Do the holes pass through the brace in the wheel well or just all around it? �Also, I'm thinking about adding a thicker plate behind the holes to bolt through. �Opinions?
macrisel, The info Larry supplied is right on. It always is. Thanks, Larry.
When I was installing my MD Juan tub on my restoration project (that's a whole nuther story
) I saw that the brace in the fenderwell was so poorly made and poorly welded in place that I cut it out, cut the original out of my original tub and rewelded the original into the new tub. The main reason was that the new one in the MD Juan tub had such narrow flanges that there was too little material against the outer quarter panel (where the tire bracket mounts) to allow proper edge distance and clamp up. Like you stated above, I too, added more material inside the fenderwell to reinforce the mounting of the spare tire bracket. However, if you're just making a show Jeep or a garage queen it wouldn't really matter. But, if you're going to do any four-wheeling in rough country, the spare tire will likely take a hit. I've had a few Jeeps in my early days and I always relocated my spare to the rear. I was planning on doing the same with my present Jeep, but since it had never been altered in 60 years, I chose not to alter it now. So I restored it with the 6 volt electrical, single vacuum windshield wiper, single tail light, etc.
