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MG TD TF 1500 - A positive experience

I recently sand blasted the rims on TF 8281, then replaced the broken and bent spokes, epoxy primed and painted them the proper silver gray color. I ordered replacement tubes with the little buttons for the valve stem hole and the proper nickel valve stem caps.
I took the freshly painted rims with the five Dunlop Gold Seal bias ply tires and a print out of the PDF file from Moss Motors on how to balance wire wheels to Vermont Tire in Montpelier this morning. I had called first and asked if this was something they could tackle. The guy on the phone was quite confidant that they could tackle this. He impressed me with questions like asking me if I had a rim band to cover the wheel spokes (it is a side laced wheel so it does not need one…).
When I arrived, the guy at the counter was quite helpful. When I brought the wheels, tires and tubes in to the shop these two young men looked at me with blank looks on their faces. They said they had never seen rims anything like these. I explained the tubes, the button for the valve stems and the PDF instructions for balancing the rims. They studied everything carefully. One guy said “oh yea, we use these little plastic buttons (for the valve stem) on tractors.” The other guy said he thought he may be able to use an adaptor on one of his tire machines to mount the tires.. I explained that the rims are as fragile as they look, and that they were just painted. I left feeling reasonably confidant that it would all work out, but still nervous non the less.
When I returned this afternoon, the tires were mounted on the rims, and the paint on the rims was perfect. No scratches, not gouges, nothing. One of the guys smiled and said “it took me a little while, but I did it. I’m glad you came here, I’ve never seen anything like this before.” The other guy said he was glad I gave him the PDF file on how to do the spin balance, because without those instructions he thought he would have messed up the rims. They asked lots of questoins about the car, and complemted me on the painting of the rims. They never tried to sell me anything, but did caution me about driving on such old tires.
The wheels look great. The old Dunlops have some small cracks on the side walls, but the tread is like new. It is well worth going to the Moss website to print out the PDF file on how to balance wire wheels and bring it with you to the tire shop. It is also worth the time to find a reputable, competent tire shop and take the time to explain how to properly do the job.
D. Sander

D,

Do consider changing those cracked tires for new rubber! It'd be a shame to destroy all your hard work, as well as yourself, because of $300 worth of new tires.
Its your call, but not a very wise move in my opinion.

Gene
P Burgess

The car will not be driven much. The restoration is almost done now, and for the next few years it will only be going from the garage to the trailer and back. In a few years, if we decide to drive it then yes, by all means the tires will be replaced.
The Dunlop bias ply tires are not avalable any more. I like the look of them, and the car will not be driven any time soon. It would make no sense to replace them with new tires, only to have the car sit for years.
A few years ago the right front tire of our RV blew out with no warning on the interstate. This, several hours after the vehicle passed the annual state safety inspection. No cracks, no bumps, like new tread. It was all I could do to keep the vehicle under control. As it was, the tire did a lot of damage to the vehilce after it exploded. The steel belts did wonders to the bodywork. We bought the RV used, ten years ago. I bought new set of tires that day. No idea how old the tires were. After that experience, I will never drive on old tires again, no matter how they look.
D. Sander

Dave Did the shop have the proper fittings to hold the wheel on the machine. When I bought the wire wheels for the TF each wheel came with a little sheet showing where to support the wheel for balancing just as it would be on the car.

As a result I machined up a set of adapters that fit my local tire shop's spin balancer and several people besides myself have since used them with what I think are excellent results.
Cheers,
Bob
Bob Jeffers

I was watching an auction on TV the other night and saw a very low mile car go across the block with "orginial tires". They mentioned that the PO had broken down the wheels every year and "oiled" the tires, inside and out, to keep them from dry rotting. Never heard that one before. Anybody here ever do this?
On a humerous (tyre) note:
Cleanning out my old rental garage yesterday and a friend and I sat in lawn chairs across the street having a few brews, watching my "collection" of over 20 tires dissapear from the curb! Had thought about trying to sell some of them on CL...but didn't want somebody comming back if one of them fell apart.
Besides...this was far more entertaining!
4pm over 20 of them....by 5:30 I had 5 left.

Be very carefull driving on old "tyres" (correct spelling for LBC's)
Old "tires" (correct spelling for Americian)

Or even free one's here in Perry county:
(correct spelling for free ones out here!)

Shuck's ...I didn't even "warsh" them after I took em' out of the rafters!


David Sheward

Dave,

Why did you bother to have the tyres balanced if you are not going to drive it with these old tyres? The concours judge might distract points for "ugly modern" balancing weights?

I had my MGB Rostyle wheels balanced some weeks ago and although the guys were very helpful by cooperating in centering the wheels on the lugholes (vs. the lousy centrehole that isn't in the centre) they kinda messed up because of the zinc balancing weights the used. Zinc doesn't "form" as nicely as the (poluting and thus forbidden) conventional lead and because of that two weights flew of within two miles, one damaging the frontwing from inside.....
Willem vd Veer

Bob,
The PDF file on the Moss website has good instructions on how to mount wire wheels to a spin balancer. It shows which adapters to use on each side of the rim. It explains the correct and incorrect way to use the machine, with pictures. Sounds like it may be similar to the instructions you received with your wheels.
It is a good idea to print these instructions out and bring them with the wheels to the tire shop.
The shop used lead weights. I am not a fan of the zinc weights, they all broke apart on my Saab and now I have to go back to Costco to have them redone.
Now that the TF has wheels, I can move it and begin the reassembly. I was going to take it to Mystic, but decided not to, there is no rush. It'll give me something to do over the winter...
D. Sander

This thread was discussed between 27/07/2010 and 28/07/2010

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