my four door came stock with a tire carrier, 1st gens FTW :P

 

Couple of questions, how big is the tire you are sporting on the back? Do you still have no flex issues? Do you offroad with it (just wondering because I think that would put extra stress on the body). I am really considering this because with the lift I have it would make it really hard to get the 33"spare off of the top of the custom roof rack I am building as we speak. Also I have a 2"body lift and 2"rear lift shackles on the way so it will be 4" taller in the back after I am done and that will really make it hard to get to. I am just worried that a 33" tire will cause some flexing and tweak the body, also I dont want it to completly cover the back window (I dont mind it covering some but I would like to see out of it at least a bit.) I am not scared to drill the body just want it to not cause any issues in the future. Do you think a 33" tire would be okay?

 

I have a 31" tire and a steel wheel on the back of mine and I have no issues. I wouldn't think a 33" tire weighs that much more

 

These tire carriers are life-savers imo. More space in the back and a little protection from bad drivers... I got rear-ended and my tire carrier saved me hundreds of dollars because it kept the other truck from damaging the tail lights and the body itself- it kept the damage at the tailgate and back glass. If anyone here doesn't have one, I recommend you get one as soon as you can.

 

It also makes it a lot easier to fix a flat. When i first got my truck there was a lock on my spare underneith. I had the key but the lock was never used and was completely rusted. I ended up saw zawing it off but that would really suck if u go to change a flat and i realize u cant get the spare tire off...

 

Well, I did the "tire carrier on a 4-door" It was kin of a pain. But I got it done. I remembered to take pics and write everything down for bolt sizes and tips.

All bolts that I used on the swing out part are 1/2inch bolts. I used the following lengthsne 5.5in, two 5in, two 3.5in, and one 4in.
All the bolts that I used on the latch mount are 1/4inch bolts. I use the following lengths:three 2.5in, one 2in, and one 4in.
You'll also have to get a piece of flat steel to put on the inside, where the two front bolts come in. Mine was 14inches long and I had to drill holes in it to match the center from top bolt to the bottom bolt.
The only mod to the carrier itself will be having to notch out the bottom lower latch mount. So it will clear the opening handle for the hatch. (My blazer has the one-piece lift gate. So those with tailgates might be different.)
The following tips... I'll start with the the basic always measure, line-up, and make sure everything looks right before you start drilling holes LOL! On the swing out...It makes it easier if you take out the whole interior plastic panel on the inside. And I took out the tailight to get the wiring out of the way. I used regular hex bolts, and the heads of the bolts are too big to get a socket on so I had to use a open-end wrench to hold it while I tightend the nuts down. I had better luck installing the four outer bolts first and then putting in the two middle ones. And it is a PITA to get to the back bolts on the inside. I cut some metal out of existing access hole so I could get my hands in there better.
On the latch mount... Remove the interior plastic panel(remember the single phillips screw by the latch when you open the glass. Be prepared to get the grinder out. You'll have to trim the lower right hand corner so it will clear the handle for the hatch. And the 1/4inch bolts are a little bigger than the stock bolts. So you'll have to drill out the holes in the latch mount.
After I got it all tightened and made sure it all lined up. I took black silicone gasket maker and ran a bead around all outer edges of where the carrier mounts to the body panel. Then I pressed it in there with my finger and wiped it smooth with a clean rag. I also bought rubber gasket material and cut gaskets to fit between the mounting points and body panels before I mounted the rack.
Well... Now I took alot of pictures so I can add to this thread. This should help give everyone and idea of what the task will look like.

 

more pics..

 

and some more..

 

Awesome! thanks for the pics. For the two front bolts with the support plate on it, did you drill through just the outer sheet metal or both the outer and inner sheets? Your pic looks like you went through both sheets.

 

I forgot to add... Get a handfull of washers in bothe 1/2" and 1/4" sizes. Some bolts are hard to get too and you have to use alot of washers.
EDIT: I"ll work on figuring out how to put up the drawing of what bolts and sizes tomorrow. I hope this helps someone.