Just put the spare on top of the van and get one of those spare gas cans
that fits in the clamshell. Better yet, a nitro setup for the clamshell.
Jake out to try that in his rocket ship. :-)
Michael in San Antonio
91GL Weekender AT 2.1L 'Gringo'

On Sat, Mar 12, 2011 at 5:43 AM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>wrote:

> The Vans that were factory equipped with the 205/70-14 tire used a
> different
> clamshell and the hold down bars. Also the two hoses for the radiator are
> different to make room.
> The best I have done is getting a 215/65-16 tire in there with some
> modification.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Ed Duntz
> Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 9:29 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: How to get that (bleep) spare tire out (Part 3)
>
>  > TWO QUESTIONS:
> > (1) Can the pull-tab mechanism be repaired?
> > (2) What size tire will fit in spare tire tray without damage?
>
> 1- I'm pretty sure you can buy a replacement- if not new, then you'll find
> some used ones now and then on the Samba
>
> 2- The 205/70-14 should fit because on Vanagons that came with that size
> with the alloy wheels, an alloy spare was included with that tire in the
> clamshell.
>
> Ed in CT
>