Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Wire wheels - maintenance and cleaning.

I have a new 4/4 with stainless steel wire wheels.

What are the do's and dont's of both maintenance and cleaning please?

Thanks in anticipation......!

Get the MWS cleaning kit. It works well.
This site has lots of info

http://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/wheelsindex.htm

1. Be SO happy they are not chrome or painted steel.

Then there are 2 routes. use a jet wash. (not really recommended) or...

2. Accept the best way is to remove the wheels, so you will need a nice low level jack and axle stands.

3. Go to your garden centre and buy a plastic patio pot base that is large enough to sit under the tyre.

4. Go to Halfords and get stuff for cleaning motorbikes. Muckoff or similar.

5. Take off wheel, put the "tray" on something like a workmate at full height and put the wheel on it.

Then it is easy, once you have done it the first time (took me about an hour a wheel because they were filthy, with excess grease running up the spokes, etc, etc.)

Now it takes me about 15min per wheel and you know both sides are clean and bright. You also get to make sure the splines are properly greased, there are no lose or broken spokes and all is in good order.

Many thanks Peter, sounds like great advice.

Can I take it that alloy wheel cleaning spray is a no-no?

Can you please suggest a grease type - yes, I'm a novice at this game!

Presumably one type of grease works everywhere - as in front suspension?

Nick

Go to Purple Harry's website and order some non abrasive bike floss to get between the spokes and enjoy a weekend of clean and polishing.

Use copper slip as the grease. Be carefull the splines are razor sharp & will cut you easily. I use a small paint brush

Nick,

ignore all these alloy wheel modernists. A proper British period sports car rides on wire wheels, as does a proper British motorcycle.

Yes, cleaning them needs some care and effort, but they are in many ways superior to alloys. I'm not going to trade claims with the "alloy disk brigade" but sufficient to say stainless spoked wheels can't corrode and are much harder to damage by light kerbing...

As to cleaning agent, they are stainless steel, nothing you can buy as car cleaning chemicals will damage the polish unless you leave it on beyond the makers recommended time. The fronts get mostly brake dust mixed with dirt and a bit of grease if the splines have been over greased. The rears don't get any brake dust on them to speak of.

Spline grease MUST be copper based, sometimes sold as coppaslip.

As has been said you need to be careful not to cut yourself, do wear gloves.

If you can, get someone to show you how. I was lucky, Dad had a Mk2 Jaguar with spoked wheels and I learnt from him.

This is totally incorrect...
This correct
1. Loosen spinners or centre nut.
2. Jack up the car and place on axle stands.
3. Remove the four wire wheels.
4. Throw in the nearest skip.
5. Fit a set of alloys.

You can now drive a more comfortable, better handling car with wheels that don't flex on corners, deform under heavy load, break spokes or require any further maintenance and are a five minute job to clean.

Or use steps 1 - 3 then step 4 fit some hubs suitable for steel wheels and then the the steels and hubcaps as per Morgans of old. Very period looking and you can use the hours you spend cleaning wires doing something you really want to do like driving it