Project ZU: Rear Tire Carrier

[Triathlete]

Fashionably Late to the Party

Fixed it for you

[tom4bren]

With the skid plate off I should be able to cut the 2 inner mounts & weld the tank higher. Looks to be a fairly easy project & the result will look much better with a tucked gas tank.

A little more than that. IIRC, the shield at the back of the tank is welded to the tank and to the rear crossmember. That's a cutting/welding job that a pro would hesitate on. It can be done but be careful. Don't want to lose any family members in a blaze of glory.

[Ala5ka]

Question? Do you ever think of your HiLift as a samurai sword? Because that's how I feel about it. Also thanks for the rear door pic, I've got some ideas for when I do this

[VXorado]

Question? Do you ever think of your HiLift as a samurai sword? Because that's how I feel about it. Also thanks for the rear door pic, I've got some ideas for when I do this

I was thinking red squirrel tail when I first put the hi-lift on because I had it mounted above the roof line & visible from the front. Samurai Sword... much cooler

[VXorado]

Hmmm, I'll know I have some... not sure how useful they'll be but i'll look through them and let you know. I can take some close ups of the inner framework as well.

The only thing I want to fix/change is the cladding under the tire. I hate how the cut off is visible. Maybe fiberglass will fix that?

Sue's pics from Moab:

[Thatguy]

This is kind of an old thread, but how did your hinges hold up? I was recently rear ended and interested in doing this to my VX. Did you have to beef up your hinges or have any problems with the latch?

[VXorado]

This is kind of an old thread, but how did your hinges hold up? I was recently rear ended and interested in doing this to my VX. Did you have to beef up your hinges or have any problems with the latch?

No problems at all. I've even tagged the tire on a few rock ledges without any repercussions.


I think this has helped a lot to keep stress off the hinges and latch.

[Thatguy]

Thanks for the response! I hope to have this done in the next few weeks. Where did your bump stop come from?

[VXorado]

It's from the front suspension, upper bumpstop. I had the bumpstops lying around after replacing them with a low profile set from indy4x.

[Boonetown123]

Awesome idea man! Honestly one the best looking VXs! I actually took your idea of the snorkel and ordered one myself and put it on.