I have a zr2 carrier that im likely going to put on my 97 LT, but ive seen various suv bolt on fixed tire carriers in the salvage yards and it got me thinking..if i throw in some aftermarket struts with a higher amount of pressure to offset the weight of a spare i bolt on a fixed mount and it should operate like normal? i need new struts anyway. has anyone thought about this or tried it? any reason it wouldnt work?

 

I'm wondering if I'm reading correctly... are you talking about the zr2 carrier and spare adding that much weight to drop the rear? It doesn't effect it that much, but it is noticeable. Especially with a bigger the stock tire... but new struts will mostlikely solve the height drop... if not a stiffer one will...

 

i see where i could have been more clear. no im thinking of instead of going for a zr2 swing style tire carrier, using a fixed bolt on style of carrier common in jeeps and rav4s. possibly similar to this for example

the problem with that stye is that its really only used on side swinging back doors not upward swinging doors like the 97 i have has. to solve this i would get some new gas struts for the hatch door that compensate for the weight of the spare tire so the door opens and stays open like a normal door. id have to do some crunching and research to get a set that works the best but something like this for a rough example

edit: im seeing it be refered to as a hatch/tailgate/trunk door.

 

With the lift gate, I highly doubt there will be strong enough struts to support the gate and a tire... I could be wrong...

I would suggest making sure your able to go all the way through the gate, and not just the outer layer. Also consider you wont be able to open the glass without removing the tire. Or you'll have to install a spacer to push the tire far enough to creat clearance.

If your not worried about the glass opening, and are ready to deal with the possibility of swapping out struts often if they are not strong enough, or to use a stick to prop it, then i think it would look preaty good.

Also might need to relocate the liscense plate...

 

ill tinker around with some carriers and pull some struts off a suburban or something next time im at the u pull yard. if i go forward with it ill take some pics and post them.

 

Even if you could find gas struts that would lift your tire in addition to the weight of the lift gate, I'm guessing that the mounting points on the body would soon fail. Interesting theory, but I don't think it's going to work very well in practice. Definitely let us know how it goes, though.

 

Yeah. I'd suggest adding some reinforcement to the inside of the sheet metal as well to strengthen the tailgate because it will likely flex with bumps and such while driving. You may also need to reinforce the strut mounts to handle the extra weight.

Good luck with this project. I'm curious to see if you can make it work.

 

Apparently there was a year of the first gens that had a fold-down spare tire holder but it was supported on the drop-gate and at the bumper. Someone on the forum asked about finding one of these and even had a picture of it from another Blazer. I don't know if he ever found one.

Have you considered a carrier that folds down that is receiver mounted?

 

I built a fold down style for my receiver. I also have one that is fixed that I built. Mine are for my S10 but they'd work in about anything. There may even be a pic on here somewhere. I remember because Christine commented that she needed to learn how to weld!