buying from who? where?Quote:
Originally Posted by Marlin
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buying from who? where?Quote:
Originally Posted by Marlin
Here are the pics as requested...the plate is centered on the outside, I just drilled one of the holes crooked, so bolts is actually at a slight angle...I know, pathetic.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...u/IMGP0264.jpg
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...u/IMGP0265.jpg
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...u/IMGP0266.jpg
As far as the lights, I correct my previous post, the 20 dollar procomp fixtures are not H11s, the H11s are 80 bucks, I apologize, so now the project will be around 200 vice 100:
http://4wheeloutfitters.com/store/in...d&productId=26
The HID kit is the same one I have on my VX for the headlights. No flickering or any of the other problems people whine about. Took about a week from Hong Kong, they will send you whatever color bulb you want. Their customer service was great too.
http://cgi.ebay.com/H1-H3-H4-H7-H11-9004-9006-9007-xenon-hid-conversion-kit_W0QQitemZ200348168964QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item2ea5ae7304&_trksid=p3286.c0. m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1205|240% 3A1309|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50
Marlin,
I finally saw your pix. Good job. It looks like the mounting bracket carries your spare just a tad farther away from the door than mine. I can't even get my hand between the door and the tire to clean or wax or treat the cladding.
BTW, you could just mount your license plate on your bully bar but I like it on my receiver better.
Tom
Thanks Tom,Quote:
Originally Posted by tom4bren
I tried to find the deepest bracket I could, so if I go to a larger tire or different offset wheel, I have room to spare...get it.....spare:)
Anyway, I am happy with the results and I have no indication of deformation of any kind.
I haven't decided what to do with the palte, now that I am making skid plates, I have put it on the back burner. I am gonna try to knock out half a dozen plates this weekend if I can, and then wait until I get some feedback for finishing touches and ship those out. That money will go toward my bumper project and manual hubs. Then the next batch of money will help fund my new trail tires and wheels. I would guess once my bumper is done, that will put me into the medium modded category? I have done so much to it, it is getting hard to keep track.
Marlin, make sure to take pics and do a write up on that light conversion!:cool:
Damn, can I not get away from you!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by ZEUS
Well, I'm glad I got to see someone do this mod, because I've wanted to do it for quite a while, and now I'm kinda glad I didn't. :)
I wanted to mount my fullsize spare on the outside, and put a speaker enclosure shaped like an inverted peace sign for subs and 6x9s on the inside. I figured the weight on the hinges would be too much though, and laziness helped too. :)
Anyway, the body lines for the spare on the inside really push that exterior spare out too far for my taste. Oh well. Still want to get the spare off the roof, and keep the backseat, and for now that just means using the stock spare. Ouch.
-Daver
You could always remove the passenger seat and mount some sort of full size spare holder there keeping the rear seats and giving easier access to them lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Daver
ooh and then you could also put ur system in the rear door ;)
Nice...Quote:
Originally Posted by So-CalVX
Has anyone else tried this yet? I got over 1mpg better with the spare on the door vice the roof. But I also removed the front bumper as well. I figured that would hurt, but something made a difference, I drive the same way every day to work. Sweet either way.
The tire on top sucks a lot of extra fuel...as does the basket on top or a bike. That is one of the biggest reasons I rented a mt. bike in Moab. I have several friends with sweet high end mt. bikes that would have let me borrow them however the rental was less than the extra fuel!
I wonder how much of a difference it makes with my expy? That big block V8 shouldn't care...5.4L that I wish I could put in my VX along with the 6 speed tranny. that would kick ***.
If I drove more than 10 miles a day in my VX, I would take the rack off, but I LOVE THE WAY IT LOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All it takes is $$$$$...anything is possible!:smilewinkQuote:
Originally Posted by Marlin
An update on the rear spare on the door conversion. Its been awhile now. There is no noticeable sag on the door, but I will say that when I close the door, I can feel the latch engage, it does rub a bit, which tells me that something has moved, even it is just a little.
Everyhting else is perfect, no problems, and I took it wheeling and all. So for those that have contemplated it, go for it, it is a fairly easy and gratifying project, and I now have my stereo mounted in the rear door, so more free space in the back:)
Revisiting again, still no sag on the door, or latch problems. I am in out of the back at least 4 or 5 times a week. No issues. On my last trip to Uwharrie, I did take the tire off and store it inside while I was wheeling just in case I came to a steep incline, it would not be fun to spend 5 min taking the tire off while 20 trucks are behind you waiting. I have never scraped it, but I was just planning ahead:)
Hey Marlin, I saw your VX in person last night and the rear tire mount looks great! I'm down in Charleston for a wedding and my buddy lives in your neighborhood! It's a small world huh? Sent you a PM, let me know if you're around tomorrow and maybe I'll stop by.
EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!! Stranger Danger!!!! Stalker!!!!:_crying:Quote:
Originally Posted by vt_maverick
J/K, I sent a PM back, I will be around all day, kind of embarrassed, the VX is dirty...:rolleyes:
:ot:
Well, time for another update, its been about 1.5 yrs now, I no longer baby the door opening and closing, and I have no sign of sag. No significant rubbing on the latch either. I slam it shut, leave it open sometimes, trailed it with the tire on it, no problemo. I am more than pleased with the results of this project. I am surprised there is only the two of us though. As a matter of fact, of all my projects I have done, the only one I am not 100% happy with is the....well, I can't think of one;)
I was planning on it (even have the mount) but after mocking everything up I didn't really like the way it looked on mine so I threw it on the roof, plus the basket made it easy for mounting the lights. Glad it's working out good for ya Chris! I'm still debating it at some point.
