LCV wheels.

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stuffedpike20
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LCV wheels.

Post by stuffedpike20 »

I have owned a few pickups over the years, and each one came with saloon wheels fitted.
Did LCVs ever come out of the factory with saloon sized wheels fitted?
My 1968 Austin badged pickup had two previous owners from the same village, and yet it came to me with saloon wheels fitted. I did not think to ask why at the time.
Does anyone know why this happens? Where have all the LCV wheels gone?

Thanks, John.
ManyMinors
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by ManyMinors »

The great majority of vans and pick-ups left the factory with the same wheels as the saloons. It was only around 1968 - 15 years after van production started and about the same time as the Austin variant was introduced - that there became an 8cwt option which was fitted with uprated suspension, different front uprights and steering arms and the wider wheels. Few of the larger fleets such as the Post Office took up this option because they wanted to keep costs as low as possible and so their vans were the standard 6cwt versions and therefore fitted with standard car wheels. It was always slightly unusual to see the wider wheels due to the relative rarity of the 8cwt LCV and they have always been highly sought after.
stuffedpike20
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by stuffedpike20 »

Interesting ManyMinors. Were all of the Austins fitted with the wider wheels then, or just the 8cwt versions?

I am surprised that the LCVs had the same size torsion bars as the other models, although I have never snapped one (yet!).
MattsGPOvan
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by MattsGPOvan »

My July 69 GPO postal engineering van had when l found it had .

One heavy duty suspension leg .... The other side was gone probably because it was hard to get hold of !. I have now got a new old stock one still in the box.

Double sided wheel nuts

rear springs with eight leaves with the lowest leaf having a part number on it and the date stamp .... 7 69

And as for wheels I have a picture from the postal museum ... of AMD 460H and it clearly shows very thin wheels and cross ply tires.

I believe only the later civilian 70s vehicles had the wider rims....?????????.
ManyMinors
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by ManyMinors »

stuffedpike20 wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 9:34 am Were all of the Austins fitted with the wider wheels then, or just the 8cwt versions?
No. The only LCVs fitted with wider wheels were the optional 8cwt versions regardless of whether the vehicle was Austin or Morris badged. The only reason an Austin version became available was that at the time, BMC still had separate Austin and Morris dealerships. When the Austin A35 van was no longer available around 1967, Austin dealers felt at a disadvantage, so some Minor vans were Austin badged so that Austin dealers could offer them too.
stuffedpike20
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by stuffedpike20 »

Thanks.
ManyMinors
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by ManyMinors »

MattsGPOvan wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 10:49 am I believe only the later civilian 70s vehicles had the wider rims....?????????.
As I explained earlier, The wider wheels were part of the 8cwt option which was introduced in 1968. This option was available to all buyers but large organisations such as the Post Office wished to keep costs to a minimum so chose the cheaper 6cwt van. The 6cwt was supplied with the standard narrow wheels. I seem to remember the Post Office saved even more money by doing without hupcaps!
stuffedpike20
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by stuffedpike20 »

Interesting. I had been told in the past that saloon owners made LCV owners offers that they could not refuse for their wider wheels because they gave a more comfortable ride, and there is more choice in which tyres you can use.
I did not realise that the wider wheels were not more widely used. (no pun intended).
stuffedpike20
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by stuffedpike20 »

Are the re -manufactured wider wheels being sold by a well known supplier OK to use?
tomb1963
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by tomb1963 »

I'm probably high-jacking the subject instead of creating a new one.

I'm currently preparing four off 3" J wheels for repainting before I fit 145 80 R14 tyres and tubes to them.

I've noticed that all four wheels have different part no.s, even though the profiles appear to be identical:

LP802 LM - assumed older type with set of three rivets

LP803 ?? - single rivet

LP802W RL - single rivet

LP896 - single rivet - seems newer and the only one with the part no. stamped on the outside of the wheel

Is there a wheel expert out there that has a definitive list of Dunlop wheel part no.s for the Morris Minor and the differences between them?

