Anyone have any creative ideas to hold the spare tire under the bed of my 54, 3100? Originally the truck had the spare on the fender but I would like to find a way to place it below the bed. Finding original under bed spare tire supports or even the new look like originals are just too high priced. Is there something that would work that might come off a newer pickup that could be obtained at a salvage yard as a less expensive option? As always any help is appreciated. Thanks, JP
Hey JP. I'm going to try to use the original spare tire hoist under my truck that is on the S-10 frame I am using. I haven't gotten that far but that's the plan for now. I know that just about any newer GM truck has the tire hoist under them. You never know they just might bolt up. Just my thoughts though, like I said I haven't gotten that far.
Like Kevin said , old Datsun pickups and Brand 'F' Couriers both have nice chain hoists that're very easy to bolt to your frame , they lift the spare by it's center . Also , Chevy used pretty much the same underbed carrier from '56 into the late 70's that I know of so they're out there and plentiful , cheap too . just be aware that crawling under the bak of the truck when it's rainy / snowy / muddy and the rear tire is flat isn't much fun...
All these are great ideas - Thank you! I'll do some checking and once I get a donor part bolted on and working - I will let everyone know how it turned out. Thanks again for the help. JP
Spare Tire placement Hey, I have a Toyota Tacoma and the spare just winds up into place by turning the jack handle, best set-up I have ever seen! Think I will modify one for my 54!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please post pics and let us know what you find about any problems you run into or just how easy it was to bolt up.
Spare Hoist The older ones are pretty simple ~ they require 4 8MM bolts holes in a square pattern . Some , either the Courrier or the Datsun (I forget which) have an anti-theft feature that requires the jack rod to depress a button by _fully_ inserting it , this prevents the tire from easily being stolen . Most of them will require a long rod with a 'T' for you to turn to operate the hoist...
