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MG MG Y Type - ACE Rimbellishers

Amongst the boxes of bits I received with my dismantled Y3498 3 years ago were four very dirty and rusty 16" wheel trims. At that time, they were a very low priority, so I just hung them up in the corner of the garage and more-or-less forgot about them.
With a spare hour this afternoon, I thought I might have a closer look at these items. Gave them a bit of a rub with a scouring pad soaked in rust converter/stain remover and was pleasantly surprised when they turned out to be in quite good condition - a few small dents, some pitting in the chromework but good enough to pass a kerbside inspection. The cleaning revealed a stamping on the rim 'Ace Rimbellisher" on one side and opposite that a Patent number.
I am unsure, however, what holds these thing to the rim that is being embellished - seems to me that there must be some sort of clip that hooks on the inner ring of the rimbellisher and fastens somewhere inside the wheel. The usually reliable Mr Google wasn't a great deal of help, other than to tell me these were fitted to a range of Jaguarsw ith 16" wheels, sold in the 1950s.
Can anybody tell me how these dress rings are secured to the wheel please?
Are there many of these available in UK?
Were these a common accessory for Y Types?
Neil

N Wakeman

image of brand name on the Rimbellisher

N Wakeman

Neil

Ace were a period aftermarket and were high-end. Unlike today's offerings they were made from high quality materials which is why they have come up so nice. I would love a set!

Eseentially they press into place and the tabs on the back just dig into the paint on the wheel rims ... so I guess it is a case of be sure you want to fit them before you press them in as they are not supposed to come off without a fight!

University Motors Group, and others would offer them as standard although they were not 'factory' Original Equipment.

Paul
Paul Barrow

Hi Neil

As Paul correctly mentions they were not Factory Original Equipment. They were manufactured I believe by Blumells in Wolston, near Coventry (UK)They are the firm that provided the four spoke steering wheels that are common place on T Types. Kimble Manufacturing originally based in Birmingham now in the South West of England continues to manufacture these.

Ace Wheels trims were added to MG's, Jaguars and other quality cars. They were obviously manufactured from decent steel and may even have been chromed over brass which would account for their longevity. Is this the case? I would think that they are fitted like most embellishers through bending the tabs that Paul refers to. The modern embellishers that I have on the YT were supplied through the MGCC Y Type Register and are manufactured by Arden Products - a supply company in Birmingham. They look great but like many so called chrome finishes they are plated over steel and not chrome - so a rigorous application of machine oil is necessary on either side (or grease on the inner) to stay off deterioration. The ribbed tabs do make a mess of the paintwork on the wheels so take care!

It might be of interest to also have a look at the STAR website (Sunbeam Talbot and Alpine Register) as ACE embellishers were certainly fitted to the models as standard during the 1950's. I can confirm this from my 'Observer' book of Automobiles (1955) and with a foreword by Stirling Moss no less!

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Hi Neil

Having now looked at your pic I can confirm that reproductions are available through the MGCC Y Type Register. The rims for both Sunbeam Talbots, Jaguar Mk 2 and even MGA's that I refered to in my earlier posting were Ace Turbo Trims and covered the whole wheel. This was a discussion item on the Bulletin in April 2011. These are not re-manufactured by anyone as far as I am aware though a set of 4 for a Jag fetched £20 GBP on e-bay in January this year.

Whilst they were fitted to Y Types I cannot recall seeing any current examples with such an addition. Though no doubt someone will advise me otherwise!

Jerry

J P BIRKBECK

Hi Neil

My last posting was erroneous. Reproductions of the Ace Rim Embellishers are available from the MG Car Club Y Type Register through our Regalia Supplier Mike Silk. A manufacturer was commissioned by the Register to fabricate the parts on behalf of the Register.You can contact him through the website - mgccyregister.com

They are fitted using clips that are inserted on to the rim of the embellisher from the rear of the wheel. Jack Murray, whose details you can find on the MGCC Y Register site can provide you with a photograph of how this is undertaken.

Another touch are Ace Turbo trims which cover the whole wheel and a set came up on e-bay in January for a set of four for a Jaguar and went for £20 the set. This was discussed at length in this Bulletin Board in April 2011.

Hope this helps

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Sorry Guys apologies for the repeat about Turbo Trims!
J P BIRKBECK

Thank you all for the information about ACE rim embellishers.

Mine do not have 'inbuilt' spring clips, so clearly they need something else to hold them in place.

Since my original post, I found a discussion on the Wolseley site, dating back a few years. One poster wrote 'The clips are like a jubilee (hose) clip cut in half with the ends bent over - I have made a set of these before using just that method". A second confirmed this "Yes...they are really neat little stainless steel clips with a normal bolt (that rusts) and a little 90 degree metal piece."

I have now made contact with one of these folk (yes, his old email address is still current) and he says he has photographs of the clips somewhere, but if he can't find them, he will send me a sketch.

Whatever did we do without the Internet?

Thanks again for your help and advice.

Neil
N Wakeman

In this advert they mention that the set of five(!) rims are supplied with the necessary "Rustless steel fittings", obviously they went missing with yours.

Willem vd Veer

Thanks William, the embellishers illustrated in the ad you attached are the same as mine, confirmms they require separate fittings. I have now received additional information from a couple of different sources including Jack Murray, about a fitting that hooks on the turned inner rim of the embellisher ring and is fastened on the inside of the wheel. I have now made up a simple substitute which I think will do the job (three per wheel). There's not a lot of clearance between the outer ball socket assembly on the end of the the steering tie rod, and the wheel, which makes things difficult, but, "where there's a will, there's a way!"

Thanks for your interest.

Neil

N Wakeman

This thread was discussed between 13/03/2013 and 16/03/2013

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