Hey Everybody!

I am in need of some info regarding mounting a tire rack onto my 2005 Blazer 2 DR Base model (maybe LS) no idea!
but I have the rack from pick n pull looks brand new, tried my best to get the similar bolt up looking at the bolts from the jimmy at the wreckers and now I’m at a standstill. Do these trucks come with a backing / support plate in them where the rack bolts on or do we need to weld and such?

I was quoted $300 to $400 to get it done at an auto body shop... I feel like that would be easier then wrecking my truck myself haha!

Any and all opinions and advice would be amazing!

 

Hmmm.... theres a member who just did this, and I think he had to put plates in. But dont quote me.

check out the build threads, itll be a descent one about a 2dr 2wd white blazer...cant remember the name, but I'll edit this post if I come across it and remember lol... a quick sear h for tire carrier and looking at the build threads could give you pointers either way... might be easier to go to a shop, but you'll save 350-400 by spending the afternoon and doing it yourself. It really is not that hard at all...

edit:

https://blazerforum.com/forum/builds-48/torbinators-cheap-jimmy-101653/?highlight=Tire+carrier

 

To answer your question, yes, they did have backing plates, of sorts. They had nuts supported by sheer metal.

 

If you try to install without backer plates it won't be good. The tire on the carrier will cause it to sag and things will just get ugly from there. It's a lot of weight without the proper supports.

 

Here is a one of many writeups I've found on this forum. I plan to replicated much of how this member approached it. The one think I might do differently is added sheet-metal body-panel adhesive to the reinforcement plates as a way to take some of the load.
https://blazerforum.com/forum/builds...-66048/page54/

Then here is a link that shows what the stock upper bolt attachment looks like. Spare Tire Carrier

And this is what the lower reinforcement looks like. You can buy this part still but you cannot install it unless you take off some of the body sheet metal (as far as I can tell).

 

I agree with Christine. The factory brackets technically can be removed from a parts vehicle, but they're really difficult to get, and it involves cutting a fair amount of sheet metal on both the donor truck as well as on yours to make them fit. When I installed my spare tire carrier I decided to just use a 3" fender washer stacked with a normal washer and lock nut on each of the 6 bolts. There's pics in my build thread, as well as a main thread in the how-to section that showcases a number of different install methods that people have used.

The main thing to worry about with the setup is if you go much bigger than a 31" tire which will get quite heavy, or if the lock mechanism doesn't close properly and the swing arm comes open while you're driving. That's the only time I've ever heard of someone having issues with the sheet metal bending is when the swing arm wasn't latched and it swung around while driving. But that will dent the fender even if you have a factory installed setup. I drove my 4-door for 3 years with the spare tire carrier and a 31" AT tire and I never had any denting or sagging of the carrier. Most of the time the weight is supported by the bracket bolted to the tailgate, so unless you stand on the carrier while it's open you'll likely not have any problems.

 

So I once found online a kit for the stock Blazer exterior tire carriers that provided a safety latch to prevent the carrier from swinging out. It was a bit like the secondary hood-latch system that you have to also undo to raise the hood after you release it.

I was thinking of replicating this with a Double-End Bolt-Snap Hook.