travelboysteve
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Merry Christmas everyone,
I'm starting this thread late tonight and may have to finish tomorrow.
It will be a pretty long post, so grab a beverage and settle in,.......
Wanted to get things kicked off with EVO's brand new hinged tire carrier install, review and a few things I changed up while doing the install because I didn't like the way they designed it.
I have no affiliation with EVO, (or anyone else, I'm kind of a hermit, really).
Thought this might be a good way to give back if it helps even one person.
Thanks to all who have forged the road ahead of me and helped me through with their own trials and tribulations.
Big shout out to Zan, (the man) over at EVO who assisted me in acquiring the unit before Xmas.
Thanks Zan.
I am fortunate enough to work near their shop, and met Zan a week or so ago, and he helped me out.
Zan, you need a raise pal !!!
First off, the instructions are on EVO's website, BUT, as in a lot of cases, is strictly designed for the JLU's.
I have a 2 door, which is slightly / way different than a 4 door, depending on what mod you are doing.
So, here goes;
I originally was going to go with a new bumper / frame mounted tire carrier because I like to go fast through bumps, and well, I have seen a lot of spare tires still mounted to their brackets strewn all over the Cali desert.
I bought the Mopar HD bracket and Rough Country, ( I think) spare tire extension bracket, but when I received them, the Mopar bracket was cast aluminum and knew it wasn't going to last with all the bumping around I do.
I boxed it up and promptly sent that piece of crap back, ($400+, yeah right).
So, as with anything this new, (instructions don't even come in the box), I downloaded them and went to work.
Oh yeah, now's a good time to mention that they didn't even put any stickers in the box, what's up with that?
Zan?,....anyone?
The boxing of the kit is really nice and sturdy.
First 3 pics are of the parts, after I installed the bushings and the bump stops on the hinges.
To clean out the hinge tubes, I used a large round wire brush which made short work of the task.
I used White Lithium for all parts that move, (I like things well lubed)
A few notes about tools, This was not a "super easy" install to do by myself.
I'm thinking in a pro shop, decent mechanic can do a good job in about 4 hours.
It took me longer because, well, i'm slow and methodical, and I had to do a work around for the brake light.
More on that in a minute.
The carrier is heavy and aligning was challenging.
There were holes in the instructions, and even some things were out of order in my opinion, or at least could be done in reverse to save a step or 2.
Also, If you don't have a good compliment of tools, and / or a friend to help, you may want to have this installed.
I have a decent garage setup, nothing fancy, but a decent amount of tools, so there's that.
This kit mixes SAE and metric, so you have been warned.
Page 2 mounting the bolt plate to the carrier, I used a 16mm on the bolts and 11/16" on the lock nuts.
I'm sure I could have used a loose fitting metric, but with the torque specs, slips are painful and rounding of bolts are unacceptable.
I also used the center hole pattern which worked great for 35's.
I probably could have used the lower hole pattern, but didn't want to hit the rear bumper as the stock one had been doing.
I have clearance now of over an inch above the bumper, so I'm happy with it.
Besides, just like in Italian racing, "who cares whose behind you?"
Use a measuring tape to get an idea of where the tire will sit on the carrier and you will set that to what you are running, and to what height you want the tire to sit at.
Onward;
Rubber bumpers to hinges use a 6mm hex.
Use a T20 to remove stud plate bolts item #4 of instructions.
Remove the carrier.
I pretty much used a rubber mallet on the stock tire mount to free the camera mount.
Now's a good time to drape a towel on your tail gate.
The instructions do not tell you, but you have to remove the 3rd brake light and camera completely.
Use a T8 torx, ( I think) or T10, sorry forgot.
It's easier to remove the 3 camera screws and then push the clip to relaease the camera from teh wiring.
Now you should have both the brake light and camera completely taken off.
Once you do this, you can tie the carrier to the handle to continue on without worrying about damaging your tailgate or wiring harness.
Also remove the right side rubber tire bumper on the tailgate, not used anymore.
You could completely remove the camera from the housing if you want, you'll have to do it later anyway to fish the wiring through the carrier. I didn't know it at this point.
At step 8, you'll be peeling the 3rd brake light out, use a T20 torx and a plastic pry tool or equivalent.
Steps 8-12 are pretty straight forward.
Step 13, is not applicable for 2 doors.
Move on to steps 14 - 16.
I used a heat gun to remove stickers using the backside of a razor knife / blade and it made short work of it.
