Thread title pretty much explains what went down. My desire to make this happen really started when I got my CBI Tire Carrier. I went with the 'premium' model that has the pass through receiver at the bottom. This brought things to a whole new level of 'low hanging'. Not to mention the additional overhang.
When I removed my spare I noticed that the 4th Gens have a boxed in frame. This is a good thing. And being that the stock receiver is just bolted to that, why not remove it and install a receiver directly into the frame. Stronger, better, BAM!
Stock Receiver w/Tire Carrier
Height Measurements with Stock Receiver
Bumper Removed, Stock Receiver Shown
Stock Receiver Removed and Marked for Cutting
Frame Cut
Receiver Welded In
New Measurements
All Said and Done..
Oh, Removed all the Spare Tire BS in the process. Dropped like 15lbs! Race Car Status.
So 20 bucks later and about 4 hours of my time, I have much less hangage. Gained 4.5" of clearance over the stock setup. Quite happy with this.