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MG TD TF 1500 - spokes in wire wheel

How many spokes are there traditionally in a TF wire wheel please. There seems to be a variation available. What value is the greater number?
JK Mazgaj

Original, 48, most popular and stronger, 60. A higher number of spokes more than 60, in my opinion, doesn't look right on a T series car. JMHO. PJ
PJ Jennings

You'll be unlikely to break a spoke if you have 60 of them. As said above, than that doesn't look right and you don't need them.
Dave H
Dave Hill

60 spoke are a few pounds cheaper at MWS, available in 4.5" width too.

Peter
P G Gilvarry

Or second hand from an Austin Healey owner who wanted to swap to chrome.....
C I Twidle

Interestingly I got myself a nice set of 48 spokers off a one owner us import Healey
When I was cleaning them up to paint i found they were handed in the spoke lacing, 2 one way and 2 the other, so i have 2 lefts and 2 rights but there is nothing anywhere that i can find to say which is which
I have fitted them up in pairs to each side but no idea if they are on the correct side or not
I've fitted them like you do a track racing bike with the inner spokes as the pullers on the rear ie right over left on the left side
Any ideas anyone--?

willy
William Revit

I put the 72 spoke wheels on my TD and with the color, I get lots of comments how good my car looks

TRM Maine

Willy,
That left over right (or vice versa) comment has got me curious. I have built wheels from a punched rim, "shell" and pile of spokes, but have never given it much thought until now. I will be checking out my cars tomorrow! Perhaps they can be wired either way?

I did have trouble once when I tried to use a pre-war Rudge-Whitworth shell (wheel centre) with a post war rim. That is when I learnt that, unlike later wheels, the 48 spoke side spoked wheels have equal numbers of inners and outers. They are 24/24 instead of 16/32. 24 outer spokes is the same number of outers as a 72 spoke post-war wheel!

Bob
R L Schapel

Bob
Went down to a mate's place for a look at his MGB wheels and they all go one way but he has a set of Borrani wheels there and they go the other way, it's really interesting
A mate just bought a set of--wait for it-
70 spoke wheels for his MGA project, really interesting looking wheels, they look like 60's ,almost but every now and then in the lacing there are double spokes, they look super strong and just enough different to make you sit back and try and work out why

The wheels I have are all laced the same on the shorter spokes but the long ones are them that are handed

You'll laugh at me, was rebuilding one of my son's track bike rear wheels once in a cross three pattern, the rim was for singles,(glue on tyres)which have a fairly small valve hole, got it roughed up and had a spare spoke hole, after looking all around the hub and getting a bit peed with it cos it just wouldn't work out i finally discovered i had a spoke in the valve hole----grrrr

willy
William Revit

When I purchased Chrome wire wheels form Hendrix I went with 60 spokes. I had several broken spokes in the original 48's that were painted and 40+ years old. Certainly made a huge difference n the ride.

Rod Jones

Very nice Rod

Here's my left - right thingys

William Revit

Just went into the cave and perused spokes on all wheels I could access easily. 36 wheels in all if I disregard the pre-war MG SA! That is 72 opportunities for spokes to be non conventional because there are inners and outers. For anyone interested:

0 of the 5 MGA 15" had any L/R
0 of the 5 TC 19" had any L/R
0 of the 1 Jag Mk2 15" had L/R
2 of the 13 TC 16" had outers L/R
1 of the 2 MGB 14" had inners L/R
1 of the 10 TC Special 15" had outers L/R (centre spoked various widths)

To summarise, 4 of the 72 rows of spokes were "non conventional." L/R.

All of the 4 MG SA 1936 18" spokes were L/R

Off on a tangent. I race on 48 spoke wheels! However, I have replaced all outer spokes (which were the only ones which broke .. being half the number) with more heavily butted spokes. (They were already butted spokes.) I had to enlarge the holes in the wheel centre to accommodate the thicker ends. The butts are much thicker but the rest of the spoke is the same as before. I have seen many broken spokes, but they all broke where the spoke leaves the wheel centre. I still check my wheels after every race!

Bob


R L Schapel

You've got too many wheels --lol
It's really interesting ,this is something that I've never really looked at before until i noticed these
I wonder how many concours cars have slipped through with odd wheels
Years back when i was punting a v8B about everyone said the wheels won't hack the power but strangely on the odd occasion when it did ping a spoke it was always on the front
Interesting on Rod's comment about his new wheels making the ride better, on our track bike wheels we used to wire bind the spokes at the point where the spokes crossed each other and solder the joints up, the wheels would feel as solid as a rock and you could feel the extra strength in them on the track
I reckon you ought to bind and solder your 48 spokers Bob, you'll soon find out which old fellas in the pits used to race a bike
Cheers
willy
William Revit

I used to race bikes on the velodrome but I was only 15 years old. (Then I got interested in TCs.) I do remember some guys did wire the spokes as you said. It is true I have too many wheels. I must purge the shed of excess stuff! Thanks to you I will now look at wire wheels differently whenever I see them!
oTCagonally,
Bob
R L Schapel

Regarding concourse, I don't think judges would bother with L/R or R/L spokes as they might both be legitimate. However, I think some would check "shells" to check that they are shallow dish up to early TF and deep dish from TF 1500. I don't know exactly when that change occurred.

Bob
R L Schapel

Bob
Went and got a couple of pics of the 70 spokers, thought you might like to check the out

William Revit

and again------------different-?

William Revit

last one
I'm going to have to go have another closer look at them, the long spokes are butted but I think they might be tapered as well---?
Tough looking wheels in the flesh

Cheers

William Revit

Willy,

They are interesting. Yes, they do look strong, but the most interesting thing is that they do not have the usual ratio of two inner spokes to each one outer. They have 42 inners and 28 outers. Even a 72 spoke wheel usually has only 24 outers.

Bob
R L Schapel

Yeah, I think the thing that makes you have a second look at them is the way the outer spokes are laced up, there are a crossed pair straddling a crossed inner pair which looks normalish but the next pair of outers that are crossed straighter like a double spoke and go between a pair of inners is something I haven't seen before, they do look strong

willy
William Revit

This thread was discussed between 30/09/2019 and 09/10/2019

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