Cattiva73

My 1973 vette did not have a spare tire nor a spare tire assembly when I got it...I hear it's a safety addition from Chevy to add protection in case of an impact from the rear.

What do you think?

I don't care for the tire I have rode side assistance..nor for the perfect look but I'd like to make the vehicle as safe as possible.

If safer ...what's going to take to install/add a spare tire?
Can I install the tire with only the Y bracket without the actual upper/lower carriers?..those things are expensive!

Thank you guys
Cheers

Easy Mike

Not really. The spare is where it is because there isn't any other place to put it. For no reason other than mass, I suppose there might be a tad of shock absorbing use from the spare. Remember: the spare is under the fuel tank and not between the tank and the rear panel.

The steel beams in your doors are impact protection.

Cattiva73

Thanks EasyMike,
I guess my concern is the gas tank being hit and brake ..you say the spare tire does not protect anything?

John 65

I dont know how much safer it makes the car, but its a fairly ez install, and if you do add one you want all the componets for it. That Y bracket is attached to the tub, which is hung by 2 rods in the front that bolt in under the car. The other end of that bracket gets supported in the back by hooking on to a threaded rod which is raised and lowered for access to the tire. To me, it just looks more complete with it back there, besides the obvious reasons to have it. After its in, make sure there isnt anything coming in contact with the exhaust. One good thing with it missing is it sure does open things up down there and offers plenty of room to work. Good luck.

Alan 71

Hi C,
I agree with Mike.... the spare tire is too low and too loosely mounted to offer any protection from a rear hit.
I actually think the rear of the car looks a bit odd without the tub. It's probably just what I'm used to.
Regards,
Alan

80Baby

I gotta go with Mike on this one. The spare tire carrier wasn't designed to be a safety device, but it probably would add some cushion in a low impact collision. With that said, there's guys who don't have the carrier on their cars just to save a bit of weight. That should tell you how effective it is in the unlikely event an accident.

As for me, the carrier sitting between the exhaust pipes is "pure" Corvette. It doesn't look the same without it.

birdsmith

It was/ still is common for road racers to relocate C3 fuel tanks from above the rear frame rails to below them in order to lower the CG, where it is typically protected by additional steel tubing as well. The primary reason for the location of that spare is to prevent the rear of the car from folding up like a bag of soda crackers in a rear-end collision and causing the otherwise unprotected fuel tank to explode...

Is it crude? Of course, but that's why it's there.

Cattiva73

Could I use just the Y bracket to hold the spare tire in place?

billcarson

it also gives our cars that perfect balance that we all enjoy.

Mike Ward

Sorry, false. The spare is not retained in a manner secure enough to achieve this. In a collision it will get shoved forward/sideways snapping off all three retaining bolts.

Torqued Off

I would say that is simply your opinion, unless you are an engineer who designed the C3 vette. Everyone can have an opinion, but I hardly think you are correct on this one. Secondly, if it was not located there, where else would you put a spare tire on a C3 Corvette.

EmNash

The spare tire location was the same since the introduction of this chassis in 1963. I am quite sure when the spare was positioned between the tail pipes below the gas tank it was because of the physics involved in filling the tank from above and removing the spare tire from below. Absorbing impact energy was not a consideration for engineers in 1963.

Cattiva73

Anybody knows if a spare tire V bracket from 1967 Corvette is the same length of the V bracket from a 1973 vette?

Will this C2 bracket fit a C3 chassis?

Thanks

Procrastination Racing

No.

It most likely would fall out. The bracket isn't stiff enough to hold the tire or wide enough, unlike the steel bar on pickup trucks. The bracket was just there because they didn't know how to put a load on fiberglass at the time. The fiberglass tub wasn't thick enough to handle it by itself. This is 17 years because fiberglass springs occurred and they hadn't figured how to create a load point on fiberglass.

Watch the swap meets, eBay, and Craigslist. They come up time to time.

Sids04

Ironically my 73 is also missing the spare tire carrier.. I am not sure if I am going to bother replacing it or not..

Raphiki

Could have done this:

my 76 ray

If you get hit in the rear end, you're not going fast enough.

540 vette

If you are worried about getting hit in the rear of a plastic car maybe you should look to drive something else.
If byou get hit hard enough in any car you are going to get hurt.

ugadog

I’m having a hard time imagining that a spare tire could offer any significant “protection” in a crash. I think the people starting these rumors have spent way too much time in the bumper cars at the amusement parks.

ugadog

Love it!