Weller Wheels - new tooling - more wide wheels on the way?!

[GeorgeHurst]

Yes great, anything to bring the numbers up
I don't think there is any issue with shipping wheels overseas beyond the possibly high cost due to the weight. The wheels that they currently sell are between £50 and £60, so pretty reasonable compared to the cost of minilights or van wheels...

[M25VAN]

Had a reply from Weller and it seems the first wheels will be made from existing tooling so will look "aftermarket" and similar to exisitng weller types. It also seems they are not imminent but something of a work in progress. Refurbs using exisiting minor centres are unlikely due to the unknown condition of the original centres.
I'm still not sure they are aware of the potential market for a standard looking wider wheel. 145's are getter harder to find and I wonder how long 155's will be around. In the last few years Firestone, Uniroyal and Goodyears seem to have gone.

[GeorgeHurst]

Hmmmm, that's a shame - I suppose they don't want to risk their rep on 'bodge' wheels - rather stick to making ones they know they can control the quality of.
The aftermarket look isn't a prob for me as I want to fit full width hub caps, but they really are missing a trick. Hopefully whatever they produce will sell quickly and well, and then they might be more willing to venture into other Minor orientated wheel production - perhaps if the first set of wheels proved popular they might even tool up for a brand new 5.5" wide 14" rim that looks close/the same as the Minor one.

[bmcecosse]

One might hope that the MMOC would take this up with Weller ................

[GeorgeHurst]

Yeah, perhaps they could make an order that was big enough to make it viable for Weller to produce and then sell them through club spares

[M25VAN]

One might hope that the MMOC would take this up with Weller ................

Now why are those eyes rolling and looking skyward?

[bmcecosse]

In hopeful expectation ?

[GeorgeHurst]

For anyone interested; I sent Weller a message today to see if any progress has been made on these and the reply I got was as follows:

We have got as far as making 14 inch wheels for another project. We have yet to sort out the centre for the Minor. Not long now I hope.

So fingers crossed!

[Nuffles]

I would really like a set of Modular Weller steelies. I saw a Moggie (possibly on here? or maybe another Morris forum) in someone's sig with Modulars on and I almost made a mess of myself. I didn't think to save the image for future reference, anyone have any idea who it might have been? If I have the cash I would definitely get some if they go into production.

[GeorgeHurst]

Yeah man, they would look so good... I'd like a set of these, but maybe get them chromed...
I'm not sure whether they're planning standard Minor centres or normal Weller style centres, either way I want some![frame][/frame]

[d_harris]

I wouldn't be too dissatisfied with a set of those on the car....

[GeorgeHurst]

Very exciting news!

Graham from Weller Wheels has just emailed me some computer models of the wheels they have planned for production.

They are 5 1/2J x 14" but he is looking for feedback as to size, style, vent holes etc before going into production so let me know what you reckon!

Below is his email to me and my reply plus the pics

Hurrah!

Hi George

Please find attached a couple of pictures of the wheel which we have planned for production. It will be (I think!) 5 1/2Jx14, back depth 4 inch, and will initially be available without hubcap, following very shortly by a hubcap version.

I would be glad to hear your thoughts on them, and maybe if you like you could suggest some differences you think may be desirable (more or less or no vent holes, wider etc etc)

Please feel free to email the pictures to your colleagues if you fancy discussing them between yourselves.

Thank you and kind regards
Graham

Hi Graham,

This is extremely exciting news, thank you for sending over the info and images.

I will post this up on the MMOC message board where there has been a good amount of interest and discussion on these.

My personal thoughts are that 5 1/2J x 14" is the perfect size for these as it means those that want a wider wheel for aesthetics are served, and those that want it for better handling but without looking too unoriginal are also happy. Indeed the Minilight style wheels available for Morris Minor's are 5 1/2J x 14.

On that note however I would suggest that no vent holes would be preferable, so that the wheels could be put on a standard looking Morris without compromising the original looks too much, which I think would be a main concern of a lot of potential customers. Is it possible to offer a vented and non vented version?

I'm not sure how easy it is from your perspective to make different widths etc but a 7J wheel with some the same 4" backspace - i.e. a deep dish wheel - might be also be a popular choice for those after the sporty / hot rod / banded steel look.

Many thanks again. I will send you back feedback from the message board soon.

Best regards,
George[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[GeorgeHurst]

Just had a reply from Graham with further info
Good news for the banded steel crew

Hi George

Thanks for the quick reply. We are currently trialling the forming of a centre without vent holes for another project, so if this is successful then I will add this as a variant. (The vent holes are beneficial to the forming process)

Yes, we do have a 7 inch rim and again we could quite easily add this to the lineup.

Look forward to your feedback.

Best regards

Graham

[chrisd87]

If they could produce a standardish-looking variant that'd take a 175 tyre then I may well be interested at ~£50 a corner. My interest would be from the viewpoint of tyre availability and price, given that Bridgestones are now the only 145s available and have gone up to about £60 each less fitting. Quality 175s are far more readily available, and can be had for less than £60 fitted, so over a reasonable number of years the wheels could pay for themselves.

Then again I'd love some 14" rostyles on a Minor...

[GeorgeHurst]

Yes, good point Chris, I hadn't looked at it that way. I've had 5 1/2J wheels for years now so haven't had to source 145s.

[chrisryder]

those wheels look good! and this sounds like very good progress, especially if they can be done non-vented.

they look a bit 'beetle-ish' with the holes in. Will they be able to take the minor hubcap, or one of their own design?

5.5j with 4 inch backspace equates to an offset of 1.25 inches, which is a smidge more than the 1 inch of a standard minor wheel. that should help to make sure a wide (185) tyre doesn't have any clearance issues with the top trunnion, but could lead to the tyre sticking out from the arch if you're not careful. 165 or 175 might be a safer bet. time will tell!

did you say where they are based? if they need a vehicle to assess for clearances, and it's not too far, i'm happy to offer my minor

[linearaudio]

I would have a set at a sensible price. Would need to be unvented and must have the hubcap lugs, or the whole originality thing becomes pointless!! As an aside, they would probably clear a standard set of brake calipers, giving the DIY crew a new possibility- discs within standard looking rims!! I am already eyeing up Clio calipers and a handy downloaded adaptor plate to fit!

[chrisryder]

marina and ford discs can both be fitted with standard rims. although can require a thin spacer with the ford setup until the pads wear down a bit!

[chrisryder]

oh, and a quick googling confirms my hunch that they're based in redditch, which is very close. so the offer is there if they need a minor for checking!

[Fingolfin]

Those look really fantastic, and in the future I may just put in an order for some! However, I'll never think any wheel looks "right" on a Minor except the original pressed-steel wheels without the venting holes, like are on my Mog right now...
[frame][/frame]
Now, if Weller makes some wider versions of THESE, as I think has been mentioned above.........I'll be buying ten right away! Not that I've the money, but I'd LOVE to. It's a must, I think, that they take the Minor hubcap...