>Hi, y'all netlanders....
>
>I have a '72 MGB with original wire wheels. I've got a few questions for
>the wise wire wheel sages out there....
>
>1. there's a *little* rust on the outside (the surface in contact with
> the inner tube) in the little indentations where the spokes connect.
> I want to clean this rust off (obviously!), and probably will use
> Naval Jelly (the pink jello stuff, you know...). Any problems?
Should do fine. I've used that in car interiors (floor pans)
and on smaller pieces, and it works pretty well. Cover it with
a rustproofing primer to keep it from happening. Note also
that Moss Motors sells the correct silver paint; it's a darker
silver than the silver pseudo-chrome you can usually find in the
stores.
For what it's worth, a good wire wheel shop will do all this as
part of the wheel service.
>2. A couple of the wheels have some little bends on the edge of the rim,
> possibly where the previous owner kissed some curbs. Can I hammer these
> out, or could the entire wheel be out of round?
I wouldn't, because it could. A good shop can let you know
whether it's safe to use the rims you've got or whether you
need new ones.
> What does it cost to have a wire wheel trued? Where would I get it
> done? Is it worth the expense, or ???
I notice you're in Reno, NV. There are two shops in the greater
SF Bay Area that can deal with this, one in the East Bay and one
in Santa Cruz. The SC shop is called British Wire Wheels and
the owner is Bruce Erfer. Bruce is a decent sort, ran the local
Healey Club on and off for many years and always shows up at the
All-British Car Shows. He sells replacements as well as does the
work. (I know Bruce from when I used to edit the Healey Club
newsletter in So Cal, and he occasionally made the drive down
there for special events. He's a dedicated British Car Enthusiast
first; I think the business is mainly to support his own habit.)
>3. Someone told me about some wide rubber band things I should put around
> the wheel to cover the dimples where the spokes connect. I presume this
> is to prevent inner tube chafing. I have lots of MGB catalogs (Moss, etc.)
> but no one shows these things. Am I dreaming?
The trick I've heard is to use racer's tape. I'd ask Bruce before
I did anything, though.
>Any and all advice appreciated. Thanks a lot......
Here's a partial list of what Bruce's shop does; any good shop
should do a sub- or superset of this:
- Remove rust from rim and hub (chemically or by bead-blasting)
- Replace broken or rusted spokes
- Replace broken or rusted nipples
- Prime and paint with correct color (custom available at most
places), where appropriate (obviously not on chrome rims)
- Apply a clear-coat sealant over the paint for extra protection
(Ed Werndorfer at Valley Wire Wheels does this, frinstance)
- Centre the wheel hub inside the rim
- Mount the tire, wrapping the rim to protect the tube
- Dynamically balance the wheel and tire, on the car if possible
I haven't had the service done on my '71 with wire wheels yet, but
this is from a brochure that Bruce handed out at the last ABCS up
here.
How much? It depends on how much work you need to have done. A
friend in southern Cal had the work done on his '69 B, to the tune
of about sixty bucks a rim. They looked better than new when he
came back, and the ride/handling improvement was phenomenal. (Almost
as hot as the new shocks.)
For comparison, note that new wire wheels run between $140 and $300,
depending on size, number of spokes, and whether or not you want
chrome. (Not the hot ticket for performance; most chroming techniques
cause a chemical reaction in the spokes that makes them brittle, a
bad thing on a race track.) I've also just started to see center-
lock Minilite replicas in the catalogues; these are alloy wheels
with the eight-spoke pattern common to Minilites and Panasports,
but with a splined central hub suitable for use with knock-offs.
$270 in 15 x 5.5" size (a plus-one for MGBs), just the thing for
that DSP solo car!
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