Steps 17, Torx T55, step 18, I used a 13mm, 1/2" was too tight, didn't fit.
Getting to steps 19 - 21, these are pretty straight forward, too.
I used 1 shim as per instructions, as I have 12.5x35-17's KM3's
I actually ended up using both shim plates after the fact, (what a PITA that was) and the door is like butter when it closes.
I would use 2 anyway as they are super thin and eventually, gravity wins.
Optional 3M pro series protective film; (or other CPF) clear protective film
I decided I wanted to protect the paint where the carrier was to eventually have the biggest footprint, and I noticed the stock tire carrier had already rubbed the paint in a few places.
Took me an extra 30 minutes start to finish, plus dry time. You can use a heat gun to speed things up if you really wanted to.
I cut X's in the areas for bolts as in pic.
Here's some pics of the CPF;
OK, step 22 and 23, this is where you should take your time, check alignment of the unit to the door, set your bolts evenly so you don't crinkle the rear tail gate, (it's thin metal).
TIP: Once I had 1 bolt on each hinge set loosely to hold the carrier, I got inside the vehicle to mount the carrier interior hinge bolts. DON"T OPEN THE TAILGATE!!! Climb your fat a** over the back.
As I did this solo, what I did was to reach right arm out and "hug" the carrier while aligning bolts on inside, (sucks, cuz I'm right handed), but it was pretty easy, and I was also able to start all 6 bolts and loosely tighten them with impact gun.
NOTE:
At this point, I realized that this tire carrier has a major design flaw, (my opinion).
IF, you mount your 3rd brake light as it shows in the instructions, you will HAVE to take it AND your camera off to get your spare off.
If carrying a Torx T8, (or 10) is no big deal to you, if having to remove the 3rd brake light AND camera to take off the spare doesn't concern you, or you wish to just get this done, proceed as instructions suggest.
Yeah, I don't see doing that out on the trail, especially in an off camber, or other nasty situation, F-that.
MAJOR design flub if you ask me.
Relax, don't worry, I have a work around for those so inclined.
What I did, (Hey EVO, this one's free), I cut the stock camera housing shroud off the tire carrier and used it.
I also relocated the 3rd brake light BEHIND the spare, so the camera mount actually looks factory, (my opinion).
Now, I don't know if I'll keep it this way forever, or if it's even legal, but I'm rolling with it as I completely missed it when I started doing the project.
I may do a smiley face with LED's and a 5 gallon paint bucket lid, but that's still up in the air.
So this is where steps 24 - 34 come in to play with aligning, tightening and getting things all wrapped up along with dealing with the 3rd brake light and camera.
NOTE:
When tightening the large 9/16 hinge bolts, i had to use a 24 inch breaker bar to get them as tight as they needed to be so they wouldn't sag, and to get into torque spec.
Get on your big boy pants, just watch out so ou don't scrape you paint with teh bar or ratchet as they are close to the painted surface.
Route the wiring as you see fit, but check these pics for how I was able to come up with a work around for the 3rd brake light in the way;
Other wise, you can do this;
I used a big washer on top of EVO's 3rd brake light bracket to secure behind the spare, bent for proper angle.
Finished it off with tie wraps and smurf tube for protection.
After goofing around with alignment, adding the 2nd shim as per my previous mention, I aligned the wheel and tire to fit tight and snug against the passenger side as per instructions.
I then installed wheel and tire for the last time, (7 total, whew that bitch is heavy), replaced the stickers, also used HVAC foil tape to secure the stickers and fill any gaps, put the interior back together as shown, and, these are the final photos showing the completed tail gate carrier assembly.
Also shown is how I use the OEM camera shroud and cover with Torx lock.
It is aluminum, and is tapered, so it slips over camera and the finish shroud locks it in place at the bottom.
Summary:
I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a safe and Happy New Year.
Steve
View attachment 121842
View attachment 121843
I'm starting this thread late tonight and may have to finish tomorrow.
It will be a pretty long post, so grab a beverage and settle in,.......
Wanted to get things kicked off with EVO's brand new hinged tire carrier install, review and a few things I changed up while doing the install because I didn't like the way they designed it.
I have no affiliation with EVO, (or anyone else, I'm kind of a hermit, really).
Thought this might be a good way to give back if it helps even one person.
Thanks to all who have forged the road ahead of me and helped me through with their own trials and tribulations.
Big shout out to Zan, (the man) over at EVO who assisted me in acquiring the unit before Xmas.
Thanks Zan.
I am fortunate enough to work near their shop, and met Zan a week or so ago, and he helped me out.
Zan, you need a raise pal !!!
First off, the instructions are on EVO's website, BUT, as in a lot of cases, is strictly designed for the JLU's.
I have a 2 door, which is slightly / way different than a 4 door, depending on what mod you are doing.
So, here goes;
I originally was going to go with a new bumper / frame mounted tire carrier because I like to go fast through bumps, and well, I have seen a lot of spare tires still mounted to their brackets strewn all over the Cali desert.
I bought the Mopar HD bracket and Rough Country, ( I think) spare tire extension bracket, but when I received them, the Mopar bracket was cast aluminum and knew it wasn't going to last with all the bumping around I do.
I boxed it up and promptly sent that piece of crap back, ($400+, yeah right).
So, as with anything this new, (instructions don't even come in the box), I downloaded them and went to work.
Oh yeah, now's a good time to mention that they didn't even put any stickers in the box, what's up with that?
Zan?,....anyone?
The boxing of the kit is really nice and sturdy.
First 3 pics are of the parts, after I installed the bushings and the bump stops on the hinges.
To clean out the hinge tubes, I used a large round wire brush which made short work of the task.
I used White Lithium for all parts that move, (I like things well lubed)
A few notes about tools, This was not a "super easy" install to do by myself.
I'm thinking in a pro shop, decent mechanic can do a good job in about 4 hours.
It took me longer because, well, i'm slow and methodical, and I had to do a work around for the brake light.
More on that in a minute.
The carrier is heavy and aligning was challenging.
There were holes in the instructions, and even some things were out of order in my opinion, or at least could be done in reverse to save a step or 2.
Also, If you don't have a good compliment of tools, and / or a friend to help, you may want to have this installed.
I have a decent garage setup, nothing fancy, but a decent amount of tools, so there's that.
This kit mixes SAE and metric, so you have been warned.
Page 2 mounting the bolt plate to the carrier, I used a 16mm on the bolts and 11/16" on the lock nuts.
I'm sure I could have used a loose fitting metric, but with the torque specs, slips are painful and rounding of bolts are unacceptable.
I also used the center hole pattern which worked great for 35's.
I probably could have used the lower hole pattern, but didn't want to hit the rear bumper as the stock one had been doing.
I have clearance now of over an inch above the bumper, so I'm happy with it.
Besides, just like in Italian racing, "who cares whose behind you?"
Use a measuring tape to get an idea of where the tire will sit on the carrier and you will set that to what you are running, and to what height you want the tire to sit at.
Onward;
Rubber bumpers to hinges use a 6mm hex.
Use a T20 to remove stud plate bolts item #4 of instructions.
Remove the carrier.
I pretty much used a rubber mallet on the stock tire mount to free the camera mount.
Now's a good time to drape a towel on your tail gate.
The instructions do not tell you, but you have to remove the 3rd brake light and camera completely.
Use a T8 torx, ( I think) or T10, sorry forgot.
It's easier to remove the 3 camera screws and then push the clip to relaease the camera from teh wiring.
Now you should have both the brake light and camera completely taken off.
Once you do this, you can tie the carrier to the handle to continue on without worrying about damaging your tailgate or wiring harness.
Also remove the right side rubber tire bumper on the tailgate, not used anymore.
You could completely remove the camera from the housing if you want, you'll have to do it later anyway to fish the wiring through the carrier. I didn't know it at this point.
At step 8, you'll be peeling the 3rd brake light out, use a T20 torx and a plastic pry tool or equivalent.
Steps 8-12 are pretty straight forward.
Step 13, is not applicable for 2 doors.
Move on to steps 14 - 16.
I used a heat gun to remove stickers using the backside of a razor knife / blade and it made short work of it.
Steps 17, Torx T55, step 18, I used a 13mm, 1/2" was too tight, didn't fit.
Getting to steps 19 - 21, these are pretty straight forward, too.
I used 1 shim as per instructions, as I have 12.5x35-17's KM3's
I actually ended up using both shim plates after the fact, (what a PITA that was) and the door is like butter when it closes.
I would use 2 anyway as they are super thin and eventually, gravity wins.
Optional 3M pro series protective film; (or other CPF) clear protective film
I decided I wanted to protect the paint where the carrier was to eventually have the biggest footprint, and I noticed the stock tire carrier had already rubbed the paint in a few places.
