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MG TD TF 1500 - Chroming Wire Wheels

What's the opinion on having the original wire wheels stripped and chromed or buy new ones? Their in great shape, but getting pretty old. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Paul
I would solidly endorse buying new if you want chrome. Even if you could find a chromer to do it, would cost you a fortune.

Tom
'54 TF
T Norby

Yeah, I thought that also Tom. Not sure if the new ones have stainless spokes in them, but would be nice. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Think I'll see if Moss has them in their Winter sale. Bought the ones on the B that way and saved quite a bit. PJ
Paul S Jennings

I would still paint the originals silver and see how they look on your car. With the two tone paint scheme you are doing, the eye will focus more on the paint and flow with lines of the car. The chrome will distract the eye and painted wheels will preserve that classic British sports car look too (in my opinion)
Frank Cronin

IMHO:
...and form 12 years ago...
Cost to re-do my stock 48 spoke (strip/true/powder coat)
was more than 5 new, wider, Dayton 60 spoke wheels with tyres.

Ended up truing my 48's, rattle can spraying them, and re-installing the bias ply tyres on them.

Running p205 radials on the Chrome Dayton 60's.

The difference is night & day. I have only put the 48's back on a handful of times for a bit fun.

For driving on todays roads with todays traffic I feel much safer with the 60's. The handling is so much better you would swear it is a different car.
David Sheward 55 TF1500 # 7427

One consideration when chroming wire wheels:

Often the chroming process can make the spokes brittle. I have seen a lot of spokes break after plating either when truing or even driving. Also in the case of wheels I think the lighter chrome has a better chance of allowing the spokes to flex where as heavy chrome can sometimes crack the finish.

Having said that I much prefer painted wire wheels to chrome. As Frank says, it looks more traditional and I think not as garish.
Christopher Couper

Although it does not appear in their catalog, Dayton makes a 72 spoke wheel for the TD in the stock width (or wider if desired) for very little more money over the 60s. You will never have to worry about wheel condition again with these. Lots of MG vintage racers run these with no issues.



F Filangeri

I have had the Dayton 72 spokes on my car for almost 10 years. the rims are chrome, the spokes are polished SS. they are very nice looking , and they are tubless. I love them and the look good on my car and I have had not one issue with them in all these years, they are heavy duty and you can run em hard and no problems
Tom Maine

If Fletch Milmore reads this, I think he would be qualified to comment better as he has a metallurgical background. Despite its appearance, I am not such an engineer and the below describes what I learned when I considered chrome plating the individual spokes.

Chrome plating each spoke is not an easy process. Each spoke must be meticulously cleaned and acid etched, then nickel plated, then copper plated, then chrome plated; necessary because of the molecular replacement series.

There is always the risk of invoking 'hydrogen brittleness' a metallurgical phenomenon that can cause a steel spoke to become brittle and break as Chris Couper has indicated.

Google 'hydrogen brittleness' for more information.

There is a special process to chrome plate wheel spokes, and if I'm not mistaken the spokes are produced continuously as wire, and plated, then cut to length, heat treated, then straightened, then threaded, then polished etc. etc.

I'm stopping. I'm already in over my head!

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A Clark

Wow, with this bit of information I think I'll just re paint the wheels on the car and buy new chrome wheels when ready. Believe it or not, the wheels on the car look pretty nice as it appears someone painted them before I got the car. Thanks fellas for all your input! PJ
Paul S Jennings

Gord is absolutely correct as to his summary, after re-chroming existing spokes they must be heat treated after chroming, but failure and breakages are still common.

It is best to always use new spokes. Also the diodes in a chroming bath need to be placed to throw plating into the well of the hubs, so without this hubs are usually deficient in the well and can look yellow (nickel)where the rest of the hub is blue chrome.

The rims usually chrome OK.

It's best to buy new chrome wheels and paint old chrome wheels after the chrome has been striped off.
Rod Brayshaw

Here's a picture of what my brother did on his Jaguar. Pardon the flat.
Stainless steel wires with painted rims. Not original by any means, but looks very neat, I think.

Tom
'54 MG

T Norby

The Jag look real sharp! I'm going to buy new wheels! I never knew how much trouble it was to re chrome them, plus the spokes should be replaced with new, cheaper to buy 5 new wheels! PJ
Paul S Jennings

PJ


I swapped my pressed steel wheels for MOSS chrome wheels last year.

I was very impressed with the quality and have no complaints about that.

But. I wish I had not gone for chrome. At the time it seemed like a good idea but I now think they look a bit "BLING".

I wish I had opted for fewer spokes and silver painted as they are more correct and less (in my view) flashy.

We all make our own choices of course...but to my eye my chrome wheels dont sit well on the eye.

The enclosed image is not a great one of the wheels but you get the idea.






