Freelander Spare Wheel Carrier Replacement
The spare wheel carrier on the Freelander has been looking tatty for a while now. At the Stoneleigh Show last year I bought a second hand one from one of the stalls. The intention was to get it powder coated and then replace the one that was on there already. Well I finally got around to getting the new(?) one powder coated. So today Ian and I swapped it for the old one: –
On removing the spare wheel the full horror was revealed: –
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| The wheel carrier was in a pretty sorry state. I hadn’t exactly been fastidious in the cleaning of this part of the car! | The original powder coating was coming away at the bottom of the bracket and the corrosion had stated to show through |
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| After taking the wheel bracket off it appeared I’d got a small compost bin on board! |
The back door was also pretty filthy! |
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| Here you can see what a difference the powder coating has made. |
Prior to getting the powder coating done, the wheel studs were removed |
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Before they were put back in the holes were copper greased. |
The wheel carrier was then put back on. Followed by the wheel. |
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The satin finish works really well. |
Much tidier than the old one. |
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Finally – Before and after!
I took it to Redditch Shotblasting to get it done and I can highly recommend them. Shot blasting and powder coating cost around £30. The second hand part cost £10 so total cost around £40. A lot cheaper than this option at £165!
Eventually I’d like to replace the fasteners with the stainless ones. I’m considering getting these from Stig’s Stainless Fasteners.
I’m really pleased with the final result and the Freelander now looks a lot smarter than before!
