Pelican iM2700 Storm fits perfectly in the Syncro spare location

[noganav]

Pelican iM2700 Storm fits the spare location perfectly with a Van-Cafe carrier. Clears the steering rod by 1 inch (syncro). Light press fit against the shift rod cover. Have not tried to fit in a 2wd van yet.

Fairly new size I think. The best thing is they can be had for $135 online. I got mine from B&H photo.

Pics on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/BK42xRrASqY/

[Mellow Yellow 74]

Love the number plate
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1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[noganav]

MloYlo74 was taken

[IdahoDoug]

I'm a fan of figuring out plates, but what's the 47... one mean in reverse? I even walked my laptop to a mirror to study it and couldn not figger... Edit, nevermind, I assumed you'd want another reversed plate......
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[noganav]

I was going to go with 55373W0H, but I figured the DMV would probably flip.

[DeadSetMonkey]

Cool idea to add storage in the spare spot.
What sort of stuff do you plan to keep in that case in the spare spot?
Any added rubber padding to outside of case or to van undercarriage to keep the case from rattling/banging around? Or if fit snug to keep the van's parts from scouring/gouging the case?
D
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'90 Syncro Westy 2.5Subi Turbo, BFGs 215/75/15 Rheins

[dsdunbar]

[metropoj]

I wouldn't say dumb, just a different perspective. It's awful having a team where all can only see things ONE way ...

Example, I got Mellow Yellow 74 but I didn't get 55373W0H
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John.
86 TiiCo powered Westy.

[dsdunbar]

ahhh...thanks and now the whole thing comes full circle (I see it is now a direct post for the previous poster (mellowYellow74)) thanks for the transparency.

[hdenter]

I would be concerned that on a stock 2wd van it would catch on curbs and or parking space bump stops. I sometimes scrape my front end on one of my clients steep driveway. A low spare or that box would definitely get bashed. I also subscribe to the belief that the spare tire should stay there to help in crash protection, JMHO.

Hans
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'79 triple white convertible bug
'84 sunroof vanagon
'85 weekender

[GypsyDriver]

Hello all, inspired by noganav's original post, I decided to install this setup. I've moved my spare tire to the rear bumper and have been looking for a use for the original spare tire location space. I came across a new VanCafe oversized spare tire rack here in the classifieds and a lightly used Pelican IM2700 StormCase on eBay for $99 shipped. In addition, I purchased an extended spare tire hook and bolt that lowered the front of the rack by 1.5". http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1927581. I've very happy with the result. Its not the cheapest solution. Overall, I'm into it for just over $200. But, I'd consider it expedition/MILSPEC quality all around. Here are some pictures of my setup.

Here is the Pelican IM2700 case sitting on my spare tire for reference. The back of the case is aligned with the back edge of the spare tire here in this picture. The leftover space you see on the tire translates to empty space in the spare tire cavity that would appear to be suitable for installing an air tank, water tank, battery bank, etc. permanently behind the box.

I haven't loaded the box out yet, but I put some stuff I had lying around to show how much room is in the box. I'll likely move tools and consumables I don't use that often here that otherwise would've been under my rear bench. (BTW, for you purists, this isn't the coolant I'm running in my van. I was helping a friend flush their cooling system.) I plan on building dividers to keep everything in place. As you can see there's a good bit of room.

In order to get the box to come all the way forward to the front of the frame and clear the AC connections and Radiator hoses, it was necessary to lower the front of the tire rack. I accomplished this with the aforementioned kit from BenT. Its all stainless steel and very nice quality. NOTE: I plasti dipped the hook to reduce rattling in the slot behind the bumper. Additionally, the hook doesn't come with a retaining mechanism at the top to keep it in the slot. I used a plastic license plate bolt with bolt head covers for spacers.

These are the final results when its all mounted. I should note here that I have a lift kit on my 2WD van. Yes, you lose that 1.5" of ground clearance, but I think its an acceptable trade. If you wanted to keep the ground clearance, you could just slide the box all the way back on the rack, retain the stock mounting bolt, and the empty space would be at the front of the van.

Clearance between the frame member and box on the left side looking toward the rear of the van.

On the right side.

The leftover space behind the box I mentioned. Definitely enough room to mount a spare battery, onboard air, extra water tank, etc.

Thanks for the great idea, OP!

[Corwyn]

FYI: The spare was placed under the front end as a rubber bumper between the frame members - part of the front-end collision protection structure. That bit of info was bestowed upon me by a 9-year employee on the Vanagon assembly line in Germany. I'm just saying . . .
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'90 White Westy ("The Longship")
FAS Gen V 2.0
The Annual Baja Rally
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604813&highlight=baja

"If anything's" gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"
~ Captain Ron ~

[MsTaboo]