Best rear tire mount (hilux surf option?)
- Thread starter bowrappyo
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Ashura
New member
A couple of people have done it but doesn't look like any of them are active anymore on here:
blktpgsr
greenbowcounty
brilliant (he got the tailgate but not the carrier; going through his thread think he wasn't able to figure it out)
I like them too and am looking for one. Good luck sourcing; they're not easy to get...
blktpgsr
greenbowcounty
brilliant (he got the tailgate but not the carrier; going through his thread think he wasn't able to figure it out)
I like them too and am looking for one. Good luck sourcing; they're not easy to get...
Malcolm99
Member
You would have to find a Hilux surf tail gate and swing out from the same year (and colour ideally) so the wiring would match up or you'll have to convert it, then you would have to fab reinforcements with weld on nuts inside the rear passenger tail gate pillar to mount and handle the swing out weight and drill a few precision holes. Most aftermarket ones I've seen require the matching aftermarket bumper, or the drop down hitch mount style. I get the swing out look, looks awesome and solves the big spare tire storage, but functionally I prefer not having to swing out a tire every time I need in the trunk.
TRD 4RNR
Member
Are you looking for a permanent or temporary solution?
Might try one of these:
Wilco Offroad UHG33187: Hitchgate Solo Standard High Clearance | JEGS
Might try one of these:
Wilco Offroad UHG33187: Hitchgate Solo Standard High Clearance | JEGS
That's a really cool solution except that at the price they want you might as well throw a few more bucks at it and buy a custom bumper with a swing-out. If it was $250 I could see it being worth that, but for under $300 I can carry a CRF450 on my hitch, so it shouldn't cost $800 to carry a spare tire.
ArmArak
New member
I built one with the same idea to carry my spare tire and a gas can for around 250-300 bucks. Ill post a thread on it soon but if you have a welder all you need is some steel tubing and paint to get something that looks really good and works very well.
Joelzy
New member
another vote in favor of building.
I spent less than 200 bucks and thats with redoing some parts 2 or 3 times as i learned. most expensive part was the hinge that cost about 50 bucks. first time building a swingout but well worth the experience of figuring it out.
details in my build if you'd rather learn from my mistakes
I spent less than 200 bucks and thats with redoing some parts 2 or 3 times as i learned. most expensive part was the hinge that cost about 50 bucks. first time building a swingout but well worth the experience of figuring it out.
details in my build if you'd rather learn from my mistakes
Last edited:
bowrappyo
New member
Was looking for something more permanent. I've seen this option before. Looks pretty ok!
bowrappyo
New member
This looks pretty rad. Great work. I'll be out in UT in Feb for some snowboarding with my truck.
another vote in favor of building.
I spent less than 200 bucks and thats with redoing some parts 2 or 3 times as i learned. most expensive part was the hinge that cost about 50 bucks. first time building a swingout but well worth the experience of figuring it out.
details in my build if you'd rather learn from my mistakes
pavelvoivoda
Member
I did it to my xUN 4Runner.
Since my back door was not in good shape (there were some bents, the window wasn't moving fast enough, and wanted to make room for a future aux tank), I found a Hilus Surf spare back door at a scrapyard and bought it.
After I repainted it, I replaced everything from my old door, to the new old door and was amazed how fast and smooth everything moved and locked in place.
I said to myself that I'd go with a new custom rear bumper and attach the rear tire on it, but that was too complicated, considering the guy would sell me the whole spare tire carrier for about $100.
After some measurements and dozen tries lifting and lowering the carrier, I found the right place to drill the holes for the two mounts.
The guy didn't want to cutout the lower panel and pull out the two brackets inside the fender, so I had to make them myself.
One the 4Runners, the 3 holes exist in the pillar, but may be blocked by a weird bracket (pic shown), that must have its spot welds drilled, so it can be removed. For this, I drilled a bigger hole thru the pillar(not for the faint of heart), to be able to reach and drill out some of the spot welds. I think there were two or three.
The first four pics are of a friend who is doing this to his 4rUNner!
The top one was easier to make: all it is is just a piece of sheet metal about 2-3mm thick, and on every opening for the bolts to go thru, i welded a... I don't remember - 16mm nuts. The sheet metal was precut in the shape of the outer mount on the carrier. Sorry I dont have a pic.
The bottom one was a two piece of sheet metal, one vertical which basically follows the same curve of the lower carrier mount and then one end bolts to the front part of the internal pillar, and the other follows back then makes a turn towards the center and then turns again to the front of the 4Runner and bolts where there is a rubber bushing that the back door butts against when you close it. I also added some rubber padding between the outer fender and inner bracket to act like a bushing. It turned out ok. Sorry no complete pics.
