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Re: Original Steel wheels '73 MGB

To: "JOHN WHITEHEAD" <WHITEJ@sunynassau.edu>
Subject: Re: Original Steel wheels '73 MGB
From: Allen.Bachelder@vt.edu (Allen Bachelder)
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 1995 14:26:47 -0400
>I  have a '73 MGB  that a previous owner  replaced all the
>wheels  with some cheap  spokes (now well beyond help).
>I  believe that  the car  was originally  equiped with  steel wheels
>(spare) and would like to put the car back to (as close as possible)
>that  condition (besides  the fact  that the  offset on  the present
>wheels  causes the  rear tires  to rub on  the wells).   I've looked
>at  Moss and Victoria for either replica or original's and have only
>found  spoke's.  Can anyone  recommend a source  for the originals,
>and are the  steel wheels actually original???
>
>                                John W.
>                                Shoreham, NY
>                                whitej@sunynassau.edu
John -
Do your wire wheels go on splines with a center knock-off nut or are they
bolted on with four lug nuts?

If they are the four-bolt pattern, the originals were steel "Rostyle"
wheels and I thought they were in  Moss, Victoria British, Roadster
Factory, and Seven Enterprises catalogs. I don't have them handy but will
look when I get home tonight.  If not, they aren't altogether that uncommon
- maybe somebody else on the list will know of some used ones for sale.

If you have splined wire wheels, we might presume that the car came with
wires - they did come both ways, but conversion from one to the other
involves a rear axle transplant.  It's possible that somebody tried to
convert your's without changing out the rear axle and that's why the wheels
rub the wells. If your spare is a steel four-bolt wheel and if it fits, you
need Rostyles to be authentic - or those imitation minilites which are
available in either four-bolt or knock-off versions.   The four-bolt
versions are relatively reasonably priced and if not authentic, they
certainly were a popular after-market item, frequently found on Bs of the
60s and early 70s, and therefore quite appropriate. The alloy wheels ("LE"
wheels) fitted to the '79-'80 model "Limited Edition" MGBs  would also fit
- but that's an expensive way to achieve anachronistic non-authenticity!

Good luck,
Allen Bachelder



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