Doctor Bob

Bob, The painted wheels now on the car are in pretty good shape and I will compare them to the chrome look. I have chrome wheels on the 72 MGB, which had painted wheels on it and I like the chrome much better. But of course there's no comparison to the looks of a B and a T series. The decision is in a Grey area at this time. PJ
Paul S Jennings

I think you are making the right choice Paul. The only way to even consider a re chrome would be to just cut out all of the old spokes and pitch them along with the nipples into the trash. Re chrome the hub and the rim and re lace the wheels with new spokes and nipples. However even if you went that route, you need to consider the condition of the splines. Given that you have committed to new rims I think it would be wise to consider new hubs as well at this time.

Number of spokes? I went with 48 when I did the TF because they look right on the car. Not a good choice if you plan on putting some miles on it. I have broken at least one spoke on every wheel, but then I put more miles on it in a couple of years than most will do in 10. You could go with 72 but in my book thats way over kill. I've got 60's on the B for over 20 years and zero issues with them. Seems like the proper choice for a driver and something I wish I had done myself. Chrome or pint? Personal choice. Both have their pro's and con's. For me the chrome ...easier to clean up..well as easy as wires can be I guess.

Just my 2 cents...

MG LaVerne

Oh I agree PJ

Chrome spokes on an MGB look gorgeous - a must have!

Thinking about my chrome wheels more carefully I think it is because of the number of spokes I chose...probably more so than the fact they are chrome.

I have 60 spokes on each wheeel which to my eye makes it look a bit like a Cadillac.

Now before all you lovely colonial friends jump down my throat I am quite sure a Cadillac is a fine car and I am not criticising it honestly!

Moss do 48 spokes and I think that would have been more in keeping (I think).

As we all know its a personal choice. I sleep well at night knowing that when the time has come for to meet my maker my sons will have the original pressed steel wheels and hubs in the corner of the garage. They can revert the car if they chose. Meanwhile I am the current custodian of TD943 and, for the moment at least, I call the shots!





Doctor Bob

Dr. Bob,
Why is the "A" facing the wrong way in reference to the other find machinery?????
SPW
Steve Wincze

Hey Steve

Actually its not an MGA in my picture although I agree it could be very well be from the angle of the shot.

Its a 1960 Mercedes 190 SL. A lovely looking car.

I would like to say the cars are all part of my extensive collection of magnificent cars in the underground car park of my massive mansion.

In actual fact only the TD is mine but in my eyes she is the prettiest of them all. Next to her is the new Jaguar "F" type - a 1930's Bentley and the Mercedes 190.

Suzie and I did a rally around the Alsace region in France 2 weeks ago and the shot was taken in a hotel car park of some of the cars taking part.

By the way my wife dreams one day of owning an MGA. I promised her one day I would restore one for her. I would love to take on a project like that

Doctor Bob

PJ,
Sounds like you have made up your mind "how" to go.
Just to throw it out there for someone that might find this thread at a later date.
IMHO:
One thing you definitely don't want to do is chrome wheels and stainless spokes.
I made that mistake many years ago on a motorcycle.
The ss spokes literally ate the chrome off the wheels in short order.
They chipped in less than a year.
Maybe they do it differently now than in the 60's, but I have talked to more than a few that had the same problem.
David Sheward 55 TF1500 # 7427

Not sure what the issue used to be David but nearly all chrome wire wheels now have stainless spokes with no issues that I am aware of.
MG LaVerne

Just ordered 5 new chrome wires from a Moss distributor. Problem of choosing is over. Already have 4 new knock offs with the logo on them. I have to have the spare tire knock off redone, it's beat pretty bad. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Dave, my Daytons have SS spokes and chrome rims. they are also tubeless, no spoke problems no wearing away and no broken spokes in over 10 years with about 10000 miles on them. of course I have not been running as hard as LaVerne has..ha ha.
Tom Maine

Dr. Bob, I'm curious as to what's in parking spaces 1 though 11? ;)
R C Flowers

I am now beginning to wonder if my Dayton's are chrome & SS!
Many years ago I had the wheels on my 58 HD Panhead done. The chrome & ss did not play well together at all. The SS spokes tore through the chrome from the inside and the wheel collapsed.

I guess it was just a bad "prep job", but it scared the B-G-US out of me. Dumped the clutch and the back wheel just fell apart. I was not happy ...but glad it didn't happen at speed! The explanation I got at the time was that the harder Stainless chipped the chrome finish on the wheels which then pulled through the metal.
David Sheward 55 TF1500 # 7427

Installed these Moss wheels in 2006 on the 72 and they still look like new today. There is nothing wrong with these wheels, reason for getting them from Moss for the TF. PJ



Paul S Jennings

I think they gave you a lame excuse David. More likely the acid bath prep took to much metal away and severly weakened the rim.

All Daytons are stainless spoked as far as I am aware of. Have Daytons on both the B and the TF. They were once the "go to" wheel but they have had some quality issues over the last several years. Consensus is the Idiam made jobs are now equal if not exceding them. This would be what Paul will get from Moss.
MG LaVerne

This thread was discussed between 21/09/2014 and 26/09/2014

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