Wire Wheel Removal

I have wire wheels fitted to my TD21 Ser 11 and however hard I whack the spinner on my o/s rear wheel, it will not budge.  I have seen lever-like tools that are available from Moss (amongst others).  Firstly, can anyone recommend these? And Secondly, they come in two sizes for 52mm splines or 42mm splines - can anyone tell me which size Alvis fitted? Posted by timeveritt 11/07/2018 10:39:59

Tim, I tried one of those tools......total waste of time & money in my experience. There's no experience for a bit of grunt. Questions: (sorry) are you undoing it the right way?  Are you using a decent dead-blow mallet? Posted by Angus D'Arcy-Drake 11/07/2018 11:14:47

Thanks, Angus - and no need to apologise for asking...  Yes, I am hitting it the right way, but no, I'm not using a dead-blow mallet.  I've been using a copper/hide hammer and I'm guessing from your question that it might not be heavy enough for the job?   PS I've lost count of the number of cars I've owned over the years, but this my first with knock on hubs, so any advice would be welcome. Posted by timeveritt 11/07/2018 13:41:26

Tim  At the risk of upsetting you, the OS spinners are LH thread so you need to hit it the "wrong "way to undo,re hammers the standard issue appears to be a Thor size3 no 214  copper/rawhide ,forget the latter and thump it really hard with the copper end, maybe try after a decent run when things have warmed up.I find no matter how hard I do mine up I can always get another 1/4 turn on after a run,it may help to keep the wheel on the ground when bashing. Not good practice,but.... Good luck Peter Posted by Peter Martin 13/07/2018 08:43:33

Grit your teeth, with the wheel on the ground give the spinner a firm wallop, don't let the mallet bounce on impact, don't clout the wing. Very hard to avoid damaging the spinner but aim for the thick end of the ear to minimise potential for damage, and when you do get it off clean the threads (hub & spinner) and grease it with copper grease before putting it back on. Don't go bonkers when you put it back on, when it's tight it will stop moving and the tone of the mallet blow will change ever so slightly. No need to batter hell out of it.  Go up the road for a few miles, if a wire wheel goes past you - this isn't a good sign. Assuming that doesn't happen, stop and re-check the spinners - job's a goodun! Posted by Angus D'Arcy-Drake 13/07/2018 08:49:58

Thanks both.  I think the hammer I've got is too light.  I'm picking up a dead-blow mallet from my local hardware shop later today.  I'll let you know how I get on.  Incidentally, the only reason I need to get the wheel off is because I need to change an in-line fuel filter that's now full of rust from the tank.  And whilst I can see the filter by shining a torch through the wheel, the only way I can see to change it is to take the wheel off first - which I thought would be the easy bit...  Tim. Posted by timeveritt 13/07/2018 09:19:25

Sorry not to have posted progress, but there hasn't been any.  All I've succeeded in doing so far is to destroy a dead blow mallet, which was obviously not designed for striking the edge of a wheel spinner.  The spinner, by contast, was compleely undamaged and completely unmoved.... Posted by timeveritt 15/08/2018 10:57:34

Tim, You need a [i]decent[i] dead-blow mallet!  Go to a specialist tool supplier and get one.  I have one with replacable plastic heads and they have lasted years and never been defeated by a spinner yet. I'm amazed it won't come off.  Try some heat on it?  Angus Posted by Angus D'Arcy-Drake 15/08/2018 15:28:56

I've found it helps to have the brake really firmly applied in order to prevent any force being absorbed by the flexibility of the wheel spokes. Sometimes this means having my glamorous assistant inside the car with her foot hard on the brake pedal. The wheel should be positioned so as to allow the best angle of attack by the hammer without endangering the bodywork. The hammer should be about 4 lbs in weight and wielded repeatedly with a decent swing. Holding the hammer near the head ensures failure - it must be gripped well down the shaft. Posted by DeaneHarding 16/08/2018 11:38:49

Have you succeeded yet? There are only two things you need to remember; One, A BIG COPPER hammer and two, forward to undo. Dead blow plastic hammers are pretty feeble compared to a BIG COPPER one! Posted by Delagiste 18/08/2018 08:15:38