Vintage MG Parts - the parts site for the MG MMM enthusiast

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Vintage MG Parts commissioned the manufacture of a batch of spare wheel carriers following most careful research into original specification coupled with our investigations into market trend on current tyre size and the implications this may have over the original design of the carrier. Eigthteen of these carriers have now sold within 6 months and at the current time (October), we have just 2 more carriers in stock. We do not intend supplying a repeat batch for some time to come unless we have substantial orders.

Our carriers should not be confused with other carriers of a similar appearance advertised and supplied elsewhere. We stress that we have set our own unique specification and all our carriers are now discreetly stamped with our company initials "VMGP" to avoid any confusion with others which may be availabe. Our specfication is not available elsewhere irrespective of what any other MMM supplier may have tried to claim.

Having carefully researched several original examples, Vintage MG Parts have identified that the thickness of the original steel strips were somewhere between 14 and 16 gauge and were made of mild steel with galvanized finish. The majority of reproduction spare wheel carriers to date, appear to have been made in 16 gauge although Vintage MG Parts have deliberately specified 14 gauge to give that thicker quality appearance.

We have chosen to have these made in a polished stainless finish in order to avoid problems associated with chroming and cracking to welds.

The Vintage MG Parts specification spare wheel carrier also differs to others in that it is designed with flexibility to correctly accommodate the Blockley 4.50 28 1/4 inch diameter tyre. The 4.50 Blockley tyre is larger in diameter than many other standard 4.50 tyres but is becoming the most popular for MMM cars. Standard commercially available carriers which are being used to hold the Blockley cannot generally centralise the octagonal central badge plate being up to an inch off centre. Not ours though. Please note however that our carrier cannot take the larger 28.70 inch diameter 4.50 Comp H Excelsior tyre without compromising the appearance of the carrier. Equally, our carrier is too large for the small 3.50 size tyre but will centralise a 4.0 Blockley Classico size and the carrier depth is not unduly too wide for this tyre size.

There is also an additional difference to those advertised and supplied elsewhere.

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One point to note for those enthusiasts restoring L2s, the spare wheel carrier is marginally different to the F2/J2 carrier and carries a different original factory part number. The main difference being that there is a small spacer piece at the lower riveted strap sections to hold the carrier away from the chassis rail stubs (see photograph below). We have adapted two of our carriers so far for customers and we can modify any J2/F2 wheel carries we have in stock to the L Type specification at a cost of £25. We do however, only have 2 carriers now in stock (October 2008)

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Price £258 each for standard F2/J2 carrier

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