Sorry to hear that, yes you have to arrange a permit to get in there today. I think the whole site is now managed by Meggit Industries, ex. Dunlop Aerospace and they do allow visitors but you need to arrange that months ahead. I am sure that if you visit the place with a car made in there (Foleshill) they would be glad to have you there. Most of the old buildings are still there, the Swallow era factory is now offices and the 1938 built large assembly plant has been cladded in aluminum panels and unfortunately you can not get inside that building as that has some production for air force related stuff (Eurofighter?) I was told.
I wish I could take my MKV back there in pristine condition some day.
Thanks for the info. It was about 25 years ago that I turned up at the gate and I was driving a Citroen but if I ever decide to take the SS down there I’ll certainly try to book well in advance.
Not possible Ed.
The " post curly" wheel center length is 3 7/8" with the pre- war center
at 4 3/4", different hub length SS/XK to the later splined hub, as you
may, or may not be aware. Also the interior diameter of the pre-war
center is 7 1/2" against 6 1/2" with 40 spokes not the 48 re" post curly hub".
Running a rule over a 52 hub, 52mm does not make itself obvious.
At the time Rudge developed this wheel system, imperial not metric
bearings would surely have been used.
I am ,as others I presume, receptive to educative fact.
BTW all the wheels on the car with the “customised” spare are pre- war,
Peter B
The 42/52 etc apparently does refer to the maximum size wheel bearing in mm that can be used with them . And interesting website with a table of various associated dimensions is aaca.org > AACA GENERAL DISCUSSION > technical
Contrary to what we might expect the Metric system was not uncommon in rRitish cars then, For example the BA system of threads of which there are many in an SS or SS Jaguar is a Metric based system.
In deed the wheel centre you mention is SS as you state, AS I think I said it didn’t show enough of it to be sure.And Inthe past people have done innovatve things with splined hubs including cutting off the splined section and welding it to the large tapered section. A Mk IV I had years ago had this done at some stage.
But the whee itself is spoked in a post war pattern with outer spokes crossing two others.
