I have a 1959 Mark 1 which has rimbellishers on the steel wheels. I want to remove these and reinstall them on another set of (much better) wheels which I have acquired. Do these simply pop off ? any trick I should be aware of ? SNG Barrett shows these items being sold with 3 clips and 3 bolts per rimbellisher. How do these mount up ? Will I need to drill a hole ( for the bolts) in my replacement wheels to mount these ?

Also my new wheels are stamped 41/2" is that the correct rim width ? I thought I had read somewhere that the rims were 5". Thanks , as always , for your help Gentlemen !
Schmitty

 

MK1's and early MK2's had 4.5" wheels the later cars were 5".

The rimbellishers should just pull of with a bit of careful leverage.

 

Remove a wheel and have a good look at the rear of the wheel.
The original supplied rimbellishers were held on by nuts and clips which you should be able to see.
You need to undo the nuts and clips to remove that sort of rimbellisher.
To put them onto another wheel does not require any drilling etc.
If no nuts then they can be prised off.
Cheers

 

If your rimbellishers cover the wheel securing nuts, then they pop-off. As I recall with my Mark 2, there was a tool to do this in the toolkit somewhere.
I think I'm confusing the wheel trim disc with the circular embellisher that fits around the rim of the wheel. The ones I've seen had a ghastly securing method of teeth at the rear that gripped the rim, and marked the paint.
Here's an example
https://www.jagspares.co.uk/product/...SABEgI6v_D_BwE
and a parts drawing
https://www.scparts.co.uk/sc_en/brit...-and-hubs.html
and the removal tool
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...type-160328706

 

For the avoidance of doubt is the OP refering to these? https://www.jagspares.co.uk/product/...BoC_g4QAvD_BwE if so then they aren't bolted on as far as i'm aware,certainly none of the cars i've had have had them bolted on and I can't see where the bolts would go.

 

if they are anything like mine, yes, they grip the rim and leave marks similar to those left by the smaller round disks (hubcaps) that cover the lugnuts. as do the wheel weights. i find them, the rimbellishers ("beauty rings" from where i come from) very attractive, so i don't mind all that much.

 

I haven't taken one off yet, so I don't know if they have the "teeth" or not . I'll remove a wheel and have a look for the possible nut that Bill Mac makes mention of and then either remove said nuts or just pop them off.. I do like the looks of them on my white Saloon. Wondering if the balancing wheel weights can be installed on the back side of the wheel ?

On another point, I was hoping to put 205 width tires on the rear (with 185s on the front) of this Mark 1 using these new (to me) wheels ( 4 1/2 rims), but the tires I'm thinking of acquiring (Verds) seem to indicate a rim of a least 5". The car currently has a mis-matched set of 205s on all 4 wheels, so I'm not sure what width my old wheels are.
Schmitty

 

For education purposes, can someone post a picture of a "rimbellisher"? It's a new word for me and I'd like to learn more.

 

IME, wheel weights these days are made with an adhesive backing material and are stuck on the rims where they are pretty much out of sight.

i'd be very hesitant to put narrower front than rear tires on a car that was not designed for it. i tried it on a 2001 dodge pickup and on a '53 mg td. both cars handling suffered terribly. almost undriveable, the oversteer was very dangerous in fact. OTOH, i have a 2007 porsche cayman and a 2007 vantage that were designed for narrower fronts than rears and are the best handling cars i've ever had. beware is all i can say for sure.

 

Thomas ~ Chrome ring on a solid wheeled car. aka bikini trims. Separate from hub cap. Very popular in the 60's & 70's. I had them on all my Alfas

 

Hueyhoolian, I got this idea for the larger wheels on the Mark 1 ( which, of course, has a narrower rear track than front track) from pictures, books and articles concerning this popular mod "back in the day" prior to the Mark 2 being released. TBS, I appreciate your words of caution. I'm thinking that with the narrow track in the back what harm could come from a wider tire.? However, as I said the 205 tire I'd want in the rear to match with the same model but narrower 185 tire in the front, seems to require a 5" rim. So, I'll probably just get 185s front and rear...and always wonder if handling is best it could be .
Schmitty

 

Schmitty ~ This is the best thing to do with a Mk1 ~ fit a wider rear axle. Looks great! Stick to 185 X 15 all round. Vastly improves handling.






Even with Ace Turbo trims (standard option) the rear looks ridiculously narrow.



Oversize tyres. 205/70/15 (Standard profile of a 185 X 15 = 79/80)

 

Glyn, when my ship comes in I will have my Mark 1 refitted with the Mark 2 rear axle and wire wheels !!! like in the first photo you posted. Best looking Mark 1, I've ever seen. yes, just waiting for that ship to come in...
Schmitty

 

That is a beautiful car! ~ Schmitty

 

And it has the racing laced wires on it with the twin spoke pairings on it to the outer rim..