I'm not sure if you went through the whole thread or not. I am 100% function over form. The reason I took it off the roof: at Moab in 09, while in Poison Spider, there is a little rally run, like a mile through the sand, and we were moving pretty quick. I saw something in my peripheral (and it wasn't a blonde). We slowed down, turns out, it was a bolt from the roof rack that had gone flying off. Then I started thinking about 70-80lbs of rim and tire on the roof and what that would do to someone if it came off the roof on the street. That could be deadly.
Plus, having the tire on the roof with no cover on it means its in the sun all day long, which will destroy the tire. But I do trail the VX with the spare on the roof for approach angle purposes. Its also a lot easier to get the spare off the door, I got a dent in the side from trying to get the tire off the roof by myself a few months ago.:(
LOL, I have read the thread and talked to you about it before. I know why YOU did it, and I completely understand that. I myself like form AND function. I didn't like how far it would sit from the door, not how it looked on the door. I'm working on modifying the bracket to sit closer and then I'll probably end up doing it. For now I like it on the roof and have had it in some thick brush where I was worried about it coming off and it didn't budge. Plus I don't leave it up there all the time. I've even considered getting a 2nd spare so I have 2, it's weird but the VX is gonna end up as my Expedition rig when we take camping trips and go visit the family in Indiana and Minnesota so would be nice to have 2 just in case. As far as getting it off the roof, maybe you need these:
http://www.bobgarontraining.com/wp-c..._wheaties1.jpg
:laughing: Just kidding, it's a pain to get it on/off, I know.
I saw an Amigo rear tire mount with the third brake light set up.
It looked like I could do something similar to my VX.
Its cool in that pic you posted of the rear tire mount.
Theres the Red Explorer?- Orange CBR dude in the background- Yellow VX
Thanks, that was our 07 expedition, which we traded for a 2010 F150, which we just traded for an 06F250 lariat diesel. Hopefully we wont have to trade cars for awhile...:)Quote:
Originally Posted by IRONVIKING
lol hopefully not. Did you find a 2 car trailer yet?
Nope, still gotta sell mine first.
I was thinking about doing Toms full-size Rear Tire mount, but wanted to add one of these Korean spare tire covers to it (see link).
I brought one back from Korea when I was stationed there for about 60 bucks U.S., but sold it with my Amigo thinking I would never need it again (facepalm). Mine had a small storage area that I had covered with a piece of black rubber diamondplate to give it a grittier look.
Anyone know where to get one of these here in the States? I think it would give it a nice touch (for those who even want a full-size spare on the back) Not for everyone to be sure, but I think it would fit the lines of what look I am going for.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...e_Tire_cvr.jpg
Dude, post up an adult sized pic, can't even tell what it is...
The pic in this thread http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...threadid=19067 is slightly larger, but I still cant tell wtf it is.
Best I can do here as there aren't alot of images of the item I am talking about. They're pretty common in Asia, but I have only seen them once or twice in the U.S.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/sh...=19126&cat=500
Has a nice look to it that (might) compliment the VX if the rear tire was in the back. You can hook your brakelight to the light in the center and while the sides are for show, they make it look as though they are clamping the tire in place.
Ahhh IC... interesting.
Not that I am one to talk, but I don't think that shiny plastic would look good on the VX...:)
Looks like it would be at home on a Rav4 or CRV
If you do find where to get one, let me know. I'd definitely buy one. You can always turn shiny plastic into matte black gritty awesomeness with a little bedliner or Gatorback spray. I am going to be gutting my rear hatch anyways since there's no way in the 9 hells I'm ever going to fit a spare there with it in the way.
Looks like the lid of a toilet. :)
I concur. The one on my Amigo was painted a satin, and I had a big piece of black diamond plate covering a piece in the center. Just my take on my interpretation of the VX though, not trying to sell anyone on it.
Dude, it does look like some of the fancy electric toilet seats I saw in Japan!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by vt_maverick
PS-take my opinions with a grain of salt, after all, I am responsible for this:
and this
and most definitely this
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...ofDSCN7907.jpg
After a long search for another wheel (which they no longer make) I was able to find an 18 inch chrome wheel and have it powdercoated, and a tire that will match up pretty close with the rest. I used an old trooper mount, cut and bent it in a couple places, and was able to get a perfect fit. I mounted it a little different than the other pics I've seen and think it should be a little more sturdy. Now my only question is do I dare put my subs back in my door... Here are the pics!
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/100_0143.JPG
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/100_0145.JPG
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/100_0150.JPG
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/515/100_0152.JPG
The rim looks great. I wouldn't worry about the extra weight of the spare+subs because I had an engineer spec out the hinge shear strength around 1200lbs.
I've been building a spare tire carrier myself except mine removes the "bulge" from the old spare & allows the larger spare tire to be wrapped by the rear bumper cladding. I'm on the final stages now of welding in new sheet metal followed by paint to finish it up.
I think yours looks good but it would look better IMO if you also removed the bulge so the spare isn't mounted so far off the back.
Now this ....
Quote:
Originally Posted by VXorado
....sounds awesome.
Cant wait to see it, I love the idea.
:thumbup:
jo
2X. I agree I like the tire back there but don't like how far back it sits. (still happy with it though). I thought of what you are doing but wasn't feeling nearly that ambitious/adventuresome. Cant wait to see how it turns out though it should be pretty sick. and i'm not concerned about the hinges at all they're pretty solid. my only concern is the sagging that the rest of the door will suffer and the mounting area of the hinges. not failure, just some yielding that could mess up alignment. Still think i"m going to reinstall the subs though and see what happens. (had to open them up and take them out cuz they are bolted to the door from the inside of the box...)
Its been a big project, the hardest part was finding a cheap rear door because I didn't want to damage my good door if the project was a bust. I should have the door completely done by the end of this year. I'll definitely post some pics and a thread, stay tuned....
Hey eblank, where are you going to put the license plate?