Chevy Express Van DIY spare tire carrier

[scottrinne]

Hi Guys, I’m new to this forum so I’ll try to learn the etiquette as I go. I posted on Facebook a while ago about a DIY tire carrier that I built and then I was pleased to see someone posted about it on this forum.

I know I’m not the first person to create a tire carrier for the GM vans, but when I was looking for an inexpensive ‘kit’ online, I couldn’t find one that would work with this van unless I cut/welded into the body or thin sheet metal on the doors.

Installing a rear tire carrier is difficult on our vans due to the location of the rear door hinges; I custom bent a tube to solve this problem:

 

[scottrinne]

I used 1.75” 11 gauge electric welded steel in the tube to keep the cost down and still be plenty strong. I bit the bullet and purchased a tube bender (for this project and other planned projects). After playing around with it and going through a couple sacrificial tubes, I was able to dial it in and reproduce the same tube over and over again.

 

[scottrinne]

I used some tag-board and made a template of how the metal brackets would fit. I traced them onto some scrap metal I had laying around and cut them out using an angle grinder. After drilling the holes, I installed them with the stock door hinge bolts. (the stock bolts are very long)








bottom:

 

[scottrinne]

This was the first rear tire carrier that I have built, so I wasn’t sure about the hinges. I purchased some inexpensive strap hinges from eBay; they are designed for a dump trailer and are greaseable. They had to be cut down slightly before being welded on. (I used a shorter ½ bolt after cutting them down) Before welding them to the upper and lower brackets, I used a long ½ metal rod (purchased from big box store) and put it though both hinges to make sure they lined up in the same plane.

In hind-site, I should have welded the hinges on the brackets as the last step. …because when welding the support tube and tire bracket onto the custom bent hoop, it slightly warped and the hinges didn’t line up perfect. (I had to use heat and a floor jack to warp the tube back to the original shape to fit the hinges)

 

[scottrinne]

I also found a simple solution to the latch. I used a trailer spring latch and welded it to the bottom of the hoop. Then I made a box out of a scrap piece of box tube and welded it to the bumper. I cut a hole in the metal box so the latch would slide into it. It is far enough out of the way so I still have a usable rear step in the bumper, and it’s low enough so it doesn’t interfere with the doors. It would be nice to have some sort of locking mechanism in the latch, but this has been working great for the last 1,000 miles or so. (no heavy off road driving yet) It doesn’t rattle at all yet.

 

[scottrinne]

 

[scottrinne]

The door opens all the way:


but one of the grease zerks did contact the door if you pushed hard on the door, so after filling with grease, I replaced it with an allen screw:


I also had to use a flap disc to trim some plastic from the tail light:

 

[heathepperson]

Nice! Will the passenger side door open without having to move the tire?
Are you selling these?

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[Len.Barron]

Will the passenger side door open without having to move the tire?
Are you selling these?

Passenger door operation is not impeded at all with the single drivers door hoop.
You should PM him about buying them, I'm sure he's not wanting to violate any forum rules for selling stuff.
I'm very happy with mine. They are what he says they are and he got it shipped out quick.

 

[scottrinne]

Thanks Len!

One of the benefits of only having only the left side carrier hoop, is that you can exit the van from the inside. (the right rear door is not affected an anyway)

Here is a video I made that shows it in action, but if it violates any forum rules then I will remove it. (it says they are for sale in the video). I made these hoops to help other people achieve the same results without spending thousands on an already made spare tire carrier or the right tools.

 

[45Kevin]

That's awesome. I've been watching Len get his together.
Is there a link to order this?
What site did you get the hinges and latch from?
What is like shipping this?

I am fine with the spare under the truck but I want to mount a box for outside storage of my chainsaw and recovery stuff.

 

[scottrinne]

Is there a link to order this?
What site did you get the hinges and latch from?

I just sent an email to the forum admins to see if it's okay to sell stuff on this forum. (I haven't heard back yet)

Other people have asked for a complete list of parts to purchase and exact directions on how to make it. ...I work 60 hours a week at a job that I love and I don't want to deal with any liability issues, so I chose to only offer the carrier hoop. I figured people can use the hoop and fabricate anything they want with it...like a chainsaw box and use it at their own risk

However, I ordered my latch and hinges from eBay and it works for my needs:

 

[scottrinne]

What is like shipping this?

Shipping is the biggest pain. FedEx and UPS are less expensive than the post office, but they are still very expensive due to the over sized item. I ship out of Minnesota (zip code: 55328) and have found that shipping from Fastenal Store to Fastenal Store is the most cost effective way of doing it. I recently shipped two hoops to Portland using Fastenal and the shipping was $150. (if you are from the midwest, then UPS might be cheaper)

local pick-up is free

 

[whith]

Wanted to do a quick shout out to Scott. I’ve got one of his hoops mounted up and have since November. Works great for me.

 

[scottrinne]

Looks Great!