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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Removing Wire Wheels

I can't remove the front passenger side wire wheel on my midget. I have hexagan locking nut and when using a large piece of pipe for extra leverage the wheel turns and the car moves even with the handbreak on and in gear. I have had no problems with any of the other wheels so presuming this one has not been removed in a long time any suggestions would help as really eed to remove the wheel. Thanks in advance Chris.
C Carter

How about getting an assistant to depress the brake pedal?

Also, using a hammer or mallet on the spanner to shock the nut might help.
Dave O'Neill 2

I try it with a helper pressing the break pedal. I have hit it with the hammer lots of times and still stuck?
C Carter

check direction of unscrew, arrow on hex nut.
David Smith

And next time fit knock ons and follow the next procedure.

Fit wheel
Screw on knock on by hand
Bash it tight with a suiting hammer
Lower the car

You see no more tightening after it is on the ground.
The are self locking (see the handed spinners) and when tightend off the ground with one hand holding them the other bashing they center properley on the hub and are tight enough
Onno Könemann

Onno and Chris: "knock-ons" became illegal [for safety reasons.. they can get loosened by kerbing the spinner] on cars first registered after a date I can't remember [!]so if the car has hex nuts on the wheels they should be replaced with hex nuts...
David Cox

So you should keep a set of hex nuts for the mot ;)

Knock ons look way better with hex nuts you can just aswell fit steel wheels
Onno Könemann

I am aware of the arrow on the hex nut and reads left hand side and an arrow reading undo in an anti clockwise direction. I am going to get some friends round tonight to sit in the car put bricks infront of the wheels and hopefully that will get the hex nut off. If not I really don't have a clue.
C Carter

like your style Onno!
Mine has knock-ons and in the sparkly spring sunshine they look great!
Chris: if all else fails I guess you could reach for the angle grinder....go very carefully [well OBVIOUSLY!]
David Cox

Hit it head on first to give the threads a good shock.
Alex G Matla

I will try to hit it on the head first using a block of wood to protect the chrome and if that fails then think I will have to grind it off, which I really don't want to do! Fingers crossed all will work out ok.
C Carter

Before you grind it, as it is lost then anyway, bash it without wood. Sand hammer or copper might save the nut.
What also works: a big hammer against the nut on one side and hit it with another on the opposite side. Do that all the way round. It flexes the nut and should come loose.
Alex G Matla

And maybe, just maybe, you never know, try the other way. Perhaps a PO put on a wrong hub?
Alex G Matla

Thank you I will give this a go as well either way the nut is coming off tonight!
C Carter

"Perhaps a PO put on a wrong hub?"

that would be quite a trick, as C. Carter did state the nut is labeled, "LH".

Though, come to think of it, if a DPO DID get a LH nut onto a RH hub, it would probably be WICKED hard to get off!


Norm
":oD
Norm Kerr

Norm, you're right. left. right, eerrrh, GO!
Alex G Matla

Alex I already asked the dumb obvious question !
David Smith

David C?

""they can get loosened by kerbing the spinner"2

I always believed that the safety reason was that the ears spinning around would possibly knee cap someone who happened to get too close? Can you remember where you read that info??
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Bob: I lke the idea of my spinners acting like the blades on Bodicea's chariot! I can't remember where I first heard/read about the kerbing problem. I've been a Midgeteer for 36 years now so somewhere along the line....!
David Cox

:)

I am a tad more of 42 years but have had the occassional layoff ( I once had to drive a Vauxhall Chevette when first married as our only car )

Anyway couldn't say where my beliefs came fom either. LOL
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

cut it and save yourself from the pain of damaging the wing or wheel attempting to get it off

for the sake of a few quid, i wouldnt be using grolly bars or pipes that are likely to slip and hit something.

nice deep slit across the width of the nut without hitting wheel or hub

drive a chisel into the slit and allow the nut to split

then just unscrew it
PeterJMoore

Thanks for all your comments, I finally got the Nut off last night. I Hit it with a large hammer a few times on the face and the sides then I backed the car into a small drainage ditch outside my garage and placed bricks in front of the back wheels and front wheels. Handbrake on, in first gear and my brother with his foot on the brake and my dad stood on top of the sill for extra weight. And using 4 ft piece of scaffolding as a lever finally got the nut to come loose. Such a relief and no damage done :)
C Carter

Good for you Chris!
Alex G Matla

Well done Chris. Midget ownership, eh? What a hoot!
David Cox

Re change from eared to hexagonal knock on spinners. I cant find the reason for the change - injury to pedestrians [my choice] or risk of kerbing and subsequent loosening but here are some changeover dates for the anoraks amongst us.

Clausager's Original MGB states:
1962 in Germany & Switzerland
1965 some US states from 1965
Feb 1967 all of US
Late 1967 all export markets
Aug 1968 home market

Horler's Original Spridget states:
1966 US
1968 home market

HTH



Doug Plumb

Interesting the change came first in Europe. I had always thought it was to satisfy US safety laws for the same reasons as Bob and Doug state. Definately nothing to do with kerbing as this would tighten them.
Personally I think hex nuts look neater.

Trev
T Mason

Hex nuts are lighter but on my 69 I swapped them for 2 ear knock offs.
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

Personally, I prefer the look of 3-eared spinners.
Dave O'Neill 2

This thread was discussed between 06/03/2011 and 08/03/2011

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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