Cherokee XJ Interior Rotopax Mounting Spare Tire Area
#1
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Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Cherokee XJ Interior Rotopax Mounting Spare Tire Area
Well about three years back I had some Aluminum M.O.L.L.E. / Rotopax mounting plates made to go on adventure motorcycle pannier racks and they were on the market for about 6 months...Then a much cheaper, imported from China one made with a thin sheetmetal came out...It was very similar to my design.....and as we know many buyers go for cheap not quality... So i have about 40 of these plates that have been laying around...
Well I started an XJ build last month and this weekend I was trying to figure out how I wanted to mount some rotopax for water and emergency gear on the interior of the vehicle.
My gas ones will be on the roof rack...
So here it goes..
I removed the spare tire and mounts...
Pulled the interior panels and rerouted one of the harnesses
removed the top tire bracket
I grabbed one of the plates out of the shed and mounted a rotopax mount to it, it is drilled for Kolpin mounts also.
Measured out my mounting holes...
predrilled it with a step bit...
Mounted the plate with some self tapping screws...
Did a single mount to see how it fit with a 2 gallon water container..
Then added a double mount for the water container and the firstaid / emergency kit..
here is a few shots of the final product
As you see if you run two containers the second sticks out just a little, a single takes up less space than the OEM spare..
if anyone is interested in the plate let me know I will see what i have left...
Well I started an XJ build last month and this weekend I was trying to figure out how I wanted to mount some rotopax for water and emergency gear on the interior of the vehicle.
My gas ones will be on the roof rack...
So here it goes..
I removed the spare tire and mounts...
Pulled the interior panels and rerouted one of the harnesses
removed the top tire bracket
I grabbed one of the plates out of the shed and mounted a rotopax mount to it, it is drilled for Kolpin mounts also.
Measured out my mounting holes...
predrilled it with a step bit...
Mounted the plate with some self tapping screws...
Did a single mount to see how it fit with a 2 gallon water container..
Then added a double mount for the water container and the firstaid / emergency kit..
here is a few shots of the final product
As you see if you run two containers the second sticks out just a little, a single takes up less space than the OEM spare..
if anyone is interested in the plate let me know I will see what i have left...
Last edited by Jrozar; 09-22-2014 at 07:51 PM.
#6
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Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Very nice. I've been wanting to do Rotopax for a while and wanted to put something here. So question--why is such a big plate necessary? Is there not enough steel or unibody behind the plastic panel to support a loaded Roto?
#7
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Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
The original design was for adventure motorcycle pannier racks and had to be very sturdy for offroad and crashes..plus it was designed for both rotopax and straps / molle.
There isnt enough steel in the Uni body if you want to mount a rotopax where the spare tire was and center it..there is to the top but not middle or lower.
they are also thick enough for counter sunk mounting hardware to keep the hardware from rubbing against teh rotopax.
So it has several purposes, hard mount for a pistol case, molle, straps, or just about anything you would like to mount.
But then I have used them on other projects..
There isnt enough steel in the Uni body if you want to mount a rotopax where the spare tire was and center it..there is to the top but not middle or lower.
they are also thick enough for counter sunk mounting hardware to keep the hardware from rubbing against teh rotopax.
So it has several purposes, hard mount for a pistol case, molle, straps, or just about anything you would like to mount.
But then I have used them on other projects..
Last edited by Jrozar; 09-23-2014 at 09:13 AM.
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#10
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Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I would consider selling the ones I have left but I have no plans of making any more, the cost of materials, time for a water jet etc..adds up. Let me check and see how many I have left in the shed..and I will see what is the cheapest way to ship.
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Year: 00'
Model: Cherokee
Engine: l6 4.0l 242.c.i.
Hey Jrozar, how did you remove the top tire bracket? Mine feels like its welded onto the inside of the quarter. Did you cut it off or what?