Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Fitting spare on car

After removing the spare wheel from my recently acquired plus 4 to check air pressure for the first time I am struggling to replace it. There is large circular metal plate that fell out when I removed the retaining bolt and wheel cover, should this be on the inside against the mounting bracket or the outside of the wheel directly under the T shaped retaining bolt. I think it must be on the outside but am unsure how to keep this in place while fitting the tight mohair cover and then while fitting the wheel on the mounting bracket. Is there a nack to doing this? I feel this must be a silly question but the metal disk keeps falling to the bottom of the wheel cover when I try to fit the wheel on the bracket which means removing and refitting the cover, this in itself is no mean feat.

Is there no shoulder on the metal disk?
I'll have to look at mine again - don't take the spare off very often - have an extension on the valve for pressure checking...

From experience with my 4/4 the metal disk fits at the outside in order to seal off the central ax hole and it comes directly under the T handle

Thank you, that confirms my thought that is must be the outside. Yes Graham there is a shoulder but it does not seem deep enough to prevent the disk falling out while fitting the cover and then the wheel on the car. I will try again tomorrow, now I know that I am fitting it on the correct side maybe if I can get the cover on without it falling out I can maybe keep it in place by inserting the bolt through it while placing the wheel in position.

At least the pain was worth it as the spare had only 11psi so needed the top up.

Fit the wheel into the car, then put the disc small diameter to theinside and insert the t bolt.

Yes - definitly the disc on the outside.

I also struck exactly this problem with my 2004 +8.The round disc sits on top of the wheel and is covered by the wheel cover. The disc immediately slides off when you lift the wheel into position.I have wire wheels and solved that part of the problem by securing the disc to the wheel with a cable tie. With alloys, some other method of holding in place may be required - double sided adhesive tape?.
My other problem that with a luggage rack and a very heavy wheel that won't stay in place, it was near impossible to line up the luggage rack with the hole in the cover with the hole in the metal disc with the threaded hole in the bracket. Initially I gave up and discarded the cover so that I could at least see what I was doing. But it is a very nice cover with the Morgan logo embroidered and I really wanted to use it. I had a SS bracket made. Simply a strip about 400 x 40 x 3 with about 20mm upturned at one end. This holds the wheel in the correct position over the bracket. Still not easy to mount the spare, but now possible.
Finally, purchased and carry a 12v compressor and gauge so that I now don't need to check the pressure of the spare.

Sorry. As the owner of a sport I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. What's a spare wheel ?

Henri- Gaffer tape the disc to the spare wheel in a cruciform shape and make a hole for the t-bar thread. This works.

Thank you, today I managed to get the spare on the car with the cover but hit exactly the problem identified by Neil getting the luggage rack on, this being a fourth item to align was another thing entirely. Eventually I managed it but more by luck than judgement. I think the gaffer tape or tie wrap holding the disc in place is a good idea. Getting a SS alignment bracket made seems to be a great idea, I just need to find somewhere that will make one. It does seem a shame to discard the wheel cover as it does look nice when it is all eventually in place. What a pain.