I am surprised that respoking your chrome wires would be considered
economically feasible. My 2006 Moss catalog lists the retail price of short
chrome spokes at $11.95 (40 required), and the long ones at $8.60 (20
required). This adds up to $650 per wheel. Even at wholesale (say, 50%
discount, but plus labor) this doesn't seem practical, when a new 60-spoke
chrome wheel is priced at $275. Stainless spokes do not seem to be listed,
but I believe the prices are similar, if not higher.
I am painfully aware of the fragility of these spokes. My chrome wires were
on the car when I bought it in 1988. I tend to have to replace 1 to 3 spokes
per year (per 4 wheels). Individual spokes are cheap enough -- it is the
unmounting and remounting of tires, combined with the impossibility of
getting them properly rebalanced, and the gradual degeneration of true, that
makes it both expensive and annoying.
Moss Motors US sells the spoke wrench. Good luck actually adjusting
17-year-old spokes with it. It is useful for installing the replacements,
however.
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the primer red one with chrome wires
on 5/7/07 8:34 AM, Paul Hunt at paul.hunt1@blueyonder.co.uk wrote:
> Before I have mine rebuilt with stainless spokes does anyone have definitive
> experience that they don't break like chrome do, and over what period?
>
> Mine are 17 years old now and have done about 45k. For the first few years
> I had no breakages, then I started to get the odd one per year, then two,
> etc. This spring I found nine broken, and after a 550 mile trip this
> weekend have another two. I spoke (ho ho) to my rebuilder who will replace
> them with stainless if that's what I want, but when I mentioned fewer
> breakages he seemed doubtful and said "Well, they don't rust". None of mine
> have rusted anyway, despite several wet trips each year, although with the
> above mileage it isn't a daily driver of course and gets summer and dry
> winter use. Standard stainless are quite grey in comparison to chrome, I'm
> told there are polished versions but haven't seen any yet, but doubt they
> 'twinkle' like chrome do. That would be a shame in any event, but to find
> they start breaking like the chrome ones do would be a complete waste, I'd
> rather respoke in chrome.
>
> So, anyone with experience of chrome and stainless spokes out there? And
> also any source for a spoke spanner/wrench of the appropriate size for the
> MGB?
>
> Thanks,
> PaulH.
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