Morris Minor Owners Club

Hey all..Im wanting to put slightly wider wheels on my Morris 1000 (1960)..obviously I want this to be as hassle free as possible..anyone know of rims that can be just changed straight over???

Alloys or steel?

There are no modern wheels that fit - so you need to buy purpose made wheels. JLH sometimes do 'good deals'. http://www.jlhmorrisminors.co.uk/store/ ... t&catId=20

doesnt matter if its steel or alloy..I was hoping to be able to retain the hubcaps..for an original look

Well - the later vans had 4.5" wide wheels - so search for a set of them. They won't be cheap!

usually £120 to £200 for a set of 4.5" Wide van rims - and expect to need to paint them and then tyres too!
before you part with a lot of cash, it's worth to make sure they aren't buckled and that they aren't heavily corroded.

You can check straightness by fitting them on the car and rotating with a makeshift (stable) pointer near the edge of the rim. Most people wouldn't think of going that far but I've seen the occasional buckled rim included in a set. The least you should do is give a close visual inspection.

It was also possible to get 5" modern rims with Minor centres - these were produced via some of the Minor traders but I'm not sure if they are still available. They sometimes come up second hand.

Consider what size tyre you want to fit. If you are going for 175x80 you will want to drop down to a 13 in wheel to keep a close rolling radius to a 155x14. And don't forget to check the speedo accuracy

rayofleamington wrote:usually £120 to £200 for a set of 4.5" Wide van rims - and expect to need to paint them and then tyres too!
before you part with a lot of cash, it's worth to make sure they aren't buckled and that they aren't heavily corroded.

You can check straightness by fitting them on the car and rotating with a makeshift (stable) pointer near the edge of the rim. Most people wouldn't think of going that far but I've seen the occasional buckled rim included in a set. The least you should do is give a close visual inspection.

It was also possible to get 5" modern rims with Minor centres - these were produced via some of the Minor traders but I'm not sure if they are still available. They sometimes come up second hand.

If i were to go for wider wheels, i'd prob only go for two on the back.
I've heared horror stories of wider wheels on the front putting too much extra load on the steering.
My dad's uncle's MG TC had this issue many years ago, and broke the steering rack. prompted a 40 year re-build!

Matt Tomkins wrote:If i were to go for wider wheels, i'd prob only go for two on the back.
I've heared horror stories of wider wheels on the front putting too much extra load on the steering.
My dad's uncle's MG TC had this issue many years ago, and broke the steering rack. prompted a 40 year re-build!

i've got 185 tyres all round, and nothing's fall off yet!... except the exhaust... but i dont think that's related!

ESM sell them but they seem to be out of stock at present. A mate of mine bought a set a few weeks back and was quite pleased. A bit pricey though.
http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/pro ... 0e3cfd2772
Regards
Declan

My mum has Minilights on hers, they do the trick; and look awesome

Bull Motif sell Minators 165x14 - again not cheap but they look good. They've been on the car for 4 years without any problems.