Dunlop wheel refurb

[AndyB72]

Just collected (thanks Mark!) my original 60s Dunlop wheels after a refurb at Midas Touch in Castleford, West Yorkshire, very impressed and highly recommended. Their website says they do 12"-24" but they now have an attachment to do 10s. Their premises look like a bit of a bomb site but they turn out cracking work...

http://www.midastouchgb.co.uk

[AndyB72]

Next job is to fit some tyres, but which ones...

[mk1]

Not a lot of choice sadly.

[AndyB72]

They would look great with Dunlop R7s but I just can't justify the price.

[Dr S]

What sort of cost is that work? I've got some scruffy D1's and some fresh R7s...

[Peter Laidler]

VERY nice....., very nice indeed! The best looking of all the wheels available. I'd have left them as protected alloy inside but............ Apparently Dunlop composites - a wholly owned part of the Dunlop group who made the tyres of course - tried hard and bent over backwards to get these wheels adopted as an optional extra for the mini by BMC or whoever they were at the time but the cost to BMC had to be almost a give-away. So Dunlop said that they could do it IF they were supplied new at the factory or dealership only with Dunlop tyres where they'd make the money. I don't know the inns and outs but that was told to us as students. The metallurgists at RAE at Farnborough tested them for Dunlop and the material (I think it was an LM2? material). I think hat they only made them in two diameters and my friend got a set of 5 from the Dunlop liaison bloke but one was a different diameter as I recall - so I had the 4 like-new ones off him.

added as an afterthough: They were also cast in an an aluminium alloy with a high saline/salt resistance too, the sort of alloy that traffic signs are cut from. So they were one of the most corrosion resistant types ever(?) produced

[CooperTune]

Can't tell looking at your pictures but I think D1 s mount from the back side. Steve (CTR)

[AndyB72]

Dr S, the wheels were £60+ and were in good condition to start with, so depends how bad the wheels are to start with I suppose.

[mk1]

If a wheel is buckled (even slightly) or badly dinged then the price goes up massively. Really only economical on good to excellent wheels.

[Pete]

Have you got some nice caps Andy? getting scarce now. Wheels look great, and yes R7s aren't cheap but I think unless you plan to do alot of miles annually they're well worth the extra. Nice period wheels just look so wrong on Yokys!

[foxy52]

VERY nice....., very nice indeed! The best looking of all the wheels available. I'd have left them as protected alloy inside but............ Apparently Dunlop composites - a wholly owned part of the Dunlop group who made the tyres of course - tried hard and bent over backwards to get these wheels adopted as an optional extra for the mini by BMC or whoever they were at the time but the cost to BMC had to be almost a give-away. So Dunlop said that they could do it IF they were supplied new at the factory or dealership only with Dunlop tyres where they'd make the money. I don't know the inns and outs but that was told to us as students. The metallurgists at RAE at Farnborough tested them for Dunlop and the material (I think it was an LM2? material). I think hat they only made them in two diameters and my friend got a set of 5 from the Dunlop liaison bloke but one was a different diameter as I recall - so I had the 4 like-new ones off him.

added as an afterthough: They were also cast in an an aluminium alloy with a high saline/salt resistance too, the sort of alloy that traffic signs are cut from. So they were one of the most corrosion resistant types ever(?) produced

...Totally agree with the above .. correctly finished as per the orig ...most affordable of all the proper period ali wheels.....oh and try Yoko,s ....!!! very smart !! foxy52

[AndyB72]

I've got several caps Pete, been buying the odd 1-2 here and there since I bought the car a few years ago. Mint ones are now going for good money.
I've also got some repro centre stickers from Nick Rogers.

[surfblue63]

Good caps are worth almost as much as a set of scruffy wheels.

When I did mine I had some caps made from billet alloy using an original as a template. They were threaded in the rear so the mounting is the same.

Wheels look good by the way.

[mk1]

Getting centre caps made would be MUCH less than the price they are selling for second hand.

[Peter Laidler]

Any good fitter turner should be able to machine a set of caps from stainless bar stock and polish them to an almost chrome/mirror finish. I seem to recall that they were a good fit and bolted through from the rear across a bit of steel. Correction....... even a naff turner like me could turn a very presentable set up and if the stick-on centres are available, bobs your uncle as we used to say. Mind you, he could be your auntie these days!

Does anyone recall the 1972 or so price? I think it was about £5 a wheel but I could be wrong

[Dr S]

Getting centre caps made would be MUCH less than the price they are selling for second hand.

Whats the going rate? Think I've got a couple of spare sets

[IslandBlue]

When I did mine I had some caps made from billet alloy using an original as a template. They were threaded in the rear so the mounting is the same.

Good idea! Still need some to finish off my refurbed wheels.

[AndyB72]

Getting centre caps made would be MUCH less than the price they are selling for second hand.

Whats the going rate? Think I've got a couple of spare sets

There's a pair on Ebay at the moment for £75 and I've seen single mint ones at some of the shows for £30 each. I've been paying between £5-10 each for ones in ok condition. The new stickers from Nick are a couple of quid.

[AndyB72]

I assume the centre cap is the exact same on all the Dunlop wheels? Which is why they seem to go for so much money, they if Fords etc.