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MG TD TF 1500 - Wire Wheels

I have an opportunity to buy a set of 5 used wire wheels. What are the things to look out for apart from wear on the splines, bent rims, broken spokes, number of spokes? I have no experience with wires at all so all advice welcomed. Not sure I'll ever fit them but the price seems reasonable, so what the hell.. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Hi Peter,

do the brake drums come with the wheels?
Bela

That seems pretty much it to me. I guess you might also make sure the inside of the rim is clean and completely rust free, and there are no projecting spoke ends, so there is no risk to the inner tube. Then fit a proper rim tape intended for wire wheels. I replaced the wire wheels on my TF with new ones from MWS. The old 48 spoke wheels had no broken spokes and the rims look ok, but all need blasting and painting. If any individual wants them they can come and take them away.
Dave H
Dave Hill

Make sure you can mount them and see them spin. Use a pointer ( pencil held in clamp)to see how the wheel moves.

Do to both the outside edge and the top of the inside of the wheel - where the tyre bead would sit assuming there are no tyres.

They will likely have run out in both the horizontal plane and lateral plane ( up and down as well as in and out).

They can be trued - but boy it is a painful experience requiring a lot of time and patience.

If they are not in tip top condition - don't bother. Get new ones...

Dave
D Moore

Pete,
Some wire wheels are so bad, they cannot be trued. Like Dave said, watch them as they're spinned without tires.
Tyler
Tyler Irwin

Do not buy chromed ones. Also look for cracks around the spoke openings.

Lay them flat on their back and make sure they are not warped. Also roll them on the ground and check that they don't bump or get hung up (flat spots). The center can be trued but you will have a hard time straightening the rim.
Christopher Couper

Peter: What are your plans for the spare tire mounting?

We had purchased another rack and cut off the stud plate and welded on a hub in its place, carefully setting the height so the tire just cleared the rack at the back and came off the car easily.


Christopher Couper

Thanks guys. All good advice. No drums Bela just the rims. The major problem is they are about 600 miles away so I guess I'd have to try & find someone there with the knowledge to check them out for me. I have another spare wheel carrier Chris & I'd planned to modify that one pretty much as you've done. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter, you have me puzzled. Observing your postings over these last few years has led me to consider you one of the staunchest 'originalists'. I just can not picture you installing wire wheels on a TD. Bud
Bud Krueger

Yeah Bud. I was wondering about that too which is why I said "Not sure I'll ever fit them"... Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

I got all my wire wheels with tires fitted, so I could try them directly on the car.
From all I've read, fitting the tires without warping the rim seems the biggest challenge.
Other than that your list looks complete.
For the spare, I used an extra hub and fixed if with 3 wheel nuts and washers, so no need for welding and completely reversible.
Rgds Mike
Mike Fritsch

Adapted spare wheel carrier. The emblem is replaced by a proper one by now.

Rgds, Mike

Mike Fritsch

Mike: Does the tire fit down under the bumper and rest just above the rack? I always thought doing what you did would result in the tire sticking way out. That is the case I have seen with the ones that bolt onto the rack.

Christopher Couper

Not sure what wheels you are buying, but IMO the trueness of the adapters and wheels is paramount. Especially check the condition of the inner and outer cone surfaces to make sure there is no damage or wear on either adapters or wheels. These surfaces transmit the drive force, not the splines (used for alignment).

I am most familiar with Borrani wire wheels (on my wife's car since 1954) and their adapters bolt to stock drums/lugs. These are some of the areas to check with wire wheels that bolt to the stock drums:

Make sure the front surfaces of your hubs are machined flat - 90 degrees to the adapter. If not, remove wheel drums and put them on a wheel drum lathe so all high spots can be machined off to allow the adapters to seat correctly.

Once installed, all adapters should rotate freely by hand with no rubbing or interference. Barbie's adapters showed 0.003 to 0.005-inches of radial run-out at the outer spinner threads.

Degrease the inner and outer cones before checking fit to the adapter. The cones must be a good fit with the associated adapter surfaces. Fit can be checked with Plastigage.

After checking the hubs and adapters, mount the wheels (hopefully without tires) and make sure the wheels run true using a dial indicator.

If your wheel centers rest on too long lug studs or nuts and not on the mating surface, the cones will not mate and the wheels will not run true. Also, this will result in rapid spline wear and stripped hubs.

Under no circumstance should high impact wrenches be used to secure lug nuts as this can cause damage to the adapter and can result in improper lug nut torque.

Some manufacturers like Borrani still have the original drawings/specifications for their wheels/adapters and will send you copies.

Regards, Bill
WHTroyer

Thanks Bill. A lot to consider. The steel wheels are looking more & more like a permanent fixture. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter, one last comment about authenticity and originalists. While the TD did not come from the factory with wire wheels, several types were period dealership options. It was considered a sports car by many and original (first) owners often modified their cars accordingly.

I am just the mechanic for a MGTD. But, the owner (wife) tells me her car wouldn't be the same without wire wheels. :-)

Regards, Bill
WHTroyer

Chris,
indeed there´s a space of about 2 inches behind the spare in my contraption. Doesn´t matter too much though unless you look at it from the side.
It does fit under the luggage rack but stands out above the bumper
Rgds, Mike
Mike Fritsch

This thread was discussed between 23/04/2016 and 29/04/2016

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