PewterMetallic98

How would it look to remove the whole spare tire assembly off the back of an 81? I was hoping to free up some weight that is not needed. Would it look funny at all? I wana try and run the biggest tires I can in the back for pretty cheap too. What do you guys think?

UKPaul

I took the spare & it's carrier off my '81 for some paint & cleaning up. It didn't look bad without it fitted but a lot of the underside was visible, which would be OK if it wasn't covered in rust/grease!
Why not just take the spare out & leave the carrier in place? The tub itself doesn't weigh much & the support bracket could be lightened quite a bit. What I noticed while fiddling about under there was that the rear bumper cover is shaped a bit like a parachute & looks like it would do a good job in trapping air and causing drag. The spare tub looks like it helps to prevent air turbulance under the rear end, so I'd keep it in place. Losing weight is important but so is keeping a smooth airflow under the chassis.
:cheers:

jerryp58

I removed my spare tire & tub a couple of years ago.

I think the weight removal improves the car's "feel".

There's a lot more to look at (exhaust, differential, etc.) under there without the spare. If you clean the area up, I think it'd look fine, maybe better.

There is some talk (check old threads on this subject) about the spare tire & tub being structurally required for safety during rear end collisions.

Check old threads too for the biggest tires. Some have fit 275s, maybe even 295s (I can't remember for sure), but the spare tub doesn't come into play with tire size.

OHSIXX

I asked this same question a few weeks ago. Seems the spare tire and tub is part of the rear end safety design. Provides some protection in case you get hit from rear.

I decided to keep mine on for now, but might remove just the tire later.

machineg

I Removed mine about 3 months ago. When I got into the car and drove around, I thought to myself--- I should have done this before. My 81 seems to handle better. I think its a great FREE improvement. Although now that I can see underneath better... I want to get new duel exhaust... hehe