Reply to "Pantera spare wheel"

THere was a recall on the original 14" x 6" BFG collapsible spare back when the Pantera was still in production. The second version was safe to use and are still available fror wrecking yards in Ford & GM cars. A good tire shop can mount one on any wheel you want to run. It came on a stock 6x14" steel Ford wheel identical to those in Galaxies, station wagons etc. The rear tub has a boss in the center with a molded-in steel insert for a long threaded rod with a big conical washer to hold the spare firmly in the tub's depression.
The spare will fit in the front trunk even with a stock battery position. Ours has been there for decades, but I drilled the front trunk floor for a safety hold-down rod. The drilling goes thru the floor and the steering-rack mount fabrication so the 3 layers of steel are strong enough to retain the wheel in case of a crash.
And as far as the inflater can exploding, thats true but only for those aftermarket ones that are filled with PROPANE as the propellant! Such cans are really hand-grenades that have 'cooked off' in both front and rear trunks from heat, causing much hood/decklid damage. If your inflater can label says 'DANGER-EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE!', put it gently far away from your car and get one that does NOT say 'flammable'. Finally, the inflatable spare will re-collapse to its original size after use, but being a sort of two-ply inner tube with tread, its only useable for maybe 50-60 miles. Your Owners Manual says, '50 miles distance at 50 mph or less!' It fits either end in an emergency but because of its non-matching diameter, used in the rear the limited slip clutches in your ZF differential will rapidly wear away. On the front, handling will be "interesting". I have run nearly 100 miles on one (porous Campy, on a Sunday) and while we got home, we also lost the ZF's limited-slip function. Finally, NO full-sized tire/wheel front or rear will fit in either trunk if you have a problem. Carry a couple of bungee cords to retain the partly open trunk lid as you crawl home. Or convince your passenger to share the 2nd seat with the tire/wheel....