Page 1 of 1

60's minilites

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:42 pm
by 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.

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:23 pm
by almondgreen
my 6 x 10 ones are jsut under 3 kg
I have been told with this weight they are magnesium....

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:43 pm
by 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.

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 9:48 pm
by steve1071
Do they have a lip like this? They sound like they're mag to me.

Image

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:10 pm
by Giff
Thats a pretty scary wheel pictured there...

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:42 pm
by Pete
steve1071 wrote: They sound like they're mag to me.
Same thoughts here, quite a rare size too.

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 12:24 am
by 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 ?

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:49 am
by Vegard
Magnesium Minilites.....

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

They may handle racing conditions 8-)

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 12:15 pm
by 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

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 12:52 pm
by mk1
I always thought it was so you could fit clip on balance weights.

But I may be wrong.

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 6:05 pm
by littler
Vegard wrote:Magnesium Minilites.....

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

They may handle racing conditions 8-)
nice shot, are you really running mags on that veg?

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 6:12 pm
by Simon776
Early wheels have the groove and is it for weights - I think Minilite could supply screw on ones.

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:12 pm
by Vegard
littler wrote:
Vegard wrote:Magnesium Minilites.....

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

They may handle racing conditions 8-)
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 :shock:

Re: 60's minilites

Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:32 am
by 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.