A wire wheel conversion kit enables MGCs originally fitted with steel disc wheels to be converted to wire wheels. The kit addresses the key dimensional difference between the two wheel types, as the steel wheel axle is wider than the wire wheel axle, and the conversion includes specially adapted rear splined drive flanges that compensate for this difference, creating the correct wheel arch clearance for wire wheel fitment. Without these adapted flanges, the wire wheels would sit too far outboard, potentially fouling the wheel arches under suspension compression. Both front hubs and rear drive flanges must be changed as part of the conversion, which also requires appropriate knock-off spinners or octagonal nuts, ordered separately.
What the Conversion Involves
The front hub assemblies are replaced with splined wire wheel hubs that accept the centre-lock wire wheel fitting, and at the rear the existing drive flanges on the half-shafts are replaced with the adapted splined flanges supplied in the kit. The conversion is a mechanical task rather than a cosmetic one, as the hubs must be correctly torqued, the bearings adjusted, and the brake components refitted to their correct positions. Once fitted, the car can run either wire or bolt-on wire wheels at will. The conversion is reversible, as the original steel wheel hubs and drive flanges can be refitted at any time to return the car to its original disc wheel specification, and for owners planning to show the car in concours events where originality is judged, retaining the original components is advisable even if wire wheels are the preferred everyday fitment.