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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Changing P.C.D.

I'm looking to fit some 13" Gotti wheels to my 1500. The only issue is that the midget has a P.C.D. of 4X4" (4X101.6mm) whilst the wheels are 4X98mm.

I have looked at redrilling the studs to 12mm, however this will not move them inwards enough.

I have also looked at wobble nuts, but they are only suitable for hub-centric fitment, which the Midget doesn't have.

Surely someone has done this before?

Any help would be much appreciated as I really like these wheels.

BH Harvey

How about making the mounting holes in the wheels oval. That way you can use your standard lug location and still get the wheels on. The wheels on my Frog have been this way for about 35 years and I haven't had any problems.
Martin Washington

Don't you run into issues when centreing the wheels?
BH Harvey

Yepp... ive been there done that and love my one off wheels... 1970s american racing hurricanes

I sloted the lug nuts hole i the wheels, but the wheel was drilled for 1/2 inch lugs and the midget is 3/8... so getting them centered bacame an issue... and as you say the midget is not self centric

So I had some adapter plates lathed made that had the centering sleave that fit into the wheel and then drilled the adapter to fit over the 4 lug studs

Watch your back spacing that you dont bang into the leaf springs and othe suspension parts

Hope that helps

Prop


Prop and the Blackhole Midget

If you machine the holes to where the end of the holes are set up for the PDC that you want, then no, there's no centering problem. They just slide around when you put the first lug nut in. After that the lug nuts hold everything where things should be. I don't have anything like Prop has, just straight onto the bolts, put on the nuts and tighten. Although I did go to 7/16 studs but if you get the proper nuts and washers you shouldn't have any problem with the stock studs.

Many years ago, here in the USA, they used to sell wheels with slotted lug nut holes so that they could stock fewer wheels and still cover a wider range of customers.
Martin Washington

I did this about a year or so ago.
Front is easy, just take off the hubs and have a machine shop drill you an extra set of holes.
You then have 8 holes in the hub.
You may have to do some grinding back at the back of the hub to relieve where the heads of the new studs will go.
You just press the new studs into position.

Rear end, much more difficult, need to redrill the hub, half shaft and drum, and at 98mm PCD i think your would have interferance issues with the o-ring groove that seals the hub/halfshaft.
Easier to get some wheel spacer/adaptors made for the back.
Andy Phillips (frankenfrog)

What's with that tyre Prop? Shaky hand while trying to white wall it?
Lawrence Slater

Homebrew whitewall?

Had another look at the wheels and I'd rather not cut the faces up that much, there isn't too much metal there as they are.

So I'm thinking of redrilling the front hubs and making an adapter for the rears.

Does anyone know of a good machine shop in Kent?


BH Harvey

Why does this board hate pictures?


BH Harvey

Have you considered "wobble nuts" - should do the job for you?
Glynn (1275RWA) Williams

After seeing the picture of the wheel, forget everything I said. You're better off re-drilling the hubs since the wheels have a recess for the nuts much like a standard steel wheel.
Martin Washington

I was thinking of an aluminium plate adapter at the rear, held to the hub by four cap headed screws (tapered?) entering the former lug holes.

The wheel could then be mounted on extended Mini studs pressed into the back of the adapter.

Any thoughts?


BH Harvey

I did have a look at wobble nuts but they only allow for ~2.4mm of movement, whilst I need around 3.6mm. Plus the midget hubs are lug-centric which would make centreing a hassle.
BH Harvey

regarding Prop's "whitewall". I'm guessing maybe it was for some sort of clearance test?
Trevor Jessie

Nah Trevor. That's custom white walls in Prop's neck of the woods.

Charley
C R Huff

I'm probably wrong but aren't VW Golf 4 stud wheels 100mm If they are you need some of these or similar, depending on if the offset of your wheels will allow it
willy

Amazon.com: Wheel Adapter 4 Lug 101.6mm to 4 Lug ...
William Revit

White walls ... phiff!

Its Mosquito repellant... the spinning white disorients them....haha

BH... Warning !!! ,

I think you got ""deeper"" problems, it looks to me the wheels are way to deep on the back side... I think your going to be rubbing into your leaf springs and maybe your king pins

They do make whats called a dove tail leaf spring that would clear your new wheel, but im not sure how you would clear a kingpin

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

W.R.

The only adapters available seem to go from 4X4" to 4X100mm, no one seems to consider 4X98mm.


Prop.

The dimensions for these wheels are:

Width between lips = 160mm
Distance between inner lip and mounting face = 94mm
Offset = +14

Compared to an original Rostyle:

Width between lips = 138mm
Distance between inner lip and mounting face = 96mm
Offset = +27


So these wheels should extend no further into the arch than a Rostyle, hopefully.

I'm pretty sure that I will have clearance issues with the rear wheel arch though, especially as this is a 1500. Just out of interest what width are those American Racing alloys? And did you have to roll/beat the arches?
BH Harvey

I dont recall the spec off hand, I had to recently pry the swa out with a bottle jack...thus the white shoe polish to check if its still rubbing...now ive got about the thickness of a index finger of clearwnce between the arch and the sidewall

And I have a pan hard rod installed also

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

This thread was discussed between 09/06/2015 and 12/06/2015

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