The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk AD Spare Tire Storage

I know of the side mount option with the special notched fender. What were the other factory/dealer options for spare mounting?

Under bed? Was there ever an in-bed bracket of some sort?

A 1951 AD would have a diagonally mounted arm to mount the spare under the bed. See Section 10, sheet 2.00 in the FAM. Earlier trucks had a slide out underbed mount that are as scarce as hen's teeth.

Nathan - Below are diagrams of the two under bed spare tire carriers Kevin mentioned. One for 1950 and earlier with the slide out track system and the 1951 and later diagonally mounted swing out under bed carrier.

1953 was the first year for the accessory notched fender side mount carrier as shown in the clip from a 1953 Dealers handout.

Under bed for a 47-50 sold on flea bay yesterday for $795 ?????? ouch!!

Not surprising. And Yes, OUCH! Didn't I say scarce as hen's teeth?

A previous owner built a flatbed for my '48. I cut a hole of the right size in the bed and put my spare tire in it. I like the look.

Dang! My '50 has one, complete and in service holding the spare.

So does mine. Whew!

I guess it is time I dust off the extra one out in the barn and post it up. 795? That's crazy talk.

Are any of the under-bed spare tire carriers for the AD series the same as some of the 1940 units?
I picked up a few different ones that were labeled as 1940 by the seller, but don't know if they would fit later model trucks.
(My truck is so far from worrying about that sort of detail yet that I just put these parts in storage and haven't thought about them since.)

Nick, looking at the parts listing for the wheel carriers, it looks like they were the same for 1/2 ton trucks only from 1946-1950. Some parts of the wheel carriers for bigger trucks spanned back to 1929 and up to 1950. So what you have probably won't fit AD trucks (up to 1950.)

I should probably dig them out, measure them and try to figure out exactly what they are. One was labeled for a 3/4 ton panel and one just said 3/4 ton.

My reason for asking: Previous owner fabbed a spare tire pedestal that holds it up between cab and bed on the passenger side. I don’t love it.

I thought maybe there was a factory or dealer “in bed” solution. Given the prices of the under bed units, if I ever do decide to move it…I will find somthing universal to put under there.

Nathan - The 1951 and later style underbed spare tire mounts are pretty readily available. Not hens teeth (or priced like) the earlier style slide out type.

No factory in-bed units, but it wouldn't be hard to fab up something I think.

Back in 2001 I bought my slider spare tire holder from American Classic Truck Parts of Aubrey, TX for just under $200. They are apparently out of business. Hoping I would find a source to share with others. Darn!

I just picked up on at an auction in pa. Hopefully it fits. Gotta get the pin for the slot under the truck. It looks heavy but holding it up under appears to be ok. Gotta figure how the tire holds on the bar. I'll try and add picture.

Actually Dan there is one or at least there may be one. I purchased one from LMC about a year or more ago.
Pretty cheap, about $29.95 as I remember.
https://www.lmctruck.com/body-compo...RI-vkp8rRA9DMbL11PZaz5wbLQo5IvnmZqNp_ZiU

Here are pictures

Mickey - that looks like if it were a factory type unit that the truck bed it's pictured in looks like a 1967-72 style bed.

I suppose it could be modified to bolt up to the inside of an AD truck bed, but not sure how or if it would be functional as the AD beds with the earlier sloped top rail are shallower than the later beds.

GradyB,
Do you already have the main channel slot which is bolted to the underside of the bed? Also the bar piece you just got is missing the upside down U channel tire support bracket which the spare tire is fastened to. Maybe I'm missing something here.......

GradyB - That's the main support strap and looks like a 1/2 ton one (Parts Group 7.778), but seems to be missing the spare tire clamp and clamp stand (items in the pictures from Harold46 in his reply post on a similar topic thread) necessary for mounting/securing the tire and wheel to the strap.

For the roller pin, that's listed as GM# 594485 - Roller (3/8" dia. x 2-23/32" lg.). You can easily make one out of a piece of 3/8" steel round stock.

(Pictures below copied from Harold46's post)

I would like to get the rest of the items to complete my mount. Looking at the pictures on Gdads51 post and the expensive ad on eBay, it looks like the front of mine is attached differently. Direct to the bottom of the center board. The eBay one has a square tube the front attaches to first and that to both frame rails I think? Was my style ever a mounting option ,? Or with it mounted to a metal support a better option?

Rick - I've been continuing to search through old threads on the topic and have more to share, but probably not until tomorrow when I can get fresh start. I will note that somewhere in one of the distant past topic threads, a Bolter mentioned that he knew of 4 different style of the early under bed sliding track tire carriers. So far I've come across pictures of at least two of those designs, with yours bolting to the underside of the bed wood being one.

More to come tomorrow...

Rick,
I would think attaching the slide channel upper end to a metal crossover would be more factory correct. In your case it would help reduce the angle of the slide channel. The steeper the angle of the slide channel, the steeper it would be to slide the spare up into place. I need to take a pic of my setup.

This thread is also reminding me that maybe it's time to excersize my slider setup, grease the channel, etc.

So it sounds like my version mounted to the bed wood was one style. As far as the angle goes, less angle might be nice, but I don’t know how much it would be noticeable. My concern was if the condition of the wood wasn’t that great if the wood would hold up during extended use. Not sure if adding a metal structure to the front mount would change how the rear mount bolts up. I’m trying to keep most items as original as I can on this truck but using an improved design might be doable.

Rick, now that you already have it bolted to the bed wood which apparently was an option way back then, Why not just leave it?

I think I would like to leave it mounted that way. Not like anyone ever plans on using the spare tire very often, but I didn’t want the weight of the rest of the assembly and the spare tire to put any stress on the bed wood that it’s mounted to.

After monkeying around with my spare yesterday, there is a fair amount of weight there and could envision a metal channel support snugged up against the wood next to where the spare channel fastens to the wood. Maybe connect the metal channel to the frame rails? Sounds like a lot of work, but what cha gonna do while watching football?

I believe that the reason why the early AD spare tire mount parts are so rare is because they got throwd in the ditch when the first flat tire was encountered.
Those mounts are a bear to get in and out when they are new, let alone once rust and dirt gets in the slide channel.

52carl,
That’s what I’m mentally going thru. Self induced stress regarding what happens if I get a flat. Step one, step two,,,,,can you imagine having a slider spare rack such as a ‘50 and get a rear flat? How hard to drop the spare while the truck is at an angle? Hopefully that jack will earn its keep.
Just venting my concerns

Craig, I believe the '51 and later style spare mounts can be installed on an earlier truck. Although access to those is not easy either. I recall ripping the spare tire out from underneath a '72 K10 I had when I was gathering firewood. A stump I ran over did the deed. A lot of people here in Alaska back in the 70s installed front mount spares, but they blocked the radiator airflow and subjected the truck to increased damage in the event of what would normally be a bumper tap accident. I never used one of those.

Thanks Kevin,
Just think I need to pretend I got a flat and go thru the steps required. Now, where's the bottle jack? Lug wrench? LOL

I haven't had flat tire on the road on any vehicle since the mid 1990s and all I do is drive around for my job. I don't worry about the ease or difficulty of getting to the spare.