lugs to build a hitch mount tire carrier for his 80 series. I figure $65 shipped to the lower 48 is fair and I will include the hardware needed to mount them. Spacers will ship raw so you can paint them to match your vehicle, since you can see it through the hub hole. PM me if interested.
Since I had 2 vehicles that needed spacers it seemed wise to doodle something nice up and have parts laser cut rather than just hack together something out of square tube. An opportunity came to piggyback on somebody else's order and avoid the full minimum purchase with the Fab shop, so I pulled the trigger and was able to get 10 sets of plates cut with my half of the order.
They plates are 3/16" plate steel. I used my CNC to make a jig to keep the lugs in perfect alignment while iIwelded them. The spacers hold the tire out 1.75" and up 1.25", enough to clear 33x12.5's comfortably, and possibly enough for 35’s depending on the brand and the amount of tread left. I have about 1.5" clearance with my well worn 33x9.5 BFG mud terrain at full open with the latch, but only about .5" clearance with my full-tread 33x10.5 BFG mud.
They work so well I'd feel bad keeping them all to myself. I have 6 welded up already and parts to make 2 more. I left some un-welded because a friend already wanted just the plate with lugs to build a hitch mount tire carrier for his 80 series. I figure $65 shipped to the lower 48 is fair and I will include the hardware needed to mount them. Spacers will ship raw so you can paint them to match your vehicle, since you can see it through the hub hole. PM me if interested.
