do they exist --- splined steel wheels [not wires]

[eschneider]

I have a customer who is set on replacing his wire wheels with stamped steel rims.

.............<sigh> on a Morgan...........

He has an image in his head of the old Lotus centerlock rims, but those aren't splined - they're pinned. Same with the MGA deluxe / twincam wheels, I think.

I think the only thing out there is the Panasport / Minilite alloy rims. Unfortunately, this guy wants the early Lotus / Jaguar centerlock look. Ironically, he isn't willing to do the original Morgan stamped steel rims with lug bolt hubs - got to have those spinners.

Is anybody making such a thing? Did it ever even exist, other than a pinned centerlock design?

 

[Steve_S]

I've seen them but I can't remember where. They were bloody expensive, that's all I do know.

 

[racingenglishcars]

All I can remember is the Lotus wheels. Knockoffs with 5 studs to hold the torque. Also the D-type Jaguar, but the replicas use bolt-on wheels.

I'm sure, with some patience you could mate some spline centers to some TR6 solid wheels.

 

[Roger]

There's a firm called Realm Engineering, in England, who supply old D-type and Dunlop-style wheels with splines.
Be prepared to pay an arm and a leg!

 

[tony barnhill]

MGA's had them

 

[eschneider]

MGA's had them

I thought the MGA's were "pegged"? i.e., not interchangeable with a wire wheel type spline wheel.....?

 

[eschneider]

There's a firm called Realm Engineering, in England, who supply old D-type and Dunlop-style wheels with splines. Be prepared to pay an arm and a leg!

Bingo! Great find, thanks! Looks like they have adapters to make those dunlop clones fit a wire wheel hub, kind of like the minilite / panasport.

You're right - bloody spendy. Not sure my arms and legs are even worth that much? Easy to see how they would have to charge those prices though - for a low production specialty custom wheel.....

 

[DrEntropy]

You've got some strange clients, Eric. :wink:

 

[eschneider]

You've got some strange clients, Eric. :wink:

<grin> The Morgan crowd tends to be that way.

 

[billspohn]

MGA's had them

MGAs only had peg drive, not spline, Tony.

 

[tony barnhill]

MGA's had them

MGAs only had peg drive, not spline, Tony.

Yep, forgot about that....

 

[aeronca65t]

OK, if you click on ~This Link~ and go about 3/4 of the way down, you'll see some spline-type knock-off wheels.

They are Rudge type. They look like the steel ones that used to come on 300SLs and Porsches, but they are aluminum alloy.

Price is 13,000 Euro which about $20,000 USD!

 

[BIBBER]

Man my wallet really squeaked when I went to their site....guess it's the old shade tree in me....I used original E-type wheel with a set of spline spinners from Corvette Unlimited (no cap logo) and with a little more elbow polish they suit me!! Call me frugal!!!

 

[MGZT260]

Victoria British has center lock alloys for $1400 a set to fit a B, still not "the look". They even sell bolt on wires, such crassness.

There is the Daytona Cobra look which is available many places, also the early-mid sixties Corvettes had a knockoff option, then there is classic Rudge knockoff from Mercedes Gullwing.

I believe the XK steel wheels were covered by a full width chrome hub cap, so they may have been bolt-on. The Dunlop D-type knock offs appear to be pin drive just like twincams.

Hey, look long enough - (added note: these look to be the same as produced by realmengineering)https://www.racemettleltd.co.uk/wheel.html (mods remove teh link if you need to) steel-look (aluminum), Dunlop style, with splined adapter to fit Morgan!! L280 each before shipping is out of my league but maybe not your customer. What's $1800 plus shipping plus duty (if any) for a full set sound like? Mot really an arm and a leg, now 16" at L450 each is something else again.

This obviously becomes a possible place to get that twincam look no longer available, also.

 

[racingenglishcars]

That's about double what I paid for some Alfa GTA replica wheels from alfaholics.co.uk

Made in the minilite factory, but of course no spline mount.

 

[billspohn]

If you don't mind the price, you could fit the Campagnolos of the old Lamborghinis (they'd be cheaper than those Mercedes wheels!). At 7", too wide without flairs.

Proof that they fit an MGC splined hub: