Step one. Bought the van.
Hello Everybody, First post. I camp a lot in tents but after spending three days straight in a tent in the rain at Dolly Sods I swore I'd make a change. Here it is. Bought it Wednesday. Dro...
Forum Discussion
Tire Carrier continued:
With the carrier against the door mark on it the location of the two holes already drilled in the door where the square tubes intersect.
I want to mount the tire so it sits an inch above the rear bumper. Put down a couple pieces of wood that give me that height.
Rolled the spare tire onto the wood pieces and and moved it around until I got the best fit. Then marked both the tire and the carrier so they could be lined up in the same position after removal from the van.
Here's a picture of lining up the tire from when I was working on one of the earlier carrier versions.
The tire position deals with how wide the rear doors could be opened. Ford E series vans are made so the rear doors open enough so a 4 foot wide object can be slid straight in. If I position the tire so it clears the right door it means I won't be able to open the left door all the way.
I wanted to find out how much width I would lose. Used a square to stand in for the tire.
And a ruler on the bumper to take measurements from.
When designing the carrier I had considered making it so the tire could slide horizontally. This would allow the door to open to the full 4 foot width but makes the carrier more complicated. The measurements show I should only lose around 3" of door width if I go with a simpler solid design. I can live with that. Once the inside building begins anything 4' wide wouldn't fit straight in anyway. A 4x8 sheet of plywood will still fit, just diagonally.
Move the tire and the carrier inside the garage and set them up on sawhorses. The tire and carrier are in the same relative position as they will be when mounted on the door.
The welded square piece laying on the wheel is what the spare tire will bolt to. I had constructed this for a earlier design. I have to make something that will join that square to the tire carrier.
Cut and weld two pieces of, what will be when installed, vertical square tubes to the carrier that line up with the bolt square.
Cut four pieces of square tube that will connect the bolt square to the vertical tubes. In this picture I'm using magnets to hold four tubes in place before I weld them to the square .
Then weld the square to the carrier.
Check that everything lines up.
Drill out the holes for the bolts.
Do a test fit with bolts.
As a thief deterrent add a lock and chain
Weld one end of a three link long section of chain to the bolt square. I'll lock the wheel to the chain.
With the carrier finished I got ready to paint it. Didn't double check the fit on the door hinges since I'd done that before. This turned out to be a mistake.
continued -
With the carrier against the door mark on it the location of the two holes already drilled in the door where the square tubes intersect.
I want to mount the tire so it sits an inch above the rear bumper. Put down a couple pieces of wood that give me that height.
Rolled the spare tire onto the wood pieces and and moved it around until I got the best fit. Then marked both the tire and the carrier so they could be lined up in the same position after removal from the van.
Here's a picture of lining up the tire from when I was working on one of the earlier carrier versions.
The tire position deals with how wide the rear doors could be opened. Ford E series vans are made so the rear doors open enough so a 4 foot wide object can be slid straight in. If I position the tire so it clears the right door it means I won't be able to open the left door all the way.
I wanted to find out how much width I would lose. Used a square to stand in for the tire.
And a ruler on the bumper to take measurements from.
When designing the carrier I had considered making it so the tire could slide horizontally. This would allow the door to open to the full 4 foot width but makes the carrier more complicated. The measurements show I should only lose around 3" of door width if I go with a simpler solid design. I can live with that. Once the inside building begins anything 4' wide wouldn't fit straight in anyway. A 4x8 sheet of plywood will still fit, just diagonally.
Move the tire and the carrier inside the garage and set them up on sawhorses. The tire and carrier are in the same relative position as they will be when mounted on the door.
The welded square piece laying on the wheel is what the spare tire will bolt to. I had constructed this for a earlier design. I have to make something that will join that square to the tire carrier.
Cut and weld two pieces of, what will be when installed, vertical square tubes to the carrier that line up with the bolt square.
Cut four pieces of square tube that will connect the bolt square to the vertical tubes. In this picture I'm using magnets to hold four tubes in place before I weld them to the square .
Then weld the square to the carrier.
Check that everything lines up.
Drill out the holes for the bolts.
Do a test fit with bolts.
As a thief deterrent add a lock and chain
Weld one end of a three link long section of chain to the bolt square. I'll lock the wheel to the chain.
With the carrier finished I got ready to paint it. Didn't double check the fit on the door hinges since I'd done that before. This turned out to be a mistake.
continued -
