Mechanicle expertise (Body work,back door/gate)

[1ukBoggy]

Hi everybody, its me again, thanks for all your past help, this is the quickest most knowledgeable Delica site. I'm off to Australia again prospecting 28 sep and so I need to pic your brains please.

I'd like to fit a spare wheel holder to the back door, i like the freelander 1 with the light, and wonderd if it is possible to fit 1 to my delica l300? Will it be alot of trouble? should i choose differantly?
Thanks Paul. All ideas welcome. will post lots of pics when i return.

[mararmeisto]

The problem with fitting a tire carrier to the rear of these vans is that the rear gate goes right out to the sides of the van. There is no 'pillar' to mount a tire carrier to, like on a Toyota 4Runner/HILUX or a Ford Bronco (don't know what those were called Down Under).

If you mounted a carrier to the rear gate, the gate pistons would not be strong enough to hold open the gate. They tend to struggle when a ladder is added. Also, structurally, there isn't a lot inside the door to mount anything to. You'd have to add something inside the van as well as to the outside.

There is a fabricated solution that some of us in Canada have opted for: replace the bumper completely and have a tire carrier on a swing arm (and a jack-holder, and a fuel-can carrier on swing arm). Looks like it works like the hot damn, but not for the thrifty-walleted owner.

[1ukBoggy]

Thanks sleep well!!..........................(Inland Tiapan,,,,,nasty)