This lower bracket is also reinforced with a horizontal piece of the same sheet metal that is precut to the same curve of the lower fender and welded to the vertical piece, to make the whole custom bracket look like a curved T beam. It's a bit awkward to bolt the carrier to it. The pic below is not the finished bracket but a test. If you don't reinforce the bracket, the outside sheet metal will bend on every swing of the carrier and eventually brake the fender. So fiddle around with it and make a sturdy bracket.
The really not-for-the-faint-of-heart part is when you realize that the lower mount bracket does mount correctly to the fender...but the whole carrier has to go left in order for the lock bracket and especially the courtesy switch for open-carrier-dash-signal to work properly.
I used a small hammer with a rubber padding to hand bend the fender to shape it into a Japanese fender...
The open carrier signal should activate the open dash light if the original back door ECU is used. In my case I used my cars ECU, because the car I got the door from was a 96 and the ECU is older than mine cars. I tried to insert a pin to the connector following the electrical diagram for the Hilux Surf, but the 4Runner's pin slot there doesn't provide any signal to the dash via the multiplex com system. Anyway I getto hacked it with a relay connected to the original door lock signal. If you want a diagram how I connected everything, let me know.
The carrier is pretty strong. I did step on the tire a couple of times during the last trip. I am around 200lbs.
I plan on mounting a small folding table, a rear fog light in the center where the spare wheel rides, a small lock box inside the rim to carry recovery gear, and maybe an HF antenna on the top mount shown in the example pics ive seen online.
Hope this guide helps.
Attachments
Ashura
New member
[MENTION=111373]pavelvoivoda[/MENTION] THANK YOU! May have found a carrier and tailgate. This is very helpful.
Devbot
New member
If you're handy with a metal-melter 2000, consider welding up your own. my coworker welds up and sells tire carriers for 4runners and it costs him very little to make. Something you want to keep in mind is the clearance between the armor and the car; if the bumper takes a hard hit it's gonna want to move, obviously, but if you have it built so it's rigid as shit and touching/flush with adjacent panels, all it's gonna do is damage whatever is next to it. Similarly if the actual arm holding the tire is too close to the hatch, or if the tire sits too high/too close to the glass, there's an equal chance to cause unnecessary damage. just something to think about, my bud isn't the best about it so I refrain from his carriers ironically.
That said, I'm probably gonna go with a CBI Hybrid carrier as it'll match my tube bumper very well. They're pricey though, but very nice looking.
That said, I'm probably gonna go with a CBI Hybrid carrier as it'll match my tube bumper very well. They're pricey though, but very nice looking.
That is TOO badass. I wish these were far more available, you can tell they really match and belong on the car. Not sure why someone doesn't just make them, they're obviously not that complex.
pavelvoivoda
Member
Hey Ashura,
It was you along with [MENTION=118429]Sarki[/MENTION] that translated Japanese for me. If you happen to get your hands on a door and carrier like this, make sure to get also the rear gas pistons as well. When the Surfs are equipped with this type of carrier, the gas springs are stronger and will hold the lift gate better than the ones sold in the US.
I am trying to find the same gas springs from the translate post, here in Bulgaria. I'll write back if I have any luck...
Last edited:
Ashura
New member
I wasn't aware of that but thanks for pointing it out! [MENTION=84917]GreenbowCounty[/MENTION] helped me out with some of the JDM stuff too. He did mention that he used yahoo auctions Japan for a lot of his purchases too so I'm going to jump on there and see if i can't find some of the struts you mentioned. Great feedback man!
Ashura
New member
Lol, good luck with that! I know [MENTION=112299]Formidable[/MENTION] has the drop down. I'm working on one with the wing spoiler myself. Found one for $200 but by the time you add in shipping it gets costly. :jaw: Keeping an eye out for one with a wing spoiler.
ヤフオク! - ハイラックス・サーフ KD-KZN185W リア ゲート ...
Formidable
New member
I found the spoiler and hatch on Craigslist from a company in Lynwood Washington called Foreign Engines. They import from Japan frequently and can probably help you out.
Foreign Engines
There are also two hilux drop down mirror spoilers on eBay right now. Not cheap though and who knows if the motor is intact.
Foreign Engines
There are also two hilux drop down mirror spoilers on eBay right now. Not cheap though and who knows if the motor is intact.
Similar threads
