Considering dropping the side mount spare installation plans..

I was out in the garage today trying to figure out which part of the spare tire mount install I should do first. Issues are, there are two pieces for inside the fender, 1 vertically mounted to the inside of the fender plus the top and the inner wall (baffle), and 1 horizontally (hat channel) mounted to the inner fender that wraps around to the rear panel, and both are pre-drilled to fit the spare mount..so the four holes for the mount need to be pretty much spot on when these two pieces get welded in. Especially annoying is that the posts on the mount are diamond in pattern but the two let's call them first base and third base are NOT at a level horizontal location - one is slightly higher than the other.....

And the baffle mounts to the hat channel so hat channel has to go in first. so you better be right about where you put it.

Then the baffle has to be installed (you cannot install these as one pre-welded piece as far as I can tell) and it has to be aligned dead center on the hat channel and dead plumb straight up and down to get the holes right. Mine cant even be fitted by hand due to the sheet metal issues inside the panel...

So lining up either of these two pieces is not easy when you do not know exact height from bottom fender lip to bottom of hat channel nor the exact location of the baffle, and sheet metal is a little wavy in there and etc. so you mount em both then drill through the pre existing holes to find that they are off enough that the spare mount does not line up. So that is not a good plan......welding once is bad enough, welding twice and drilling wrong holes....no good....

SO, Plan B is to eyeball the mount using the measurements given to me from another member, mark em on the outer side of the panel and drill. Then try to retro fit the two inner fender parts to line up with those holes, BUT if you screwed that initial location for the holes up, you might be slightly too far forward on the panel, then the curve in the hat channel might not reach the to the corner to go round the back panel.... Or the baffle-aligned holes might just be a little too high or off to one side a bit and you'll need to start over as the hat channel is then off...and if the baffle need to be moved AFTER you got the hat channel right..welp then you gotta move the hat channel....so again you've got four wrong Holes in your formerly clean panel. ALSO a bad plan.

So if anyone can give me a clear description of actually having DONE this job as opposed to existing hole locations and what it looks like from the factory (I am VERY grateful to you guys for that info, but I just cannot get enough info going that route) I would be most grateful. This is a puzzle that I am starting to think ain't worth the risk or the anguish.

Also, let's not go down the "why side spare mounts are a bad idea" road again. I know the risks and don't think they apply to me, I just want this thing to look beat but correct. LOL...let's stick to whether or not someone can give me a way to do this right the first time so I am not swearing and crying over my ruined panel..(which leads back to my premise of "Maybe I just don[t do this"....)

Any body had the guts to drill through a nice clear rear quarter panel hoping they got all the measurements right??

 

Matt what if I lay a large piece of paper over the fender and run a pencil over it and send that to you .
I agree my measurements could be tiny bit off , and that would mess it up.

 

Not a slight on your measurements CJ6/422, I appreciate all of your support in this endeavor! I am just not willing to err, and I err all the time!!! I may take you up on that offer but don't do it yet. It is the fitting of the hat channel and baffle that have me...well......baffled!

 

Matt,

Are there no existing hole or weld marks that you can go by? I don't remember what that quarter looked like. If it were me, I'd place the baffle first and drill that hole, mouth up the carrier with the one bolt and then align the hat channel in the well until it all lines up and looks "right". All three of the tubs I have here had mounts at one point, but have since been removed and had bondo smeared over them. I might be able to figure out dimensions for a starting point.

 

i know i'm not that close to you, but if you want, i have a 3B with the mount and a 3B rear mount and rear area of the tub is exactly the same as a 5 as far as i can tell from looking at my B and 5 and you can come look at it and measure whatever you want, i have a MIG welder too so you could try and do it over at my place, i have all the tools. I'm about 15 minutes east of philly, let me know if i can help at all. i also have the bracing for it on my 5 but the mount was taken off, but the bracing is still on the tub.

 

My rear quarter is a "restored" part by the PO, work was done back in the 70s, not a mark on it. No holes no welds. The only thing that was left was about 1/10th of the baffle, they sawed thru it top to bottom. So I do have a general idea of where it mounts to the INNNER wall,but can't get it fitted easily in that spot due to the shape of the inner metal on the quarter panel, I should take some pix and post em. Yeah maybe tonight if I get the time.

I appreciate the offer Geoffrey, might take you up on that,. There is a guy here in my town, not a member, has a really nice one he drives in the memorial day parade, might look him up too.

Lining up using the carrier is tough because it does not mount square and that 1st base/3rd base offset is a pesky issue, has to be just right. make my head spin. More soon!

 

I went out and looked at the '66 tub which is on the rotisserie. The hat channel height is fixed by the indent in the baffle. The baffle goes tight up against the top of the wheelhouse. The only critical dimension that I can see would be where to place the baffle on the hat.

Here's what mine looks like:




Oh, thanks for making me look at mine. Found out that the hat channel is all gone on the top side. . .

 

Looks like the wood insert is missing from inside your hat channel too.