screw rod for letting spare tire down in '90 HB truck

[coupe1942]

Had a flat today and decided to jack the truck up to see the cause. The original jack was missing, but had been replaced with a bottle jack. However, I could not get the spare tire lowered, as the screw device that normally goes behind the seat, was not there and is likely gone. Not anywhere in the cab, so I called the local Nissan parts place to check on price of new one. The parts guy said it was not listed in their computer nd the jack assembly came as a complete unit. He was not sure if the jack had something that woked to lower the spare tire on the truck and it was too costly to fool with. Lucky the flat was right in my back car port and not on the road. I know I can search the wrecking yards, but I am trying to find out if they did come with the original jack or not.

I saw one in the manual I had borrowed from the library and it looked too long to have been part of the jack. Is there anything else that can be substituted to allow the spare to lower under the bed of the truck? This location for a spare tire would not be fun to fool with in the snow and wet weather. Can it be modified in any easy manner to eliminate the need for this screw mechanism and still use the same spare tire location undeer the truck?

I'll be checking out the salvage yards tomorrow in hope of finding one. One problem encountered is that I can't simply call a wrecking yard and ask them if they have this particular part in stock, as they all say I can come and look, but it isn't something they keep up with to know if they have such or not. Too small a part or request for such for them to worry over, I suppose.

Thanks,
Huey

[seang]

The steel rod, which is about 1/2 inch in diameter and about 3 feet long with a small (about 1/5 inch diameter and 1.2 inch long) "T" at one end, and the other end is a square shaped male. It is not part of the stock scissor jack.

The square shaped male end slides into the stock crowbar which has a square shaped hole in it. Together they make a crank for the stock scissor jack and the under-bed spare tire carrier. As long as the spare tire carrier is cycled and maintained frequently, clean, and not overly rusted, it should work pretty good.

[coupe1942]

Yes, that is the correct explaination of the jack rod and what I am looking for.

I am trying to locate one, as my truck didn't come with such when I got it and I can't seem to locate any salvage yard in the local area that has one. Jacks I can find, but the jack rod component I can't seem to find.

Anyone got a spare for sale?

I am thinking I could take a long rod used for turning on water sprinklers in lawns and grind the head on it square to maybe work in a pinch.

Thanks,
Huey

[coupe1942]

I spent hours today in searching through all the wrecking yards from San Angelo to Abilene for the jack rod. No luck in finding one, but minimal Nissan HB trucks in the yards that had not been stripped to the bone. I did find a jack pot of lights for my dash cluster and located about 22 large ones and 11 of the small ones. I should never have any problems in replacement of the bulbs in this area again. :-)

I went to my son-in-law's grandfather's wrecking yard. He had a 90's HB, but it didn't have the jack rod in it. However, he knew exactly what I needed and decided to make me up one. He took some rod stock and made the T to one end. We decided I can bend the other end into a handle shape to work it in the crank hole. I could not wait to try it out. The mechanism that rolls up the chain for the spare was in serious need of an oiling to make it work more efficiently. It would be a muddy mess to ever have to retrieve the spare on a good day, but keeping the chain and the mechanism greased/oiled will make it easier to remove the spare in the future. It worked like a champ, so I am now in business and can store the new jack rod behind the seat back of the truck. The weld looked pretty rugged, but it all fit perfectly. On a good day it will be difficult to keep the rod straight as you bend down at the back of the truck bed and try to find the part the rod locks into, but at least I won't be stranded with no way to get the spare tire down in the future. Cost was nothing, as grandpa didn't want any money. I did get him to accept $10 bucks for doing the labor and all.

All in all, it has been a great Father's Day now that I can get my spare down. Too hot to get under the bed and lubricate the chain and screw mechanisim today, but I'll do that tomorrow in the shade.

Thanks for the help in explaining just what the device actually looks like and how it works. I appreciate the help.
Huey

[dethtruk]

last time i had to drop my spare, the carrier was rusted solid, even with pb it wouldnt budge. the stupid bar twisted up like a noodle down its length...cheap steel. i ended up cutting the bracket off with a grinder so i could at least get the spare on... recon i'll fab a new spare holder with a threaded post and a nut with handles... get a piece of 1/2" drill rod for a new stick there, should be plenty stiff for the jack. also, it wouldnt take much to grind a square onto the end of your new rod, so you could fit it into the stock crowbar, but im sure the t-handle is plenty

[RT22]

A fix for the lowering mechanism, buddy had a guy weld a plate with a threaded rod and he got a big butterfly style nut and just bolted the tire to the truck. Got to crawl inder to get the tire off but at least he can get the tire down when needed. he got the nut from a junk yard off an american car, they use them to hold spare down in the trunk of most domestics. Then find a long threaded rod same size at any lowes or home depot.

[coupe1942]

Yeah, the placement of the spare and the difficulty in getting at it whan needed is a PITA, for sure. It is very similar to my PT Cruiser and the hope is that I don't have to ever use it in the first place, as it is indeed a PITA to remove or put back into place when done. Get into cold weather or road grime and mud, and the whole experience is nothing you want to have to experience as the norm. The original Nissan designers must have wanted the buyer to experience something unique in endurance when they designed that spare tire mount and location. Probably just a bunch of mean-spirited fellow, those designers. :-)

If they post, here are some photos of the screw device and the home made jack rod. The rod device is not pretty, but it works well. Need to make one more bend to make it a crank-style at the end. Hope to lube everythng later today.

[Warped161]

Back when i had my HB i had that spare removed so i could run a dual exhaust, i ended up mounting the spare in the bed of the truck near the cab. man i miss that truck.......

[RT22]

Yeah it is there to keep bed open and hide the spare, move it to bed if you have the space or get rid of it all together like I did in my Z the spare section housed a 12 inch woofer LOL, carry a can of fix a flat for emergencies.

[QITNL]

Hey guys -

Noob here. Got a 92 HB couple of months ago from a friend. Love it and love it more as I learn.

So like a noob, I was driving around with the spare tire sliding around in the bed. Found this thread as I was looking for a cure.

Bingo - so that's what that weird long rod is for. Here's a Google bump for other inquiring noobs who may like to know.

The HB is a great trailheadmobile, a few recent shots of it here, and with luck I'll be using it to post more: http://www.qitnl.com

Thanks again for the info,

-Joe

[RT22]

Someone posted they took the tire mount from back of pathfinder just the mounting plate. They were going to bolt it in bed and put spare there.