Spare tire lock bolt

[Tom L.]

I found an additional lock bolt in the jack compartment and after inspection I saw that they were different in length. What is the correct length for my '72, I checked one of the vendors and they chnge 3 times. 68-74, 75-77 and 78-82. I attached a photo with the ones I have. Input?

I appear to be disfunctional in picture posting. The bolts I have are 3 3/4" and 4 3/4" from the "spacer part of the bolt.

[Joe L.]

Re: Spare tire lock bolt

I found an additional lock bolt in the jack compartment and after inspection I saw that they were different in length. What is the correct length for my '72, I checked one of the vendors and they chnge 3 times. 68-74, 75-77 and 78-82. I attached a photo with the ones I have. Input?

I appear to be disfunctional in picture posting. The bolts I have are 3 3/4" and 4 3/4" from the "spacer part of the bolt.

Lynn-----


Attached is a photo of the correct bolt for your 1972. I don't know what measurement you're referring to but, hopefully, you'll be able to determine it from the bolt and the ruler in the photo (unless there's too much glare from the flash).

[Tom L.]

Re: Spare tire lock bolt

Thanks Joe, The bolt that was on the car is the correct one. The one I found in the jack compartment is an inch longer. What was the reason for the change? Was it used to accomodate a wider spare tire?

[Joe L.]

Re: Spare tire lock bolt

Thanks Joe, The bolt that was on the car is the correct one. The one I found in the jack compartment is an inch longer. What was the reason for the change? Was it used to accomodate a wider spare tire?

Lynn-----


The bolt changed twice. The first change was in 1975. The second was in 1978. I believe that both changes were the result of the need to accommodate wider section-width tires. However, I don't really understand the 1975 change since the tire size did not change from 1974 to 1975. Perhaps there were problems with the 68-72 bolt when used for the larger radial tires used for 73-74. So, maybe by 1975 they "fixed it" with the new bolt. In 1978, of course, the wider P255-60-15 tires became available requiring the second new bolt.