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MG MGA - Wire Wheel knock of tools

I just ordered new 2 ear chrome knock off nuts. I would like to know what is the best way to prevent them from getting dinged. I see there is a wood tool and also a 2 ear metal wrench as well as several different types of hammers.
Terry Marcus

Not used them. I bought new knock offs in 1977 and have belted them many times each year with a Thor leather headed mallet and all 4 are still in pretty good nick.

Steve
Steve Gyles

I have this metal wrench http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/spanner-wire-wheel-spinner-2-eared-mm386-125.html
It's doesn't work at all for me for undoing the knock-offs,but I do find it useful for putting them back on, so I get "a feel" of how tight they are. Always been wary of over tightening.
To take them off I use the copper side of a Thor hammer. Not had a problem, but if you are worried you could always use a block of wood to soften the blow

Graham
Graham V

Lead hammer...it deforms, the knock-offs don't.
E F Gillam

Snap on plastic dead blow hammer,no problem with marking the spinners with one of these
Andy Tilney

I have knock-off type spinners on my alloys which I have to remove to get to the wheel nuts.

Although I do use a copper mallet to fit and remove them, I now also use a short length of wood between them to keep the mallet away from the wheels.
This is because of my mistaken confidence in my malleting skills when on the very first attempt to whack the spinner, I missed and took a chunk of paint off the alloy wheel😟.

I have used a piece of thick cardboard to keep the wheel covered from my wayward mallet strikes but the short length of wood is more useful in the car.

It can also be a wheel chock, a jacking pad, a mini workbench, or even a way of gently persuading my wife that the last malteaser in the box is in fact, mine!😁

Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

I use the wooden tool it works well for me. Just fits over the spinner so your hitting the wood. Why risk hitting the chrome spinner with anything.
p anderton

Wood tool splinters after a few uses. Solid wood vs the plywood they use might work
Fred H

My Thor No.3 double leather headed mallet has worked great since 1997, not 1977 as previously stated.

Steve

Steve Gyles

This tool made by "Old Timers" in Germany is the best that I've seen; several Corvette owners swear by it. You can use an impact gun with an adapter, a breaker bar or a telescoping ratchet which "Old Timers" sells as well. A bit pricey, but it is German craftsmanship:

https://www.oldtimertools.de/Vehicle-Type/MG/Standard-Quality-knock-off-spinner-tool-for-MG-MHT-42-S.html
Nick Kopernik

Steve, that type hammer is called "rawhide," and is the only material softer than lead. I use a rawhide hammer, but often a lead hammer is needed to get them loose.
D mckellar

Clickable link to the tool suggested by Nick

http://www.oldtimertools.de/Vehicle-Type/MG/Standard-Quality-knock-off-spinner-tool-for-MG-MHT-42-S.html
Dave O'Neill 2

For the price of that tool, vs a block of wood, you can buy quite a few new spinners!!
Art Pearse

I start with a short octagonal spanner and weld a 1.5 metre bar to the handle. That removes all necessity nor hammers and it works a treat.
Dominic Clancy

I use one of them orange plastic dead blow hammers It's great and doesn't leave any marks at all -ever
willy
William Revit

I'm with Willie. Dead blow hammer is dead cheap but the plastic does absorb some of the energy - a few more hits needed than a lead hammer.
http://m.harborfreight.com/4-lb-neon-orange-dead-blow-hammer-41800.html
A pity Supercheap Autos don't stock this size! When my daughter comes home for holidays from the US I get her to add one to her luggage (Dad what do you do with all these hammers?)
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

I have one of these in my MGA boot (trunk):
https://clarkandclarkinc.com/catalog/detail/the-british-wheel-wrench-for-eared-kos
Very convenient to use, and without having to bash the knock-offs about with a hammer, and hasn't marked them at all. Just lever them off and on.
I keep it in this neat cover:
https://clarkandclarkinc.com/catalog/detail/the-british-wheel-wrench-cover

I'd bought two of the laminated wood spinner tools. The one from Bruce Smith at Sportsparts in Sydney has stood up very well over the years. It lives in the boot of my MGB. The equivalent item from SC Parts in the UK split the first time I tried to use it, and I threw it away. It was significantly cheaper than the Sportsparts sourced tool, but was simply absolute rubbish! Don't bother with it.

At the risk of appearing to be a paid representative of the Clark company, (which I most certainly am not), I moved my MGA side curtains out of their pockets behind the seats and into the boot. I also bought a pair of these for the purpose:
https://clarkandclarkinc.com/catalog/detail/side-curtain-pouches
T Aczel

Dominic,

You say that you use an octagonal spanner.
Do you have the octagonal wheel nuts used on many MGA's exported to Europe?

Mick
M F Anderson

Octagonal wheel nut is shown in attached image.

Mick

M F Anderson

My car has disc wheels, but yes, eared spinners are officially not allowed here
Dominic Clancy

This thread was discussed between 23/03/2017 and 27/03/2017

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