Wire Wheels and Tubes for a Classic Morgan in Musselburgh!

Some classic and vintage vehicles are running round the country with tubed tyres. Now, back in the day this was the best form! Have a puncture? You can just replace the tube. Now, as modern tyre technology progressed, the need for a tube was banished (too much heat can be generated in the tyres) and thus the modern tubeless tyre was born.

We recently had a customer in Musselburgh looking to fit four new tubes to their Morgan 2+2. As these are quite delicate vehicles, the customer chose us to work on it as this is something, we have been trained in. Across the network, we regularly work on classic and even vintage vehicles! You can find out more here

The tube was then deflated completely and installed into the tyre. The tricky part is finding the valve and then threading it through the wheel's hole. Compared to most things to do with tyres, this is quite easy! After pulling through the valve stem, the tyre was reseated onto the bead and the tube installed.

To install the tube is much like changing a tyre, just with a couple extra steps. The vehicle is jacked up and placed onto axel stands, the wheel is then removed from the hub and placed onto the workbench in the van. From here, we deflate the tube and break both tyre beads (top and bottom) the top bead is then removed from the tyre allowing access to the deflated inner tube. The tube is then removed from the wheel and the final bottom bead removed allowing us to remove the tyre completely.

Before installing a new tube, the rim tape is inspected for any damage. For all wire wheels, the inside of the rim has metal spikes from where the wire is terminated and welded. If the tube does not have protection, it can rub against these spikes eventually causing a puncture. During the installation of a new tube, we inspect the tape to ensure its integrity. If needed, we have replacement tape on the van.

After the inspection, the old tyre's (or new tyre depending on what the customer wants to go for) bottom bead is installed back onto the rim and the tube half inflated. Half inflating the tube makes it much easier to install back into the rim as you're not having to fight against the elasticity of the rubber compounds. Whilst battling to install the tube, the valve must also be seated in the correct position. After this, the top bead is re-installed and the tube fully inflated. As with any tyre, the wheel is re-balanced and thoroughly inspected before placing back onto the vehicle.

Finally, the wheel was taken and installed back onto the car, the nuts hand tightened and lowered to the floor. Once on the floor and the suspension settled, the nuts were torqued to the correct setting!

Due to Covid-19, there a now a couple of ways a customer can pay. We have a card machine on the van so they can chip 'n' pin after the job has been completed or, the customer can now pay online via a secure payment portal!

If you are looking at having tubes installed onto a vintage car, or need new tyres, why not give us a call no 0333 444 5454 or send an email to info@hometyre.co.uk!