80's GM B body - full-sized spare tire?

Discussion in 'General Automotive Tech' started by TopherS, Oct 11, 2020.

  1. TopherS

    TopherS Well-Known Member

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    I recently got new tires for my '84 Electra Estate Wagon. One of the wheels was bent slightly. It still worked, but could not be balanced properly ... so I bought a replacement wheel to go in its place. I figured that the bent wheel has been on the car for a while and would still work as a spare in place of the mini-spare. I had the tire shop keep the tire and the wheel together and they bagged it up and put it in the back of the car. When I got home, I tried to put it in the spare tire well. The jack is in the way. It looks like there's not a lot of room for a full-sized spare and the jack to fit in there.

    I haven't spent much time trying to reorganize that spare tire area to see if it could somehow make it fit. The other day, though, I was looking online at old car brochures. Not one 77-90 Buick Electra/LeSabre Estate Wagon, Chevrolet Caprice/Impala wagon, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser or Pontiac Bonneville/Catalina/Parisienne/Safari wagon brochure mentions a full-sized spare as an option. It shows a full-sized spare as an option for other cars, however. I figured that one of the selling points in a lot of these brochures is that these cars were popular for towing and towing packages were offered on all of them. I find it odd that a towing package would not include a full-sized spare tire. The towing packages just focused on heavy-duty cooling, different axle gearing and automatic level control.

    Has anyone reorganized the spare tire area and fit a full-sized spare in there? If so, how did you organize it?

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. KT88

    KT88 Active Member

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    I had a '79 Caprice wagon and a '80 Olds Custom Cruiser, the Caprice for sure had a full size spare and I'm pretty sure so did the Olds. I also had a '88 Custom Cruiser but I don't recall if it had the mini spare, I think it did. I'd have to go back a check my old photos & notes. GM probably went to the mini spare in the '80s for cost reasons. Bottom line, since that spare tire area was the same from '77 to '90, I have to believe a full size spare would fit. GM probably moved the jack to better fit with the mini spare, making a full size tire impossible to fit.
     
  3. 101Volts

    101Volts Well-Known Member

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    For whatever it's worth (if anything,) my 1990 Mercury Grand Marquis (which I got in 2014, and is very similar to your Buick) does have a full-size spare, but I'm not sure if these originally had one. I expect it's in the same location: in the rear by the passenger side window. Off the top of my head, I can't explain how exactly to mount it. However, there's not much room to mess up. I do remember that the tire goes first, then I think the Mercury's bumper jack has to go on top of that. I'll try taking a picture of it and uploading it here, though I'm not sure it'll help much.
     
  4. annap01gt

    annap01gt Blue Safari

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    Next time I take our 87 out of the garage I will check the spare. Think it is fullsize but will check.
     
  5. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    101 Volts: all the Ford FS wagons, thru the end of production, had full-sized spares. However, it would not be bad to snag a pizza-cutter from an aero Panther that has 15" wheels, as it's much lighter than a full-sized spare, and not as likely to strain your milk from attempting to lift it out.
     
  6. Darcane

    Darcane Well-Known Member

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    I have a mini spare in mine right now, but it sure looks like a full size spare would fit. The mini spare barely takes half the width that is there and several inches less height.

    That said, I'm not going to pull a wheel off right now just to try it.
     
  7. 101Volts

    101Volts Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, though I don't drive the Wagon a lot. There's also a plastic "sling" to help pull it out. I'm also not sure that the "sling" is on all model years?

    ...

    TopherS, here are pics of the spare tire well from my 1990 Mercury Grand Marquis (if it helps.) Sorry, I didn't realize the last pic's not very good. I can say that the jack goes in first, then the tire goes in front of the jack. I didn't take the spare out for more pics, though. You can only just see the jack in the last pic, and it's the lighter colored metal (not the black strap.)
     

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  8. TopherS

    TopherS Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the replies, all. I think this weekend, I'll take out the mini and the jack and see what I can do with it. Cheers!
     
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  9. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    It is, but a lot of them are missing. As I had stated before, having it saves you from hurting yourself. I had strained my back trying to remove mine on my '83 CP years ago, so I found one at a junkyard, never had a problem after. Now, IIRC, Patrick80 bought it for his wagon several years ago.
     
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  10. TopherS

    TopherS Well-Known Member

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    UPDATE: I took the mini-spare and the jack out of the space. The full-size spare fits there and the cover goes back into place, but there is no room whatsoever for the jack. I thought I could stow the jack sitting on the wheel well and was able to put it there and lock it into place with the wingnut, but the molded-in tray in the cover won't allow for the cover to sit in place. For the moment, I put a bottle jack in the locked storage compartment on the driver side, but I'll likely just move back to the mini-spare.

    By the way, the sling is a huge help ... especially with the full-size spare.
     
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  11. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    I think, back then, tires were a bit skinnier, like a 215/75/15, 225/75/15, and if yours are bigger than that, it may be the reason why it won't properly fit. The jack did go behind the tire, and I think the jack footplate was outside the tire (not sandwiched between tire and jack). On the Fords, the cover usually has a diagram on stowage after use.
     
  12. zzzizxz

    zzzizxz Well-Known Member

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    I've got an 81 Pontiac Bonneville, and the full size spare definitely fits in the spare area in the back. the jack sits flush against the wall, and you have to make sure it is all the way down.
    The spare wheel needs to have the front of the wheel pointed into the passenger seating area, not towards the outside of the car.
    I can try to take pictures tomorrow if you like.
     
  13. wagoninsane

    wagoninsane Well-Known Member

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  14. zzzizxz

    zzzizxz Well-Known Member

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    Here are the pics of my spare tire.

    Cover in place.
    PXL_20201029_171802259.jpg
     
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  15. zzzizxz

    zzzizxz Well-Known Member

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    Cover Removed PXL_20201029_171823381.jpg
     
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