Small boot = no spare tyre

[Wally95]

Hi guys

I seem to have a lot of problems figuring out why my car is like this. I have a 71 mach 1 fastback

I have tried sourcing a spare tyre and have found out that my boot is not the same as some of the other 71 mach 1 fastbacks. I do not have a parcel shelf and the boot is only around 30 inches from front to back. The back seat folds forwards and there is a bracket thing that is meant to hold a deflated spare tyre and can of air. Can someone tell me what size tyre i can get that will fit into my boot or what others have done. I have spoken to others that say they have a parcel shelf and much bigger boot than mine as they can fit a full sized spare in and that there back seat folds backwards.

Any help is much appreciated as im in quite a pickle

 

[mdan575]

Yup those damn collapsible spares are a pain in the ***. Mine has one also don't see them much anymore. Always a pain in the *** and never air available when ya need it.

 

[timachone]

Hi guys

I seem to have a lot of problems figuring out why my car is like this. I have a 71 mach 1 fastback

I have tried sourcing a spare tyre and have found out that my boot is not the same as some of the other 71 mach 1 fastbacks. I do not have a parcel shelf and the boot is only around 30 inches from front to back. The back seat folds forwards and there is a bracket thing that is meant to hold a deflated spare tyre and can of air. Can someone tell me what size tyre i can get that will fit into my boot or what others have done. I have spoken to others that say they have a parcel shelf and much bigger boot than mine as they can fit a full sized spare in and that there back seat folds backwards.

Any help is much appreciated as im in quite a pickle

Wally,

see my thread below and little to the bottom you can see what it should look like...

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-space-saver-tire-inflator-how-to-restore-tutorial

It spells "space saver tire" and "space saver tire inflator"...

Whether it is useless or the hottest **** in your trunk - that is all matter of taste.

For me it is some awesome history so I will get it back by original specs.

The space saver tire is not as seldom as mentioned on the post over there - there are many of them out here. If you ordered a "fold-down rear seat" as you have it also in it was automatically part of that option. It was a kind of space saving method because the fold-down rear seat needed more space than the regular rear seats.

For me it is a very cool option in that combination and I have all original parts togehter!

 

[Wally95]

Its not about looks so much for my car, i just want to get a spare into my boot cause i use my stang daily so if it explodes i will be up **** creek. I have a little 12v compressor so thats not a problem if i have adeflated spare but i just cant understand why some cars have the deeper boot with the parcel rack and my car has a shallow boot.

 

[timachone]

but i just cant understand why some cars have the deeper boot with the parcel rack and my car has a shallow boot.

If you had read my writing above carefully you could be able to understand...

:exclamationrdering fold-down rear seat = space saver tire:exclamation:

And how about an introduction?

That woud be nice...

 

[Kit Sullivan]

OK Wally, a primer:

71-73 fastbacks (mach 1s and sportsroofs) have as standard equipment a fixed rear seat with a large package shelf which creates a deep trunk opening. This is standard equipment and includes a full-size spare tire.

Optional on fastbacks was the "Sport-Deck" rear seat, a folding-seat option that included a door opening into the trunk area from the passenger compartment. The design of the "Sport Deck" eliminated the package shelf and 'trunk space' that would normally have been there. This necessitated the use of a deflated/ collapsible spare tire, with an included inflation can to inflate the tire when it was needed in an emergency. The tire was designed to be deflated and put back in the trunk after use.

If you have no spare and need one for a "sport deck" car, here are two things i suggest:

Try to find a mini-spare from the 80's-90's that has the same bolt pattern, one that is small enough to fit in the trunk.

Or

Find a 14x6 steel rim with the Ford 4.5x5 bolt pattern, and install the smallest 14" tire that you can find...it may fit in the trunk.

The sheer stupidity of the original space-saver tire is this: Once you have installed the space-saver spare on the car, what are you to do with the flat full-size tire and rim? It will NOT fit in the trunk. Putting it in the back seat is not cool, especially if you have passengers.

What are you supposed to do...leave it on the side of the road?

 

[Austin Vert]

Hi Wally,

and welcome from Brisbane, Australia!

Kit is right about the spare wheel problem for the Mustangs optioned with the trapdoors. What i intend to do is to buy a good quality 12V air compressor plus a repair kit for the trunk. I figure that if i get a puncture, i can repair it on the spot, inflate my tire, and then be on my way.

