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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - RestorationV8 wheels

I like the original V8 wheel very much and i can get a scruffy set or a restored set. Does anybody have experience with restoring them? I heard its difficult to seperate the aluminium center part and the outer steel part.
Anybody experience with replacing the nails? Could these be replaced bij high quality bolts?
Thanks

Peter
Peter

If youre refering to the rivets that hold the rim and alloy center together, no you can't just replace them with bolts. They are needed to produce an air tight seal so your tires will stay inflated. When I bought mine, I masked off the chrome (which was pretty good anyways) and bead blasted the alloy center. Then I painted it black and used lacquer thinner to wipe the paint off the parts where the alloy was supposed to show through. HTH
Jack

Jack,

Thanks for your comment. I had not thought about the sealing function. The scruffy set has bad chrom so it needs to be rechromed so seperation is needed. Although the rivests are the best solution, it should be possible to achieve an air tight seal with bolts and (plastic or rubber) washers.
Regards
Peter
Peter

You could always just run some of the rostyle chrome trim rings instead of going through the hassle of rechroming. just a thought.
Jack

Please don't use bolts to replace the rivets. If you use plastic or rubber to seal then the bolts won't be fully seated and could cause the wheel to flex eventually causing failure. Wheels are just too great a safety item to make any concession to ultimate strength. Check with professional wheel restoratiion shops as they would have the necessary expertise to restore if possible.
Bill Young

Peter

I am sure someone specialises in doing this by separating the wheels and having the rims rechromed.

There are wheels which look very similar to factory V8, produced by Nissan for their 1980s Skyline. These are all aluminium and not doubt a more practicable project to restore.

FWIW
Ian Buckley

Bill,

Thanks for your reply. You are right. Due to your and Jacks answer, its clear now why the manufacturer choosed the rivets over bolts .

Ian,
I can't remember the Skyline. What kind of model was it?

Thanks
Regards
Peter
Peter

Peter

It was a 2 door version of a 4 door sedan which was sold in limited numbers. It is not a sleak looking coupe, but a car with the typical early 80s square look.

I hope that makes sense.

I saw an MGB fitted with these wheels at an MGCC show some years ago so I figure I am not the only person who saw the similarity. Of course the 4 bolt stud pattern is the same.
Ian Buckley

Peter
The club refurbished some of these wheels a few years back and may be able to point you in the right direction. Originally they were made for the Dunlop Company. I believe the Reliant Company also used them .. on the Scimitar ?

For the record; waxoil keeps the chrome in good condition - all year round.

Good luck

Roger
RMW

Peter

There are specialist companies in the UK who will either restore complete wheels or just the tatty bits, whether that is the alloy centres or the chrome rims and rivet them back together using the correct hot rivetting technique. The Workshop Notes series issued by the MGCC V8 Register has half a dozen or so notes on V8 wheels. One note refers to Solent Wheels http://www.solentwheels.co.uk who powder coat the complete wheel producing a much more weather resistant finish - ideal if you use your V8 all year round.

Reliant Scimitar wheels are very similar but have a different offset although the wheels will fit an MGB, the rear wheel centre covers won't!

Laurie Webb
75 factory V8 Teal Blue
L Webb

I've seen the chrome replaced by light grey powder coating, standard black on the alloy centre, and they look really good, especially for the £50 per wheel it cost. My chrome is a little scruffy and I just stripped and repainted the centres, but it took me two days graft per wheel. If I'd known about the Solent Wheels option at the time I would have had that done instead.
Paul Hunt

Only this week a contractor removing scrap cars for the council stopped to ask the way,on the back was the shell of a scimitar complete with wheels,I told him to take them off and sell them to a mgb shop!I though they were the same as the V8.
Dave Lowe

Ian,
Had a look on Internet and see what you mean. The wheels have a lot in common. However finding these in Holland will be more difficult then finding V8 wheels.
In that period Nissan i believe Nissan didn't sell many cars in Holand.

Roger, Laurie and Paul,
Thanks for your help. Restoring my MG is to do as much as possible myself Which bring me in trouble from time to time. With help and advice from people like you, there is always a way out. Powdercoating is a durable way of coating. Currently all the "black" items on the car are being powdercoated but the chrome is also nice.
The owner of the wheels is thinking what the prices for the restored set and the scruffy set will be.
The restored set really looks new. I will wait what the prices will be. Clear to me is that restoring the scruffy setis not easy.
Thanks again.
Regards
Peter
Peter

Hi Peter,
I have a total of 6 original V8 wheels.
4 are used ones,2 in excellent condition and 2 with some chrome pitting
2 are 100% new ones,never fitted.

If you are interested please contact me.
Guy
guy konz

This thread was discussed between 07/12/2004 and 16/12/2004

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