Thanks to all who p-mailed me suggestions on fitting the big spare.  I
managed to get it today, and it was pretty simple, really.  (And didn't
require letting the air out of the tire)

Several people said that they put theirs in by careful placement, but I
tried that for about 45 minutes to no avail.  (Maybe these new "KO"'s are
thicker?  They have an extra belt in the sidewall compared to the old TA's).

Anyway, I managed to get it to fit by removing the two bent rods that hook
through the hinges of the carrier and run up over the tire.  These were
preventing the tire from seating up far enough to close the carrier.  Once I
removed these rods, I used some bolts, washers, and loctite through the
hinges.  This allowed the carrier to close pretty easily with the tire in
place.  However, I had to be careful to place the tire so that it didn't
interfere with the steering rod that comes down on the driver's side to the
steering rack.

If anyone has questions,  let me know.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy
Santa Barbara, CA

Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy
Santa Barbara, CA