Thank you in anticipation..........
stuffedpike20
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by stuffedpike20 »

I don't know about the different types; but I do know that I was given a set of standard wheels without tyres, and one of the wheels was at least twice as heavy as the other three. I had no idea that there were different types of the standard wheels.
les
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by les »

The Mini also uses LP numbers to distinguish different versions, of which I have listed. Unfortunately though, I can’t identify the Minor ones you have.

kiwimog
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by kiwimog »

To manyminors and anyone else in the know:

Can you please elaborate on the heavier front suspension. I have somewhere in international transit a pair of heavy steering arms (purely because I saw them come up for sale). I thought of putting them on my 6 cwt van. What is the difference with the uprights - and therefore have I wasted my money on the heavy steering arms in the absence of the uprights?

I drove my van around for years with the wheel/tyre combinations it arrived on - standard rims/165's. When I put these tyres on a set of wide rims the profile changed, and one particular tyre brand fouled the rubber grease seal on the top of the kingpin - worked like a bevel gear. Luckily found out before driving it down the road!

I've actually just bought a Riley 1.5 (take delivery on Saturday :D ). Are the uprights on that unique to the Riley/Wolseley?

kiwimog
don58van
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by don58van »

have I wasted my money on the heavy steering arms in the absence of the uprights?
I'm afraid the answer is a definite 'yes' -- unless you can find the matching uprights or get your existing uprights machined to the required specification. The 8cwt uprights have larger tapers to take the uprated arms.

Its all a bit strange really, as no-one has ever heard of a steering arm failing on a Minor. Perhaps it was just a bit of window-dressing by Leyland.

Don
philthehill
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by philthehill »

The 8cwt steering swivels with the larger and stronger steering arms are usually available from ESM but L/H currently out of stock.

https://www.morrisminorspares.com/front ... m-p1238238

https://www.morrisminorspares.com/front ... m-p1238237

or you could go pre ownerd:-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MORRIS-1000- ... SwiGBev~XW

I have 8cwt van swivels on my Minor because I run 7J wide wheels. I have never heard of any Minor steering arms breaking.

The size of the boss that the steering arm fits through is exactly the same as the saloon but you may find some resistance by the machine shop to enlarge the hole in the boss.

The Riley uprights are different to the Minor in that the Riley uses the upper boss for the steering arm as the rack is mounted higher. BMC latterly put a hole in each boss so that the upright could be used on either Minor or Riley/Wolseley vehicles. The Riley/Wolseley steering arms are the same as the Minor car. You may be lucky and find that the uprights have the twin holes.

The Riley brakes are a good upgrade for a Minor.

kiwimog
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by kiwimog »

Thanks Don & Phil for the comprehensive answers.
...so the most expensive paperweights I've ever bought eh!
philthehill
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by philthehill »

Think positive and buy the 8cwt uprights when they become available. Those 8cwt steering arms can get quite lonely on their own. :cry:

You have no idea of the number of paperweights I have purchased over the years but eventually they do get used :wink:

You can always sell those steering arms on as they are quite hard to get hold of. You may even be able to make an additional Tara o Aotearoa (New Zealand dollar).

Phil

Myrtles Man
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by Myrtles Man »

kiwimog wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 11:43 am Thanks Don & Phil for the comprehensive answers.
So the Everly Brothers are/were Morris Minor fans too, eh?
philthehill
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by philthehill »

I am too young to know who they are :wink:

midget
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Re: LCV wheels.

Post by midget »

stuffedpike20 wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 8:48 am Are the re -manufactured wider wheels being sold by a well known supplier OK to use?
If you are meaning Weller Wheels, then new ones are ok, but early ones lose the hub caps easily--this fault has been corrected on new stock.
However, I have a set, and if your suspension is in good order they are ok, but any wear can see them get very close to the top trunnion.
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