How To mount tire rack on your 4 door
 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/...85cb8d8d_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1308/...89594874_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/...864d9c2a_b.jpg

and the final product

how I did it was pretty simple. the plastic on the inside snaps off. the seatbelt bolt is the only thing that needs to be unscrewed. on the trunk it is the same way with only one screw under the little handle to pull the trunk down. watch out for the top they don't pull off they slide. once everything is dissasembled this get a buddy to hold up the tire rack (maybe 2 the racks are heavy!) and mark where you are going to drill your holes.

I used 1/2 drill bit and 1/2 inch bolts for the rack itself. I had a pretty long bit to drill through the 2 peices of metal. the two end bolts are the easiest to get on since you can get to them fairly easy. the other 4 are not so easy. There are small openings big enough to stick maybe three fingers in to get the bolts threaded. I ened up making the holes slightly bigger with a gringer wheel.

for the trunk latch i used 3/8" bit and 3/8" bolts. this is the easiest part to do this doesn't have to be perfect you can adjust the hight of the latch on the rack.

remember to use washers and get long bolts. also I used weather stripping to cover the drilled holes from getting wet and rusting.

Looks like somebody made some changes, I like.

looks good cept that Blairwitch photo action... :)
i think i see ghosts in those pictures...

now come one, and give us a good pic of your upgrades!!!!


Ck1500

Please tell me there will be a write up!

lol its not completely finished yet... I have to get some longer bolts from the hardwear store... too bad they aren't open 24/7. but to be even more baffling that tire rack is ment for a 4 door. still a pain to put on...

lol Mikey likey!

I like it alot. We need a "how to" write up!

I likes!!!!

hopefully I can finish it tonight there is a sever thunder storm warning untill 9 oclock tonight. Its still sunny right now so..

sweet, I can't wait to see more

is this a spot the addons.....
I see round lights in front of the what looks like a Rage black widow roof basket, lift shackles and T-Bar crank, swing out spare tire carrier.......UUMMM.....,

the basket and the tire rack are the new things. I'm pretty sure I'm one of only a very few with a 4 door and a tire rack

In the US that is, I'm pretty sure it was an option outside the states

Benedict, I have to know how you reinforced the inside of the panels to distribute the weight? I was thinking of doing the same thing and recently priced a tire carrier from a local salvage yard ($25) but wasn't sure yet as to how to reinforce it. I love the look!

I didn't do any reinforcing actually. even with only two bolts its on there solid. once all 6 are on it doesn't go anywhere solid as a rock. and did you find one off of a 2 door? idk if those are the same. I got this one off of a 4 door bravada and it fits perfectly. the only real tricky part is getting the nuts threaded onto the bolts on the inside there isn't very much room. The hardest one is the bottom bolt under the tail light there is only a really small hole I used long needle nose pliers to hold the nut in place. the other ones you can get to a little easier but I would still set a whole day aside to get it right. I need to finish cleaning up my blazer and then I'll take some good pictures

The one that I found is from a two door. I am not doubting you, I am just curious as to why they won't interchange? What is the difference besides the contour of the rear glass? From the bottom of the windows down, aren't they the same? I just don't want to waste my money if it won't work. That looks awesome!

I'm not sure I'd hold it up first to see if it fits. but i thought i remembered somewhere someone said they won't latch right. who knows. if your taking it off make sure you bring deep sockets and a hammer its a tight squeeze

better pics are up!

well i take back the blair witch photo comment now.. and your Rack looks awesome... wait that sounds a little wierd ;)

Ck1500

That looks so freaking awesome! 10/10 man!

I believe the right hand drive blazers have the option of the rear tyre rack. We've got them here in New Zealand. Our trucks as most of you know by now, came from Japan. I think some RHD Blazers in the UK also have this option.

Another interesting thing to note is that all RHD 2nd gen Blazers have the 1st gen rear bumpers. Maybe this has something to do with it too. Not sure why the older bumper was used unless it had something to do with the relevant overseas legislation not allowing the stepped bumper! Otherwise the only explanation I can come up with is that GM had too many 1st gen bumpers left when the released the 2nd gen!

I kept picturing it in my mind before I put it on and was hoping it was going to look good and it does

I bet now you think it looks better than you thought it would. I think it looks better now with the tire mounted on the back and the rack up top.

yes, yes it does

I'm seriously searching for a similar tire carrier now... so far I've only found a newspaper article saying that the 92 bravada has the swing out tire carrier as an option. =P

I believe the carrier I have is the same as the ones on the 2 doors

nice looking blazer

thanks

I think it is too... I went on google and looked at a bunch of ZR2 pics and they look identicle to what you've got installed.

Benedict, your Blazer was the first 4 door I have seen with a tire rack and I fell in love haha. So I had to buy my own! The guy I bought it from had it on a four door Bravada so I know it'll fit. I also got the rocker panel cladding from the Bravada to hide my embarrassing rust lol. All that stuff for $40 sounded good to me.
http://i36.tinypic.com/2v2wem8.jpg

wow you got a really good deal... better than me. I bought my roof rack and the tire rack for $180... There must have been a special edition bravada with the tire rack because that is where I got mine. Just remember when you are drilling your holes measure 10 times. and its better to have it a little high than low because you can't go any lower than the trunk handle... I had to put my latch as low as I could make it...

Benedict, do you have the whole liftgate or the tailgate that folds down?

I have the whole liftgate. I kind of wish I had the tailgate that folds down

If you get a chance, can you take a picture of the plate that mounts on the rear? I have the drop down liftgate and theres a black button a few inches below the glass.

I was quoted $15 for the tire carrier at a junkyard a few months back but didnt have the tools to remove it. I may run back this week and see if there are any still there...

i also got the drop down liftgate and i put pictures of how it looks on my blazer i got a close up on the push button hatch. i thank benedict for this great idea. It looks way better with a tire carrier. :D

I would recommend reinforcing it somehow on the inside. Otherwise it will end up like everyone else. The quarter panel buckles on the 2 doors and those have a reinforcement plate. Mine is slowly getting worse now that i have the 33 on the back

I'm lucky, I don't have to worry about the trunk latch because I've got the split tailgate. I plan on sanding down, priming, and then painting with spray on bed liner. Do you guys have and suggestions what I should use? I used Dupli-color before and it seemed to work pretty good.
Thanks

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/...895870b6_b.jpg

I'm actually surprised at how well my rack is fending. I even forgot to latch it and it swung out, didn't sound or feel good but nothing bad happened.

I know it might be kind of a pain, but is there any chance you could take a pic of the mounting hardware from inside the truck? I wanna make sure I don't cut holes that are are too big haha. It would be greatly appreciated!

that would be kind of hard since the only visible bolt is the top bolt closest to the top. I used 3/4 inch bolts and nuts. and then a slightly larger drill bit than 3/4 inch. I wouldn't worry too much about drilling a too large of hole you can use a washer, but then again I used washers anyway. Just a heads up you will need small/flexible/slippery hands to get where you need to be to but the nuts on the bolt. the hardest one to do is the bottom rear bolt, luckily my hands aren't huge and I was able to get the nut threaded with 2 fingers, be patient its very frustrating