mustangsvt Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 hi guys. about to refurb my steel wheels (1955 tr2 long door) should they be steel colour or body colour. thanks paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Elliott Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 The steel wheels on my 1958 TR3A are (and always have been) aluminium colour. On earlier TRs the steel wheels could have been body colour or aluminium colour. If I were you, I'd go for the colour that matchs (looks good) the colour of the car - and which you like. http://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/pho...puser/3909/sl/d Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR 2100 Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 hi guys.about to refurb my steel wheels (1955 tr2 long door) should they be steel colour or body colour. Hi Paul, Ex-factory, they were body colour and on a TR2, this looks good - it just seems to suit the model. I can't remember now whether they should be 4" or 4½", probably 4" on a long door (but I am open to correction) AlanR Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alec Pringle Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 Hi Paul, Alan is correct about the size - 4" rim on a long door 2. As for colour, I'm not convinced by the oft-repeated assertion that wheels were always body colour. Some contemporary b/w photos of competing cars appear to show silver finish. I still have some 4" rims which I acquired in the 70s from original early 2s, a red and a white car, and in both cases the body colour has been applied over aluminium or silver base coat. Whether this was primer or not I don't know, but without question they are body colour applied over a base coat. Cheers, Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 As far as I know they were either body colour or silver. Although wether the customer had a choice or not Im not sure. Stuart Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vivdownunder Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Hi Paul, Just in case you are ordering specific parts for your long door TR2, might I suggest a description modification to a 53 or 54 year model, as the last long door car was made in October 1954 (TS4001). New long door cars were probably still being sold and registered in 1955 though. If you have the 4" rims used up to long door car TS1868, it might be worth considering updating to the 4.5" rims supplied thereafter. The 4" rims had weak centres and suffered a lot of cracking problems with vigorous use, and a change to 4.5" rims also gets a bit more tyre onto the road for added safety, especially in wet conditions. I wonder just how many long door cars were converted to short door over the years. Oddly, as a money saver, one car here had the short door conversion to the passenger's side only. The owner tired of successive girlfriends flinging open the long door against those high bluestone kerbs. Knowing Ray the playboy a bit, I suspect there were many sudden departures from his well known signal red "half long door" TR2. Regards, Viv. PS. The above car and my short door 2 both had original red body coloured steel wheels, but we both converted to wires. That's only two cars of course. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trevor S Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Just to be pedantic it is my understanding that a long door TR2 could originally have had 4" or 4 1/2" wheels depending on age. Pre May 1954 cars had 4" and the remainder from TS1869 on had 4 1/2" as far as I'm aware. My own Oct 54 long door resto car had 4 1/2 " wheels when I bought it but I only got it a few years ago so clearly they could have been changed. However I have painted them body colour in the restoration. Trevor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mustangsvt Posted March 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Just to be pedantic it is my understanding that a long door TR2 could originally have had 4" or 4 1/2" wheels depending on age.Pre May 1954 cars had 4" and the remainder from TS1869 on had 4 1/2" as far as I'm aware. My own Oct 54 long door resto car had 4 1/2 " wheels when I bought it but I only got it a few years ago so clearly they could have been changed. However I have painted them body colour in the restoration. Trevor hi guys. just bought another set of wheels so will do one set body colour and the other steel. then see what takes my fancy. thanks for the input. paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Elliott Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Paul - Where did you buy the other steel wheels ? Good steel wheels are rare to find. Many are dented or bent or out of round. That's why I'm asking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mustangsvt Posted March 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 bought the wheels off a guy who has just fitted wires. they look fine with nearly new tyres. paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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