Reference - http://www.gettoolsdirect.com.au/kincrome-tyre-repair-kit-52-piece-k8066.html?gdftrk=gdfV26854_a_7c442_a_7c1200_a_7c89711&gclid=Cj0KEQjw1pWrBRDuv-rhstiX6KwBEiQA5V9ZoQmi9LbTqY0QTVqD0Fu28l2oE-au0PHeQ7okxrgNIiIaAi9Q8P8HAQ

Greg.

 

[Wally95]

Thanks for your help guys

I think my best bet is to find a small enough space saver that will fit in the boot and carry a 12v air compressor and use it only to get to the tyre shop to get my flat fixed. Im happy ive finally found out about the sports deck model and why the rear is different. I have been to a few wrecking yards and found some nissans or toyota celicas that have thin spares that fit my ford 5 stud so that might be the way to go. I will be able to use a wheel that is a different size on the front if i get a flat, but if i get a flat on the back, ill have to put my spare on the front and take a good front and replace it with the flat on the back so i dont damage the diff

 

[Paul of MO]

You can get a 13 inch mini spare from a Nissan with the correct stud holes. You will not hurt the differential - it will just "think" you are driving in a great big circle.

If you have mag wheels be sure to have an additional set of steel wheel lug nuts for your spare.

If you plug a flat tire on the side of the road then you can not correctly patch it later. That being said I have plugged tires and the repair lasted for the remaining life of the tire.

The green slime will get you to a tire shop but they will curse you when they break it down to correctly patch it. Very Messy.

Carry a small compressor and most times a low tire can be inflated and driven as is. If you can see a nail or other object just leave it in and fill the tire. Let the tire shop pull it out when they make the repair. If the air is rushing out then you can brake out your mini spare.

Get a small hydraulic floor jack to carry - scissor jacks suck and will kill you.

Lastly carry a long breaker bar with the correct socket to get your lug nuts broke loose. Most tire shop put them on way to tight making them almost impossible to loosen them at night in the rain.

Did I mention the long - very long - breaker bar?

- Paul

 

[Wally95]

Hi paul

Thanks for your advice

What do you need a spare set of wheel nuts for a spare, is it something to do with strength or something.

Also, feel free to get technical about the fact a diff will think its driving in circles, ive had heaps of people at tyre shops and wrecking yards saying you cant run different size wheels on the rear as the diff will rip itself apart

And ive never let a tyre shop get near my mustang so ive always tightened them up to where i want with the wheel brace

 

[c9zx]

This is a reasonably good explanation. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=237

The driven wheels bit is especially true if a clutch type Traction-Lok/Posi-Track unit is being used (continuous differential action and results continuous clutch slippage). Chuck

P.S.You could forget about the spare and become a AAA member.

 

[Paul of MO]

Hi paul

Thanks for your advice

What do you need a spare set of wheel nuts for a spare, is it something to do with strength or something.

Also, feel free to get technical about the fact a diff will think its driving in circles, ive had heaps of people at tyre shops and wrecking yards saying you cant run different size wheels on the rear as the diff will rip itself apart

And ive never let a tyre shop get near my mustang so ive always tightened them up to where i want with the wheel brace

Some aftermarket wheels use shouldered wheel nuts but steel wheels use an acorn style lug nuts. It would be a bummer to be stuck on the side of the road and find out you can't safely tighten down your spare.

As far as differential operation you can certainly drive with mis-matched tires for the short amount of time needed to get to a shop.

If you think about it we rarely ever drive in an absolute straight line - we are always moving left or right. The clutches are always slipping. In a 90 degree turn the inside wheel is hardly turning at all while the outside wheel is moving fairly fast and the diff does not rip apart.

AAA is a great option in the states but I do not think they will come to Australia to tow you home. LOL.

From Popular Mechanics:

"But because the spare is smaller than the opposing wheel on the same axle, it must turn faster to keep up with the speed of the car, making the differential work to account for the variation. It's as if the car is constantly in a turn. Leave the smaller spare on for extended periods of time and the grease lubricating the differential will begin to break down, accelerating wear between the gears and the clutch plates if it's a limited-slip differential. For all these reasons, Ford Motor Company suggest keeping speeds below 50 mph and using the spare tire only for limited distances if possible."

So - Sounds like it will be OK for the short time needed to get things fixed.

Nothing makes breaking lug nuts loose easier than a 1 meter breakerbar.

- Paul