Morris Minor Owners Club

Can anyone help?

I have a 1969 Almond Green Saloon (4 door).

The wheels are painted white, and I assume that the paint is old english white. I seem to be having trouble locating some.

The Morris Minor Centre in Birmingham cannot find any either!

Should the paint be WT3? and if so, is the ICI reference 2379?

If this is the case then surely I can find a paint supplier who will supply me with the correct stuff.

So, can anyone verify these codes and / or suggest a supplier (preferably in the midlands area - but anywhere really).

Thanks,

Cam.

Lo, a 1969 saloon in Almond Green should have wheels of'Dark
silver' (from October 1967) but your car could have been made
earlier and not have been registered until 1969?? The wheels
were old english white up to Oct 1967. I have,in my garage, a
400ml tin of spray paint in @ Old English White, made by "Carplan"
which I obtained through the post from Bull Motif spares a couple
of years ago. Try him ( his advert is in the mag)
Willie

Hello there!

Most Minors have had their wheels painted OEW, the same as the grilles - it's almost standard practice. the Silver ones look a bit tacky, if you ask me (and no-one did...), but that's my ha'porth.

You can get paint from East Sussex Minors, but also from Bull Motif, and dare I say it - BM are cheaper. Tell him you want OEW and he'll send you exactly that.

Now the only thing we need is a way of removing the hub caps without scraping the paint of the wheels...

Gareth,

I have found a way of removing the hubcaps without scraping the wheels........

Use a claw hammer with the ends of the claws under the hubcap, gently lever and pop (or clang as is usually the case!!).

Cunning eh?

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Willie,

Thaks for the info. I did not know that! and I agree with Gareth that it would look tacky in silver, so OEW it is!!


Thanks again guys!

Cam.

Well I think that my dark green car with silver wheels is
extremely pretty. I carefully painted then Old English
once and hated the look!!
Re the removal of hub caps....I have a simple tool which
was,I think, supplied for the removal of hub caps on the
MINI and it works without chipping paint from theVISIBLE
part of the wheel. It is made from strong sheet steel
3/4" wideX5-3/8" long X 1/16" thick. The end 3/8" is
bent down at a right angle thus....

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
x
x

The end slips behind the hub cap in the gap next to any
of the mounting lugs, and a simple swing to left or right
removes the hub cap easily.
Willie

Willie,

Did not mean to offend!!

There's no accounting for taste is there??

I'm sure that your car is very nice, but I think that the white wheels give the car an older look, more than the more modern silver wheels, even though it is not strictly correct.........no? ah well!!

With regard to the removal of hub caps, I once had a tool like you describe (I think that was for a mini), which is much better than the claw hammer, but if you ain't got one....... then the claw hammer does the job nicely.


Cam.

Hello there!

Very cunning, Cam!! That's actually the method I've been using recently, and although it's a lot better paint-wise than the 12" screwdriver I did use... it does look a little odd, wielding it at the Moggy

As for the clang - here's what you do. Sit on the floor, and rest your right foot in the centre of the hubcap. Pry the hubcap away from the wheel with the claw hammer, and you foot will stop the hitherto inevitable clatter. Works almost every time.

As for the colour of the wheels - each to their own, of course. I just prefer the white ones, but I must admit they look better on some cars than others.

Lovely! I have a mental picture of your car with dirty
great footprints in all of the hub caps!!!
Willie

You can also try 'Ken and Lynne' for paint, they stock all types of car paint and specialise in BMC colours. Their number is 01298-814813

I have a tool for removing hub caps as described ( L Shaped ) supplied with the car. In the past I have used a steel toe caped boot to remove hub caps.

I noticed in B & Q that they have a paint tin opener branded by Stanley which would do the job. It was under £1.

James.

James- I'm really curious about the steel toe capped boot hub cap removal method. I bet I'm not the only one! Could you explain please.

It was not me, it was my friend Stuart. His brother ( Paul ) has a Morris minor with wide wheels. The standard hub caps are to tight a fit. The first time we work on the car Stuart struggled to remove them with a large screw driver. When the car was return minus hub caps Paul was told not to put them back on because of how tight the fit was. A week later when we pick up the car to do more work on it. You have guessed it Paul had put the hub caps back on. After 5 minutes of cursing his brother, Stuart walked around the car kicking each hub cap with a steel toe capped boot the centres go in and the Aaps pop off. The hub caps where then turned over beaten back into shape with a hammer and thrown into the boot.

Paul has since refitted the hub caps and Stuart has stopped working on his car.


James.

Scary

O.K.

Olonas,

They do say if you do not like the answer then you should not ask the question.

Cam,

Scarry would be the fact the Stuart works road side recovery for the AA / RAC ?

It is the one method that does not damage the paint on the wheel.


James.

With my experience of roadside recovery (invoked by passengers - NOT by me), that does not surprise me at all!!!

Oh dear. If my short response caused offence I apologise. I wish I hadn't asked the question because, no I don't like the answer. Thank goodness I don't use AA/RAC if that's their style. It may not damage the wheel paintwork but what about the hubcap? Does Stuart wear a straw boater and striped apron or 10 gallon hat when on patrol?
He needs to stick to selling unneccesary batteries to the unwary!