Fixing a spare wheel on a special body

[Nick Lettington]

I'd swap the tank for an RP or Ruby one, or a small aluminium one and put it inside (you might be able to fit yours inside?) Fit a spare wheel carrier on vertical straps across the back. If it is a trials car, isn't it better to keep it short at the tail?

[Steve Jones]

I'd agree. Tank in the rear and spare wheel outside. That's how my Trials Chummy is arranged. An over long set up at the rear can cause problems with it bottoming on a trials hill that rises steeply from the level.

Steve

[Ian Williams]

Interesting Mike, what has been the cause of your many punctures? Curious because I also travel a lot on back roads, many of them unsealed, and when I lived in the UK I also looked for the route less travelled but have not shared your misfortune. I have experienced the odd slow puncture, but have always managed to get home and deal with it in the comfort of my workshop.
I do take the point about this being a trials car so agree that my comments are not relevant in this particular case.

[JonE]

re avoiding punctures, what do people do with smaller rims which don't have a flat surface inside the rim for a conventional rim tape? Adhesive tape patches?

[Scarlet O'Hara]

Here's a special built in 1972 on a late Ruby chassis with MG (TD?) fuel tank. Frame was made from electrical conduit and square section hollow tube, not fallen off yet.            

[Malcolm Parker]

Where I live in North Yorkshire the roadside hawthorn hedges are cut by a tractor with a flail and this leaves the road covered with brutal thorns.  I have suffered many punctures with the modern cars but in over thirty years, none in the Austins.  I hate the trend for modern cars having larger wheels and lower profile tyres, they are totally unsuited to rural roads.
I have fitted 12 volt  cigarette lighter sockets under the dashboard of all my 7's and as well as the usual spare wheel, I carry the small tyre inflator that came with my modern Renault when I go on a long journey.
Regarding spare wheel mounting for a trials car, totally concur with Steve above.

[Rod Shaw]

Can anyone give me the dimensions of a ruby/RP tank please?

Please mention if including or excluding the end brackets with regard to length.

Chers, Rod

[Stumpi]

I have recently refitted the spare wheel on my special a bit higher and also installed an Alloy fuel tank in the tail.a standard size with my spec as to fittings £110 delivered in 4 days which has kept me busy during lockdown. One reason for the change was the tank was made of mild steel which modern fuels may attack.
Andy

[Steve Jones]

I'd go with Andy's way, Rod. By the time you've found an RP or Ruby tank, stopped it leaking (it no doubt will) and modified things so that it fits the car you'll have spent more time and money than simply getting a custom made tank. As Andy says, they're not expensive. If you do go down the route of internal tank and external spare, make sure you mount the spare so that it has plenty of ground clearance. Mine, below, is 13" from the bottom of the spare to the ground and pretty much every trial I come home with a lump of mud on the bottom of the tyre where it's caught the ground somewhere.


  Chummy Spare.jpg (Size: 23.51 KB / Downloads: 106)

Steve

[Rod Shaw]

Thanks to all for very helpful comments and suggestions.

I had previously put aside the idea of putting the existing tank into the back of the car because it will not fit without major surgery and moved on to the idea of putting the wheel behind the tank instead.

However, the suggestion of getting a new tank that can be fitted nicely and then mounting the wheel directly to the back of the car is the right way to go I think, having looked again today. It seams obvious now!

Thanks again, Rod