Clint, how come you don't just leave the spare on the roof? Gas mileage? I get way better mileage with my roof rack off, but...

I was actually looking at doing something similar myself. I want to cut out a square sized alcove in the paneling underneath where the tire iron is stored. I just can't remember if there is anything in the way or not. I bought one of those Czech 1 gallon gas cans, cleaned it out, and filled it with motor oil. This way I can carry motor oil in a better, more solid container. Usually I would just stick a Mobile-1 jug in the tailgate but occasionally they will leak. This new can won't leak, but I was trying to think of a spot for it behind the paneling.

I think it could be done, but I don't know about having all the metal exposed and how it will look. I thought about doing this a while back, just to further the Mad Max look, but I just think it will look bad unless you do something totally seamless that looks like it belongs there. I don't think you will get enough space gain by removing the panelling. I think you could build a nice box however, that fits the spare, a nicer jack and some basic tools, and then still have cargo space on top of that.

Bart