60's minilites

[littler]

A mate of mine has dug me out 5 long awaited minilites i was promised ages ago!

im hopeing there not magnesium and i was wondering if anyone has the weight of an alloy one or mag one?

there all 5 1/2" and weigh 2.6kg each ,they dont feel feather weight so its fingers crossed they are alloy!

there also not the ones with the flat rim you see painted gold on lots of the works rally cars they have the raised lip .

any helps all good, cheers.

[almondgreen]

my 6 x 10 ones are jsut under 3 kg
I have been told with this weight they are magnesium....

[In the shed]

Mine are quite light but not "bloody hell light". JA Pearce wheels are so light, they feel like they would float.

Mag is a darker grey. File off the tiniest amount of metal from a discreet place with a nail file and drop into a flame. It will flare if it's mag whereas Ally oxidises before it is able to burn, hence doesn't flare.

Whack them and see how their rings compare to each other. Have a look for porosity. They could be good.

I've seen people running mag minilites which looked like pumice. They come up on ebay like this regularly....nasty things.

Mag minilites are heavier than you'd think. Put a pic up and we'll probably be able to tell which ones they are.

[steve1071]

Do they have a lip like this? They sound like they're mag to me.

[Giff]

Thats a pretty scary wheel pictured there...

[Pete]

They sound like they're mag to me.

Same thoughts here, quite a rare size too.

[littler]

no they dont have that groove, just the raised lip like on a steel for fitting the weights too,

ive used mag wheels before, just not on my own car. the cooper daimler i run has mag wheels and uprights,
i sent them off for testing and sealing and they where ok, but my mini is a tad heavyer and does a few more miles that that though!

we shall see, it sounds like i might me spending some money on preventative measures.

there stamped with what looks like AX2

where all minilites of that time mag? it seems most are sold saying thay are!

im after some 5/8 " shank wheel nuts if anyone has some ?

[Vegard]

Magnesium Minilites.....

http://www.historisk-racing.no/admin/co ... ileID=6899

They may handle racing conditions

[1071 S]

So why did they have that weird groove cut in them???

A friend has a couple just like that and i've always wondered ..why???

Cheers, Ian

[mk1]

I always thought it was so you could fit clip on balance weights.

But I may be wrong.

[littler]

Magnesium Minilites.....

http://www.historisk-racing.no/admin/co ... ileID=6899

They may handle racing conditions

nice shot, are you really running mags on that veg?

[Simon776]

Early wheels have the groove and is it for weights - I think Minilite could supply screw on ones.

[Vegard]

Magnesium Minilites.....

http://www.historisk-racing.no/admin/co ... ileID=6899

They may handle racing conditions

nice shot, are you really running mags on that veg?

Yeah baby. 7X12 imported from South Africa

http://www.historisk-racing.no/admin/co ... ileID=7106
http://www.historisk-racing.no/admin/co ... ileID=7094

It looks as I need to add some more negative camber at the rear

[In the shed]

If you're having them restored, see if you can get them chromate treated. This is the original and best way of treating mag wheels, no matter what anyone else says about "the latest methods". Snag is that the EA really don't like chromate compounds. I forget the nuances, but variations of the treatment result in the classic gold colour of old mag wheels. Rather than a coating, it changes the structure of the mag surface and makes it corrosion proof and very hard.