minilites for healey bj7

[maxwedge5281]

about to order bolt-on minilites for my bj7. i have the necessary parts to convert the front and rear corners to the bolton wheels. my question....what is the largest size that can be fitted to the car and still remain under the fenders. i see that they offer 5.5 and 6 by 15 wheels. i would like to use at least the 6 x15 on the rear....any comments or experiences appreciated....View attachment 32860

 

[Jeepster]

Why not use the minilite s that fit onto the normal knock off splined hubs?

 

[maxwedge5281]

i really prefer bolt ons. the wheels currently on the car are for splined hubs. just like boltons better.

 

[RA_Healey]

Been visiting this site for a few months. Long time Healey owner. Your message prompted me to finally sign up.

I have bolt on Minilites on my BT-7. I went with the 5.5". Where are you ordering them from? You need to ask what the rear offset is. This will determine in the end the size of spacer you will have to use. The critical spacing is in the rear, front does not matter as much.

I ordered mine through a U.S. distributor, John Targett, Targett Motorsport. John passed away a couple of months ago and do not know if the business is still operating. I ordered mine with an 85 MM backspace. Took a few months to get. I ended up using a 1/2 spacers on all four corners. If you do not have a large offset, you may end up using up to a 1" spacer in the rear to get the wheel centered.

I like the bolt ons also. Cleaner look. They also come with center caps. I liked the Minilites better than the other similar ones on the market.

 

[maxwedge5281]

ra healey, did you use the rear brake drums that are specific to healey steel wheels? in other words, did your car have factory steel wheels or splined wheels? did you inquire about 6 inch rear minilite wheels? thanks for your information....

 

[RA_Healey]

I forgot to mention that I installed disc brakes in the rear.

I did not ask about the 6" wheels but knew that they were readily available also at the time.

I of course had to put on longer wheel studs.

 

[maxwedge5281]

did you use factory front hubs and rear drums for steel wheels. or was you car equopped with wire wheels on splined adaptors? thanks

 

[RA_Healey]

Factory bolt on front hubs have been hard to find and have gone up in price over the years.

One of my Healey buddies a while back, decided to go with bolt on wheels on his race car. He had a machine shop design a "donut piece" which the wheel studs are pressed in to. You then take a donor splined hub or a new one and modify it. The middle flange on the hub is modified by cutting out openings or relieved for the stud.

The hub is then sandwiched in between the rotor on the back and the donut piece on the front which is all bolted together. The grad 8+ bolts should hold it but added insurance is to put small 1/2" tig tack welds between the rotor outer flange and the donut piece.

I sacrificed new hubs because I did not want to have any issues with loose bearing races in the hubs. Maybe a lot to go through but it works.

The rear just has stock hubs with the disc brake conversion.

 

[vette]

Hi Max, My BJ7 has factory original bolt-on wheels. I have been planning on buying Minilites or Panasport wheels and have done some research. It is my understanding that the Minilites and Panasports from the normal Healey suspects such as Moss, etc will just bolt on. Dave.

 

[maxwedge5281]

i am wishing to run 5.5 on the front and 6 inch by 15 on the rear. i am concerned about fitting the fenderwell but not outside the body. i emailed minilites.uk and they recommended rear...6 by 15 with 104 mm backspacing and 5.5 by 15 fronts with 102.5 backspacing. my car has splined wheels so it is difficult to measure properly for bolton wheel locations. do you have a side view of your car with the factory steel wheels? i have the proper parts for the hub conversions and a nice set of factory wheels and hubcaps.....but i prefer the minilites. as the picture of my car shows i currently have minilite type wheels with splines...they are 6 by 15s and fit nicely.

 

[vette]

Max, this is about the best picture that I can find right now. I think your wheels right now stick out further than mine. I think I'm running 165 X 15 tires. My car is in my paint booth right now on jack stands so I can't give you any current details right now.

 

[BoyRacer]

I recently acquired a pair of factory disc brake (3000) bolt on front hubs from a Healey hoarder. If anyone is interested in purchasing them, send me a PM.