Took me an extra 30 minutes start to finish, plus dry time. You can use a heat gun to speed things up if you really wanted to.
I cut X's in the areas for bolts as in pic.
Here's some pics of the CPF;
OK, step 22 and 23, this is where you should take your time, check alignment of the unit to the door, set your bolts evenly so you don't crinkle the rear tail gate, (it's thin metal).
TIP: Once I had 1 bolt on each hinge set loosely to hold the carrier, I got inside the vehicle to mount the carrier interior hinge bolts. DON"T OPEN THE TAILGATE!!! Climb your fat a** over the back.
As I did this solo, what I did was to reach right arm out and "hug" the carrier while aligning bolts on inside, (sucks, cuz I'm right handed), but it was pretty easy, and I was also able to start all 6 bolts and loosely tighten them with impact gun.
NOTE:
At this point, I realized that this tire carrier has a major design flaw, (my opinion).
IF, you mount your 3rd brake light as it shows in the instructions, you will HAVE to take it AND your camera off to get your spare off.
If carrying a Torx T8, (or 10) is no big deal to you, if having to remove the 3rd brake light AND camera to take off the spare doesn't concern you, or you wish to just get this done, proceed as instructions suggest.
Yeah, I don't see doing that out on the trail, especially in an off camber, or other nasty situation, F-that.
MAJOR design flub if you ask me.
Relax, don't worry, I have a work around for those so inclined.
What I did, (Hey EVO, this one's free), I cut the stock camera housing shroud off the tire carrier and used it.
I also relocated the 3rd brake light BEHIND the spare, so the camera mount actually looks factory, (my opinion).
Now, I don't know if I'll keep it this way forever, or if it's even legal, but I'm rolling with it as I completely missed it when I started doing the project.
I may do a smiley face with LED's and a 5 gallon paint bucket lid, but that's still up in the air.
So this is where steps 24 - 34 come in to play with aligning, tightening and getting things all wrapped up along with dealing with the 3rd brake light and camera.
NOTE:
When tightening the large 9/16 hinge bolts, i had to use a 24 inch breaker bar to get them as tight as they needed to be so they wouldn't sag, and to get into torque spec.
Get on your big boy pants, just watch out so ou don't scrape you paint with teh bar or ratchet as they are close to the painted surface.
Route the wiring as you see fit, but check these pics for how I was able to come up with a work around for the 3rd brake light in the way;
Other wise, you can do this;
I used a big washer on top of EVO's 3rd brake light bracket to secure behind the spare, bent for proper angle.
Finished it off with tie wraps and smurf tube for protection.
After goofing around with alignment, adding the 2nd shim as per my previous mention, I aligned the wheel and tire to fit tight and snug against the passenger side as per instructions.
I then installed wheel and tire for the last time, (7 total, whew that bitch is heavy), replaced the stickers, also used HVAC foil tape to secure the stickers and fill any gaps, put the interior back together as shown, and, these are the final photos showing the completed tail gate carrier assembly.
Also shown is how I use the OEM camera shroud and cover with Torx lock.
It is aluminum, and is tapered, so it slips over camera and the finish shroud locks it in place at the bottom.
Summary:
- The carrier is just beefy, that's what I wanted. I think it will hold up in the whoops and bumpy driving I will subject it to. The Jeep is not my daily driver and it gets a workout when I take it out.
- I'm not trying to add so much weight in gimmicky mods it barely rolls down the road, i want it modular, light and peppy. This carrier is under 100 lbs I believe, and a new bumper with carrier will be way more than that, cost 3 times as much AND will change the departure angle more than this set up, due to hanging out further in the rear.
- As this is a brand new product, there's bound to be a few wrinkles to be worked out.
- I am told they are designing add ons for roto-pax, Hi-lifts, etc, so stay tuned on that. Like I said, I like modular, I'm not that guy who rolls around town with all 750 lbs. of my gear strapped to my Jeep in the hope that someone will think I'm cool or something., No, I'm too cheap for that because it uses more gas.
- All in all, I think it's a hell of a deal for what it is. Super chunky, beefy beef in all the right spots. i will post up anything major that happens, but i seriously doubt this thing will break anytime soon. Especially compared to the Stock or even the Mopar HD hinges.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a safe and Happy New Year.
Steve
View attachment 121842
View attachment 121843
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