Refitting a Spare Wheel Carrier

[TANGO7]

Looking at the practicalities of refitting a spare wheel carrier to a car which has had it removed - leaving "stubs" of the original carrier protruding from the rear panel. What is the minimum length of the "stub" required to retrofit a replacement? Are replacement carriers available? (It's for an imperial chassis car - Caterham only supply carriers for a metric chassis). If carriers are available what is the fixing method to the "stubs" (eg bolt through with internal or external sleeve).

[Drumster]

I used the method on Steve Marsh's page back in 2004 but I was starting from a position of cutting off an existing carrier. You may be fortunate to have a suitable length of stub left. As for getting hold of an imperial carrier you might be lucky to find one on here from someone who has dispensed with one permanently or alternatively give Bruce a call at Arch Motors (imperial chassis manufacturers)

 

[OldAndrewE]

I think a call to Arch Motors is in order

[TANGO7]

Thanks Aeroscreens - the link you sent details it very well. 

Thanks Andrew -  Arch are a fair distance for me as I live in Durham, so looking at the practicalities of doing it myself.

[paul_w]

for my Lotus S1 I went through a process of turning bar to make inserts and bending and welding on a new rear section, but on a later car (without the undertray S1s have) I would measure the distance between the existing holes and see if you could fit a later bolt on one from a metric car. I've just measured the metric one I have from my Caterham and it is 443mm centre to centre on the studs that go into the chassis, so if the holes are near that on an imperial car you should be able to make use of the bolt on type I would have thought.

[OldAndrewE]

I presume the metric bolt on type have some sort of boss in the chassis tube to stop crushing the tube when bolting up (I could be wrong though!).  The welded (braised) on imperial one has no holes in the chassis tube, at least the earlier ones don't

[paul_w]

yes, they have a boss in the tube, but it wouldn't be hard to drill through the back of the tube and make something to avoid crushing it when you tighten it, easier I would have thought than the other options if the distance between the mounts is the same (certainly easier than making the bungs and welding on a new tube like I did with my S1)