Spare Wheel Well Replacement Opinions

[benny]

Hey Guys,

 

After some opinions!!! Ive removed my spare wheel well to make room for other things and was planning on just filling it with sheet steel secured with nutserts. Is this Appropriate or should it be welded?? Also should the Sheet have beads rolled into it for strength??

 

Ben

[boyblunda]

I welded in a flat steel sheet replacement after I removed the wheel well from a P510 rally car I owned years ago and it worked okay although the roll cage on that car extended through to the rear floor in the boot of that car and helped with the strength of the rear body area. In this instance the spare wheels were mounted in the rear passenger seat area and there was a weight distribution and body strength advantage to this strategy.

 

However, in your case I am not sure about what makes you want to do this and I also immediately question what you might be thinking with regard to the mounting of a spare wheel.

 

If I needed to consider removing the rear wheel well in my own car it would only likely be due to wanting to eradicate a rust problem and my own preferred plan would be to find a good wheel well from a donor car to be welded in as replacement.

 

FWIW

Dave

[benny]

Hey Dave,

 

Thanks for your thoughts, going with a different fuel tank in the back to allow more room for diffuser/exhaust options. Ill make something up that holds a spare in the boot at a later stage!!

[PeterAllen]

Without knowing the "other things" it's a bit hard to offer options.

 

I am going with a removable cover simply to get at the "other things" when I need to - in my case fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel filter charcoal canister, diff, exhaust, etc. A simple sheet metal cover with a few ribs rolled in to create rigidity and secured with half a dozen Dzus fasteners.

 

I can actually include a 50mm recess which will help reduce the area the new spare wheel will intrude into the luggage space.

 

I can't quite decide what spare to carry. I believe the Mazda Space-Saver wheel is 4 x 114.3 but I don't know if it will clear the bigger brakes.

[benny]

The "other things" are just a different fuel tank allowing for more space under the rear of the car for the diffuser i will be building.

 

the only reason i was thinking nutserts was just for access if i wanted to do something else later on eg. more elaborate fuel pump/surge setup or something. Means i wouldn't have to get under the car to access these things.

 

Its a pity we didnt get the 280z here as they have a slimmer wheel well for a space saver. Would be perfect!! Anyone know what the 280zx has??

 

Ben

[PeterAllen]

Ben - If you are making up a diffuser and fuel tank a new wheel well should be a piece of cake.

 

With the well removed I have just found it so much easier to work in that area. There is no way i would ever permanently seal that space.

[handsandwhich]

I just have a piece of 3mm aluminium sheet that I had laser cut in the correct diameter that I am going to mount over the "hole" where the spare wheel went.

 

I am probably not going to run a spare at all.

[benny]

I was thinking the same thing handsandwhich but at the same time dont want to get caught out!! It is alot rarer these days but it still happens!!

[handsandwhich]

Worse case scenario is I carry a puncture repair/aerosol can to limp home or call my 24/7 towing service (the mrs)

[benny]

call my 24/7 towing service (the mrs)

 

Thats exactly what I was thinking!!

[PeterAllen]

Worse case scenario is I carry a puncture repair/aerosol can to limp home...

 

Perhaps someone can confirm or correct me on this. I was told never to use aerosol puncture repair, apparently it sets like concrete and will damage rims, alloy rims in particular.

[handsandwhich]

I guess there would be good and bad news stories about using them. I have tried a couple of different types (the green slime ones and the aerosol ones) on old tyres as tests.

 

They work pretty good but I would only use it as a temporary, limp home type scenario and then remove it as best as possible from the inside of the wheel/tyre afterwards just to be sure.