Spare Tire Wheel Well Modification

[JerriLampon]

Several threads/posts over the decades have discussed various fitting modifications to fit a full size wheel/spare tire in the wheel well.
I'm plodding through the following to see if I can make it work.
One post by 1936Dusey in 2008 suggested:
Trunk Modification: I used hard board for the spare tire cover. I traced the cover using the original
cover and made 4 adjustments so the cover would fix perfect. I covered it with fabric I bought from
my local trim shop. I glued the fabric on the hard board but you can use 3/16 paneling or plywood.
The cover cost me about $60.00 to make.

I bought a 1/4" 24"x48" medium density fiberboard from Home Depot, traced the stock tire cover onto it and
cut the board fo match. It's a bit short of the 25.25" front to back dimensions of the original cover, but it should
still be sufficient to fit after covering the board.
The big deal was to find a material close enough to match the original. I found it here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCG7D3C4.

Side by side, it's a really, really good match!
I'll finish off the project, take pics, and post a followup with any caveats.

[007Cruiser]

Can’t wait to see it!

[ambitio]

Didn't even occur to me that a full size spare won't simply fit in the well. Can't wait to see the pictures.

[007Cruiser]

Didn't even occur to me that a full size spare won't simply fit in the well. Can't wait to see the pictures.

It fits but you can’t use the OEM cover.

[merlot4]

Didn't even occur to me that a full size spare won't simply fit in the well. Can't wait to see the pictures.

You can, but as Gene mentioned, it raises the height. The height will vary according to the type of tire, but will be raised. From our TBN member, Dot:
http://www.portholeauthority.com/the...wheelwell.html

[007Cruiser]

I have also seen people replace the cover with clear lucite or plexiglass. This evens things out and you can see what is below. This looks really good at car shows and you can dress up the plastic with a nice Thunderbird decal. I may be going this route.

[JerriLampon]

Work in progress, so far.
I pencil traced the stock spare tire cover onto the 1/4" 24"x48" medium density fiberboard.
It's a curved surface, so I took care to make sure the pencil is vertical at all times to make
a profile projection. Unlike this photo, I slid the cover down, so the top, forward facing, edge
was on top of the MDF. That allows the bottom, rear edge to be less obvious if there is a slight
gap.
image_56691.jpg
I didn't have an electric jig saw, so I rough-cut the sides so I could use a coping saw that quickly
cut through the MDF and had better control.

Then, to check the fit, I dry-fit the resulting MDF panel over the spare tire well.
IMG_5977.JPG
Mmmmmm, it needs some fine tuning with sand paper to make sure it fits properly.
The good news is that it is rigid and does not flex over the spare.

Back to the garage for a while before adding the carpet covering.

RESERVE THIS SPOT.

[007Cruiser]

Looking good so far anxious to see the final result.

[JerriLampon]

Latest progress in the spare tire trunk mod........
In tracing the stock spare well cover that it's not exactly a fine fit. There are gaps in mine, particularly on the right side curve.
No matter -- the carpet edges blend quite well so it's not too noticeable.
The MDF panel is cut and edge-finished (two attempts). I'll spray the back and edges with flat black, then use Gorilla spray
glue to attach the new carpet.
Meanwhile, here's a photo of the two sides of the replacement carpet from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCG7D3C4).
The original cover carpet is in the center, the two sides of the replacement carpet on either side. They look somewhat lighter
that stock, but I'm forging forward, regardless.

IMG_5984.JPG

[Bobnoir1]

Rock On, Jerri. This looks like a promising approach for those who want to create a no-harm modification for a full size spare.
Add a trunk mat to complete the project and fly.

[JerriLampon]

Final installment for the spare tire cover, proof of concept adventure
is 98% complete with only a final carpet material to be trimmed. Whether
to wrap it around the MDF panel or just cut it off flush with the surface is
determined next, depending on how well the carpet glues/sticks to the edge
of the new MDF cover.

Conclusions:
The new 1/4" MDF cover fits as well as the original. The new carpet
material, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCG7D3C4,
is extremely close to the original design pattern and color, enough
so anyone looking at it wouldn't see an obvious difference.

IMG_6055.JPG

The only other adjustment I will consider is to extend the threaded
wheel cover washer to support the new flat cover. I measured
the distance between the plastic support washer and the new flat
cover and it's a 1.75" spacer to add to the washer for added support.
The MDF is reasonably rigid, so there may be no need for the extra
support, but just in case............

Extend support.jpg

That's it! Relatively inexpensive for the MDF and carpet materials, spray flat black paint,
spray Gorilla Glue and a couple of hours invested.
File it in the memory archives if anyone else is interested in adding a full size spare to the trunk.
Your mileage may vary, but not by much.

[Bobnoir1]

Well done, Jerri. The project looks great, very reproducible, inexpensive, and conforms to the
reversible "do no harm" philosophy. You can retain the original spare tire cover for future use
to boot (so to speak).
One thing I thought of is to cut off the "knobs" on the stock tire cover to see if that is sufficient
space to allow a full size spare. That would, however violate the "do no harm" mission.

[007Cruiser]

I really like this idea. I may copy it. It’ll give me something to do.

[007Cruiser]

Well done, Jerri. The project looks great, very reproducible, inexpensive, and conforms to the
reversible "do no harm" philosophy. You can retain the original spare tire cover for future use
to boot (so to speak).
One thing I thought of is to cut off the "knobs" on the stock tire cover to see if that is sufficient
space to allow a full size spare. That would, however violate the "do no harm" mission.

I don’t think that removing the knobs would do the trick. I could be wrong as it has happened before.

[02-T-Bird]

Very well done, nice job and thank you for sharing with us all.