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Swopping from solid to wire wheels

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guitarman1951
Posts: 138
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:10 pm
Location: tyne and wear

Swopping from solid to wire wheels

Post by guitarman1951 »

My 250 v8 1968 has solid wheels, and I want to fit wires. Two questions if anyone can help.
First ,how to remove the old hubs and fit the splined ones. Cant understand how the bearings fit.
Secondy - I have about 6 chrome (and rust) wire wheels, but they need re chroming, could i blast/ acid dip, then etch and spray paint the same old english white as the car. Any pictures of the hub removal/ fitting appreciated.

tjt77
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Posts: 525
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2016 7:01 pm

Re: Swopping from solid to wire wheels

Post by tjt77 »

removal of front hubs is easy and straightforward..allow 30 mins per side..(consult the workshop manual).. replacing the rear hubs requires a special puller ..they are on a tapered shaft with keyway and can be VERY tight..as for your old rusty wheels.. do yourself a favor and throw them away..its false economy to re-build old wire wheels today and the current production wire wheels are far superior in both rim design and spoke material and almost always come for tubeless tyre compatiblity .. the chromed ones now utilize stainless steel spokes.. if you have access to 'dayton' (US made) spoke wheels they are far better quality and stay true longer than the vastly improved dunlop wheels available today from MWS..

Christopher Storey
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Location: Cheshire

Re: Swopping from solid to wire wheels

Post by Christopher Storey »

If your wheels are structurally and functionally sound, you could consider having them grit blasted and then powder coated in the colour of your choice. I did this on one of my E types when I restored it, and 9 years on the wheels look like new !

I echo what Tim says about the rear hubs - you are best taking the axle out and taking it to a professional . I did this on my V8 and even then he managed to break his own proper tool, which was a bit sad

guitarman1951
Posts: 138
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:10 pm
Location: tyne and wear

Re: Swopping from solid to wire wheels

Post by guitarman1951 »

I wasn't sure if the old chrome wires could be sand or soda blasted, or indeed acid dipped. The car is old English White/cream and I fancy painting the wires the same colour The rear hubs seem to be infamous in their removal, thanks for the tips so far. Anybody got any more tips for rear hub removal,

Ian Hastings
Posts: 163
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2016 3:00 pm

Re: Swopping from solid to wire wheels

Post by Ian Hastings »

The mistake people make is to depend on the puller to pull off the hub - it may but probably will not, and end up breaking as in the post above.
Removing the rear hubs can be a real pain but the secret is not to rely solely on the puller to remove them. Ideally you need one of the big pullers that bolt onto the wheel studs and with an hydraulic screw to tighten it.
Do not completely remove the axle nut, loosen it a few turns but keep it in place to prevent the hub shooting off and injuring someone.
Tighten up the puller slowly and a little at a time until it is as tight as you can get it. Leave it for an hour or overnight. The hub may be off in the morning.
Tighten the puller a bit more if possible.
With a large hammer firmly tap the edge of the hub turning it as you go. Keep turning and tapping, no need to hit too hard, and the hub will usually spring off with a crack. Sometimes heat will help but it's not usually necessary.

DO NOT hit the end of the puller screw with a big hammer - all you will do is wreck the bearings or crack the end of the axle casing.

guitarman1951
Posts: 138
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:10 pm
Location: tyne and wear

Re: Swopping from solid to wire wheels

Post by guitarman1951 »

Thanks Ian,
Good , solid advise. Can the halfshaft be drawn out with the unmoveable hub attached to get it in a the vice???

Ian Hastings
Posts: 163
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2016 3:00 pm

Re: Swopping from solid to wire wheels

Post by Ian Hastings »

I really can't remember if you can get at the bearing housing bolts to remove them with the hub in place. My car is an SP so may be different slightly to the saloon but the hub removal is much the same.
If it's any use I have a suitable large puller which I purchased to remove my hubs and hope to sell on now that I don't need it any more.

silverdart
Posts: 285
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2016 10:49 am
Location: West Midlands

Re: Swopping from solid to wire wheels

Post by silverdart »

Hi, You cannot remove the halfshaft before the hub is removed.

Here is my home made puller, which works quite well.
IMG_1788.JPG
Dave.

tjt77
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Posts: 525
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2016 7:01 pm

Re: Swopping from solid to wire wheels

Post by tjt77 »

the puller illustrated above wont work on the saloon ( which has a 5 stud pattern) good advice from Ian regarding leaving the hub nut in place once its loosened few turns.. I generally use an oxy -acetylene torch to heat the hub once puller is under tension.. it works every time . As regards wire wheels, and why its false economy to restore them :- too many issues that cause problems.. these include.. wear in splines ( not always obvious to detect for the untrained eye) rims out of true, allied to old and brittle spokes ( especially on older chromed wheels.. the plating process of acid dipping in prep for plating makes them brittle) .. its simply false economy that will give a myriad of headaches.. remember that spoke wire wheels on our cars are over 50 yrs old.. buying new ones saves both time, hassle and money .. when ordering these cars new there was a choice of body color, (likely close to 50% of the jaguar Mk1/2 saloons from '57 to '67 had this option when fitted with wires) silver, or chrome plate...chrome most common on US export cars ..

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