what is under an original Package tray

[Greg]

On a 65 what is under the package tray that supports the weight of the spare tire and the tray to the floor pan.  Does anyone have a picture?

Thanks

[shelbydoug]

There is a large indentation in the floor pan that provides space for the rear axle and the shock absorbors. The spare tire is centered on it.

Towards the front where the lower seat cushion would normally sit, there is just a hollow void.

[Shelby_r_b]

I'm pretty ignorant on this topic.  So, there is no additional side to side support under the tray like there is a on a 66 tray?

It does make sense that additional support may not be needed on a 65, given the tire is mounted aft of tray center.

[J_Speegle]

I'm pretty ignorant on this topic.  So, there is no additional side to side support under the tray like there is a on a 66 tray?

It does make sense that additional support may not be needed on a 65, given the tire is mounted aft of tray center.

Side to side support comes from the floor pan over the rear end. Forward and rearward support is where there is lacking any addition support other than the fiberglass panel but guess it didn't need any. Haven't seen any I can recall cracking from the spare tire area. The surface area is about 2 foot wide there so it supports the vast majority of the weight and size as its held tightly in place   

Comparing 66 panels with the two wood supports might really a good comparison as the tire wasn't mounted there.


General look at the rear area




Look from the trunk of a 65 early car

[SFM5S000]

On a 65 what is under the package tray that supports the weight of the spare tire and the tray to the floor pan.  Does anyone have a picture?

Thanks

Greg,

The weight of the wheel sitting on top of the fiberglass panel is supported by the sheet metal directly under it. The wheel is held in place by SAI attaching the early Mustang spare tire hold down bracket (see 1st  photo). The spare tire hold down hardware basically sandwiches the tire in place and is supported by the sheet metal below ( see 3rd photo without panel and tire sitting there). Hope this helps you.

Cheers,
~Earl J

[CharlesTurner]

The 65 rear shelf has an indent so the tire is centered over the axle hump.

[Greg]

Thank to all, I would have thought it would have been re-enforced or some king of rubber pad but I see it is not.  That explains why it rattles.

[Shelby_r_b]

Many thanks, as this all makes total sense. 👍🏻

[shelbydoug]

Thank to all, I would have thought it would have been re-enforced or some king of rubber pad but I see it is not.  That explains why it rattles.

My car had factory sound deadener on top of the hump. It works as an insulator. I took some left over 4" thick upholstery foam an put it in the voids. It helps a lot.

If you wanted to be more  engineered, you could take some clear recycling bags, fill them with the expanding foam insulation that comes in a can from Lowes or Home depot and drop those into the voids and let the foam cure in those shapes as if you were insulating something you were shipping. That will really tighten up the car a lot.

It will also give support to a bunch of flimsy fiberglass panels surprisingly well.

Of course lots of '65 owners love the truck in a tunnel they get from the sidepipes blasting out their eardrums. Me I want to tune the treble and base on my stereo.

[sfm5]

I occasionally need to tighten the wing nut down, so the hold-down hardware doesn't come loose & rattle around too much while I'm driving.

[Bob Gaines]

FYI the 65 GT350 did not have insulation under the package tray . Owner added padding is a alternative. A tight spare tire will hold the tray  firm but even with padding the tire itself will squeak somewhat flexing on the fiberglass .

[shelbydoug]

FYI the 65 GT350 did not have insulation under the package tray . Owner added padding is a alternative. A tight spare tire will hold the tray  firm but even with padding the tire itself will squeak somewhat flexing on the fiberglass .

Some people love the sense of being inside of a base drum with someone beating on it. It adds character.

The tire does squeak on the deck. It will wear a pattern into the gel coat.

Considering how much of a pain it is to get the spare tire out and considering that your life in a hard dead stop is dependent on how well that j-hook holds the tire in place, I personally would prefer a very light weight facsimile of one back there.

I remember Dick Smith saying that the race tech people were giving him a hard time with the batteries behind the seats in his S/C. I'm wondering how they would feel about the original 65 GT350 spare tire mounting? 30 years ago, "They" told me that they wanted it BOLTED to the floor with 5 big hairy 1/2" bolts.

I remember a couple of GT350 owners locating the battery under the deck but I'd prefer to keep my shotguns under there.

[Jbarela]

On a 65 what is under the package tray that supports the weight of the spare tire and the tray to the floor pan.  Does anyone have a picture?

Thanks

Greg,

The weight of the wheel sitting on top of the fiberglass panel is supported by the sheet metal directly under it. The wheel is held in place by SAI attaching the early Mustang spare tire hold down bracket (see 1st  photo). The spare tire hold down hardware basically sandwiches the tire in place and is supported by the sheet metal below ( see 3rd photo without panel and tire sitting there). Hope this helps you.

Cheers,
~Earl J

Great pics...Going to assume no one has made this mounting plate?? would love to get ahold of one for my spare tire mount project!!

[J_Speegle]

Great pics...Going to assume no one has made this mounting plate?? would love to get ahold of one for my spare tire mount project!!

No real reason for someone to make them  (haven't looked and they likely make one or both versions) since ever Mustang and many other models had one so finding a donor should not be a big task

Added: I do see that they offer the loop version for about $12 It will work just need a different hold down bolt and a modification if your adding this to a non-65 Shelby or Mustang. Going to be likely covered with a tire cover

[Bob Gaines]

On a 65 what is under the package tray that supports the weight of the spare tire and the tray to the floor pan.  Does anyone have a picture?

Thanks

Greg,

The weight of the wheel sitting on top of the fiberglass panel is supported by the sheet metal directly under it. The wheel is held in place by SAI attaching the early Mustang spare tire hold down bracket (see 1st  photo). The spare tire hold down hardware basically sandwiches the tire in place and is supported by the sheet metal below ( see 3rd photo without panel and tire sitting there). Hope this helps you.

Cheers,
~Earl J

Great pics...Going to assume no one has made this mounting plate?? would love to get ahold of one for my spare tire mount project!!

Some one does make the carriage bolt hold down bracket but sorry I can't recall where I saw it advertised.