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MG TD TF 1500 - Steering Wheel Needed

I was afraid that it was going to happen, and it finally did. Three or four years ago I had someone reweld broken spokes at the hub of Lazarus' steering wheel. Last week one of the welds let loose. Today, the other three joined it. The rim is excellelent condition, and I have reason to believe it's original. So, I'm thinking of again trying to have it repaired. In the meantime I don't want to put Lazarus to bed. Any body have a spare, useable, wheel that'd like to sell at a reasonable price? I'd be perfectly happy to put a cover on the wheel. My email address is shown above. TIA Bud


Bud Krueger

Bud,

Turns out I have two so will give one of them. Metal is good but you will have to refurbish the rim. If interested email at bayaero@gmail.com.

Bob


R Brown

Bob, you have mail. Thanks, Bud
Bud Krueger

Looks as if the magic of this BBS has come through again. What a great bunch. Bud
Bud Krueger

Reactivating this for a follow up. Many thanks to Bob Brown for the wheel that kept Lazarus on the road while I tried to figure how I could fix it. Forget trying to buttweld broken stainless steel spokes. The nubs of the broken spokes go quite a ways into the cast hub. With a lot of Dremel tool work I was able to mill down into the hub around the nubs to a distance of about 1/4 inch.
I bought some s/s tubing whose i.d. is about .006" greater than the diameter of the spokes. The o.d. of the tubing is less than the spacing of the spokes. I cut 1/2" lengths of the tubing and shoved them over the broken spokes. I then mixed up a batch of J-B Weld that I diluted with a small amount of acetone. With the use of a hypodermic syringe I filled the milled out space and the middle of the 1/2" tubing pieces. I then slid the tubing pieces down until they were over the nubs and buried in the J-B weld. Took a few days for the diluted J-B Weld to setup. But it did and is solid as can be. As they say "It's baaack!". Bud
Bud Krueger

The milled out hub, ala Dremel.


Bud Krueger

Another view


Bud Krueger

The tool to put it together


Bud Krueger

Filled



Bud Krueger

In place


Bud Krueger

The tools


Bud Krueger

Bud,
I don't think it is worth the risk to use that wheel. It is a life and death part. A new wheel would be my choice.
Max Irvine

I have run into this with quite a few wheels I have redone... I find it very interesting that the stainless rods will 'shear' in that way at that point....
They are cast in place (I would think) so wonder if it is the heat difference at that location... how odd?
gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

It is a puzzler, Gordon. I've seen it happen to other wheels as well. It seems to happen most often at the 10 o'clock set of spokes. The cause appears to be from pressing on the rim of the wheel when getting into, or out of, the car. I've had two 'experts' try to weld the breaks without success. I've reoriented mine so that the repair is at the 6 o'clock position. There is much less flexing than from undamaged spokes. Bud
Bud Krueger

Its flex fatigue. The sprung wheel rim can move quite a bit (especially when driving with Gusto). When the wheel flexes its the hub-end of the spokes that takes the punishment.
Bud, you have the patience of a saint, but I would be reaching for the new parts catalogue. The broken spokes are a demonstration of what is about to happen to the 'good' spokes ... probably when you are in (God forbid) an emergency situation. The old one goes on the study wall by the MG bookshelf.

Just mho,
Matthew.
M Magilton

Bud' have you thought about extending the hub past the repair on those spokes, then also extending the hub on the other two with JB weld? It should look fine, conceal the repair, and be much stronger. You can wrap the hub with tape and pour the bj weld in, hold the wheel up so the epoxy is horizontal until dry, then repeat on the other two spokes of the hub. You would only be extending the hub about 1/4". Just a thought.
-David
D. Sander

That has been running through my mind, David. As you say, it's only about 1/4". The J-B Weld is quite happy to bond with the aluminum casting. Bud
Bud Krueger

Bud,
Truth be known, I've put whole cars together with bj weld, it has never let me down. I even made the throat of the left horn on the TD with JB Weld. Acoustically, it is the same a the cast pot metal.
I have used it to fix stripped door latch screws in the wood door pillars too. It works very well. I would add it to the steering wheel without hesitation.
-David
D. Sander

Future reference I have an old one which does well with a cover, but hope the fix works. Let m know later in season when snow is too deep had intended to make a custom wood out of it,but yours in case
Jon Levine

Thanks, Jon, but I don't need one any more. That was the title of this thread back in September. Since then Bob Brown has generously given me a useable wheel and I have fixed my original. Bud
Bud Krueger

This thread was discussed between 07/09/2013 and 08/11/2013

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