I have one on the way. My stepfather own's a used car lot / garage and he picked one up for me. He even fixed it up and painted it before they sent it. Now the waiting game begins, it will take about 6 weeks for it to get here.

 

I had some concerns when I first installed mine so I thought I'd post an update for anyone considering this mod.

I've had my spare tire carrier on for about 2 years now. When I installed mine (literally, a hackjob) I cut away a lot of metal from the inside body panel in order to gain access to the holes in the outer panel. I have no support bar other than a few thick fender washers on the inside.

To my surprise, there has been no warping or bending and it looks exactly the same as when I first installed it. I've also never had the gate open on it's own, although I did leave it unlatched once and drove about 40 yards before noticing (it was dark out lol)

 

Thanks for the update! Is it a 31" tire you have on your carrier? I have had a carrier to put on my Blazer for a while, but I am still apprehensive about hanging a 35" tire on sheet metal. Still, I love the factory look of it!

 

Yep! I love the way it looks

Just FYI, the tire blocks a good portion of the rear window. A 35" tire might make it unusable (not a huge issue though)

 

No doubt. The 31" on my old ZR2 was bad enough, but I got used to it. I think I'll modify the carrier so the tire sits closer to the tailgate as well, might help with the leverage of an offset wheel and heavier tire.

 

mine is riding a 33 since i lifted...no problems at all.

 

I think I'm over-analyzing and stressing for no reason. I haven't read of anyone having issues with it. Thanks for your input!

 

well if ya look at it the carrier has 3 mounting points when closed...more then enough for the tire/wheel. when opened you may have concerns...but i would think slight reinf. would be enough...thats why i tied the top and bottom bolts together on the inside of the inner body panel with a length of steel stock from the depot.

 

Yeah I try not to leave the carrier open for any length of time which kinda sucks. Not sure how much damage I could do by leaving it open but that's a lot of weight. It's also far enough away from the hinges to generate a lot of downward torque

 

i have left mine open for hour or more at least all the time. when working on the ride i use the back as a tool shelf / work bench...no problems.