[Spridgets] Converting TO wire wheels?

Bob Spruck mgmaven at bellsouth.net
Thu Jan 30 20:09:38 MST 2014


On 1/30/2014 12:33 PM, Peter Caldwell wrote:
> Any source or list of the parts required?   Subject car is a 77.
>
> TIA
>     Peter C
> ------------------------
>
> spridgets at autox.team.net
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Peter:

I am currently converting my '72 RWA Midget from wire wheels to disc 
wheels. Wire wheels have gotten awfully expensive lately and all of mine 
are out of true due to using a local shop that didn't know how to mount 
and balance tires on WWs. I don't want to have a problem in the future 
with flats, balancing, replacing tires, etc onto wire wheels if I can't 
find anybody local who knows what they are doing. I have a set of 
Minators I used with rain tires on my '67 vintage race car and decided 
to no longer race in the rain, so they became available.

On the front, you will need different hubs and brake discs. The stub 
axles, dust covers and calipers are the same.

On the rear the wire wheel diff assy is 1" narrower than the disc wheel 
diff assy. From the brake backing plates outward, they are the same. 
Even the rear hubs are the same. Of course, you will need different 
axles. The rods that work the hand brake are also different because of 
the shorter diff assy. I have the dimensions of the diff assy and the 
hand brake rods if you need them.

A recent thread I started resulted in recommendations to torque the rear 
hub nuts to 130 lb ft and use red Locktite. Most also recommended not 
using the tab washer but I plan to use one just to give the nut a good 
contact surface on the bearing face (130 lb/ft is a lot of lb/ft) but 
rely on the Locktite instead of bending it over a nut flat. I think 
that's why it came loose on the race car at the last race and broke the 
axle at the flange end.

If you need any parts, I now have a whole set of wire wheel stuff I 
don't need.

Bob Spruck
Sharpsburg, GA


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