BillyR Posted May 24 Posted May 24 In need of a spare wheel mount. 4 1/4” lug nut spacing. Any out there?
pethier Posted May 26 Posted May 26 On 5/24/2025 at 10:33 AM, BillyR said: In need of a spare wheel mount. 4 1/4” lug nut spacing. Any out there? I am keeping mine. I can shoot photos and take measurements if you want someone local to fab you one.
theDreamer Posted May 27 Posted May 27 What diameter and width wheel? They did make several different mounts that were wheel dependent. I know this because one of the Caterham sevens I was looking to buy had been converted from 14” five spoke Revolution wheels to the 16” HPC wagon wheels. The invoice for the work clearly showed that a new mounting bracket was purchased for the 16” spare wheel. My car came with two. One uses a single lug nut and the other is a double lug nut. The single is on the car and the double came with the spares. (see image) Sorry, I’m not selling either of mine but thought you should know that not all mounts are the same.
pethier Posted May 27 Posted May 27 9 hours ago, pethier said: I am keeping mine. I can shoot photos and take measurements if you want someone local to fab you one. Mine is on a 1991 1700 Super Sprint with 6.5 x 15 Prisoner wheels. https://www.flickr.com/photos/pethier/54547173692/in/album-72177720326434104/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/pethier/54547173687/in/album-72177720326434104/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/pethier/54548050756/in/album-72177720326434104/
wdb Posted May 27 Posted May 27 9 hours ago, pethier said: Mine is on a 1991 1700 Super Sprint with 6.5 x 15 Prisoner wheels. https://www.flickr.com/photos/pethier/54547173692/in/album-72177720326434104/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/pethier/54547173687/in/album-72177720326434104/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/pethier/54548050756/in/album-72177720326434104/ Pics are returning 403 no permission to view.
BillyR Posted May 27 Author Posted May 27 Thanks everyone, looks like I’m going to have to talk to my local fabricator. Or I could try the Pic-a-Part down the road.
pethier Posted May 27 Posted May 27 2 hours ago, wdb said: Pics are returning 403 no permission to view. Yeah. I have made that mistake before. I forgot to make them "public".
EdWills Posted May 28 Posted May 28 9 hours ago, BillyR said: Thanks everyone, looks like I’m going to have to talk to my local fabricator. Or I could try the Pic-a-Part down the road. Hi Billy. That fabrication looks like an Arch Motors part. They should be able to manufacture that for you, as they still produce items for original Lotus and some early Caterham Sevens The U.K. Pound to $U.S. exchange rate is not bad at the moment, and Arch will not have to charge you the U.K. Govt. tax, just cost of the part and shipping by good old Royal Mail. Please make sure that they use tracking, but most Royal Mail parcels already include insurance so that if a parcel is lost, the sender is compensated and they can compensate you for the full amount if it goes astray. Good luck. W.
pethier Posted May 28 Posted May 28 I have had good luck with several UK suppliers shipping with FedEx to the FedEx office near me in Minnesota. As Ed points out, I have not had to pay the Value Added Tax that UK companies show in their catalogs.
pethier Posted May 28 Posted May 28 BTW, my 1979 Caterham did not have a mounting bracket. The spare tire simply sat on the tire-rack/number-plate-holder and a loose strap was passed around the car tubing, through a slot in the car body, through the wheel, over the tire, and joined its other end with a buckle. 1
BillyR Posted May 28 Author Posted May 28 That would be much easier for me than trying to fab the Y bracket. Welding skills are not my strong suit.
pethier Posted May 28 Posted May 28 2 minutes ago, BillyR said: That would be much easier for me than trying to fab the Y bracket. Welding skills are not my strong suit. I'm with you there. Back when I had my Europa, I tacked together an exhaust system, then unbolted it and brought it to a shop. The owner there would have one of his guys weld small jobs for me if I would bring pop for his crew. I actually gave away my welder to a great guy in my autocross club.
EdWills Posted May 28 Posted May 28 13 hours ago, pethier said: BTW, my 1979 Caterham did not have a mounting bracket. The spare tire simply sat on the tire-rack/number-plate-holder and a loose strap was passed around the car tubing, through a slot in the car body, through the wheel, over the tire, and joined its other end with a buckle. Aha. The good old-fashioned Lotus factory method of securing the spare. My Lotus uses a brown leather strap. The hood also has a slot to take the strap. Easy to remove (or steal) the spare! Caterham were still following the Lotus methods up to the early 80s. What brand are those tires please? I see they are 175-70 R13s and maybe Dunlop SP60? W
pethier Posted May 28 Posted May 28 17 minutes ago, EdWills said: Aha. The good old-fashioned Lotus factory method of securing the spare. My Lotus uses a brown leather strap. The hood also has a slot to take the strap. Easy to remove (or steal) the spare! Caterham were still following the Lotus methods up to the early 80s. What brand are those tires please? I see they are 175-70 R13s and maybe Dunlop SP60? W That tire on the green Caterham wheel is a Dunlop. They were hard as rocks. I bought 7 x 15 Panasport wheels for autocross. The Panasports didn't make it to the present owner of the car.
7Westfield Posted May 28 Posted May 28 My Westfield came with a setup similar to Phil's just a cradle to set the tire in, and a strap at the top
pethier Posted May 28 Posted May 28 39 minutes ago, pethier said: That tire on the green Caterham wheel is a Dunlop. They were hard as rocks. I bought 7 x 15 Panasport wheels for autocross. The Panasports didn't make it to the present owner of the car. I'm an autocross instructor. When I got the 1979 1600 I took it to an autocross with the Dunlops. I grabbed my buddy Dave out of the instructor pool to give me some serious instruction. Fat chance. He laughed hysterically throughout the run and thanked me for the entertainment. It was LOT of fun, but the clock was not impressed.
oldjk Posted June 4 Posted June 4 Same topic, different car. I have a 1972 S4. Does anyone know if the S4 came with a spare tire cradle or do you simply bolt the spare to the car via the 2 factory holes in the fiberglass hump on back? I have seen S4's with a cradle of some sort and others with the spare tire simply bolted to the rear of the car (see pics below). The S4 has a "hump" to somewhat support the spare and hold it in place. Thanks in advance for any insight. Pictures below are from S4's listed for sale.
IamScotticus Posted June 4 Posted June 4 (edited) Look in here, there is a section on S4. Not sure myself. Oh, sorry, it doesn't have the S4 section. I'll look at mine when I get home. Edited June 4 by IamScotticus
MV8 Posted June 4 Posted June 4 The hump just brings the body out to meet the wheel center and helps the body support the spare weight (no frame members in the middle) but doesn't support the rim directly. There should be a metal plate behind the glass with wheel studs to engage the two lugs and rack arms on each side under the tire to support it. The arms are important. You'll probably need to have these parts fabricated locally using your car and spare as a hands-on reference.
oldjk Posted June 5 Posted June 5 Appreciate the insight! I have only seen a few S4's and maybe 2 had rack arms. Other S4's have no spare mounted or are only using the two wheel studs/lugs to hold the spare. And, my sample size is pretty small. Thanks for confirming the S4 used a support rack. If anyone has a S4 spare tire rack and/or pictures that would be very helpful.
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