9.00-13 Tyres

[Mike K]

Re: The 9.00-13 tyres . It is a shame that Olympic pulled the plug , but that is possibly the result of the free world trade agreement in action . The Indian made tyres are so much cheaper to make I guess . The MRF type tread is really a copy of the NATO pattern I think .

To FV623 alias ZOE : Yes please , a Morris Commercial Steering wheel would be great . They are prone to disintegrating , made from a hard bakelite or rubber ? Apparently a fellow in the US , I was reading on the Bantam car web site the other night , is very skilled at making steering wheels from polyurethane epoxy liquid . Probably a 2 part mix he uses , he makes the moulds and metal skeleton up , then casts the new wheel . The late 1930's tiny Bantam cars were a spin off of the UK Austin I think . This fellow makes new S/wheels for the tiny Bantams for restorers etc.

The web site is http://www.wmspear.com/Bantam/

The site has some good info on the Bantam BRC Jeep also .

Water pump too ! I had fun disassembling one - crack. . . bang , little bits of cast iron impellor went all over the garage floor . Swear - curse XXX XXXX . The MC water pumps are nice though , two ball races , once pulled apart , they are easy to rebuild , repack with modern grease , they will last for many years .

You have to be so carefull with old tyres . The problem with 900-13's is they are rather like a ordinary 6 ply car tyre , they have thin walls . The larger 900-16's have much thicker walls , and even though badly cracked , they will withstand road use . 900-13's would blow out readily if in a perished state , whereas 900-16's will keep going , I have seen it happen . Some of the 900-16's I have seen at rallies would have a roadwotrhy inspector in fits .

Mike