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MG MGB Technical - New wheel rims

Hello.

I have been working on a 1940s rally car that uses the old Nuffield axles (Early Minor, TD, Wolseley 4/44 etc) and need to build up some wheels to rectify the corroded originals. The centres I have available are fine, having been de-rivetted from both 14 and 15 inch rims so I now need to find new (or useable) outer rims to fit either size.
I wondered if anyone here had replaced the rims on their wheels on MGB or MGC. Lots of cars (Nissan, Kia, Honda) have the right PCD to be a direct replacement but I want to find rims I can exchange and it would help if someone has already gone down this route.
These 15 inch centres are LP675, the 14s can be early Minor(weak and can crack), Early Series 2 (slightly better) or A60 Cambridge. All are standard UK sizes, it seems.

Cheers

Rob, near Cardiff.
r thomas

We used A60 rims as some of the wheels for our rally BGT in 1973. By the end of the event (admittedly 5000 miles, incl 2000 miles of special stages) the A60 rims all had cracks in them, the B ones didn't.
Paul Walbran

Thanks, Paul.

My car is maybe 3/4 the weight of a B and will mostly be driven to the shops and back so I think the centres aren't likely to suffer too badly. The original 3 inch wheels are notorious for early failure round the bolt holes.
If I remember correctly, the A60 wheels are 4.5J and the MGC are 5.5J?
r thomas

The original B pressed steel rims were 4", then a 5" version came out with the GT, (though pre-rostyle most has wires) and there was also a competition version 5.5". All these wheels were the same style. I have examples of all three, they have served well, but one of the 5.5s has cracked around the bolt holes leaving me with an incomplete set - but not before an awful lot of hard use.
IIRC the A60 was 4", and yes the bolt holes suffered. They take 45 deg nuts compared with the 60 deg of the B.
Paul Walbran

MGB Rostyles should be easy to find. Are they all 5 inch, Paul?

I've got my eye on a set of A60 wheels to use without cutting the centres out but Rostyles are too 'different' in shape to be suitable.

Interesting news on the nuts. 4/44 Wolseley is 60 degrees and the later Minor wheel nuts seem to be 66 degrees against the 60 for the early Minors.

Who supplied the wheels originally? Was it Dunlop until the Rostyles came out?
r thomas

All the B Rostyles I have seen are 5". That of course could be a local foible!
Paul Walbran

From what I've seen in the manuals all MGB Rostyles were 5J.
paulh4

Thanks for that info Paul(s).

All I now need is a couple of MGB rostyle rims and to then make a jig.
r thomas

This thread was discussed between 10/09/2016 and 15/09/2016

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