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I have read on several web sites that some models of
Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Nissan’s came with stock rims with
the round holes – has anyone adapted any of these to the VW
4-bolt pattern? or have any suggestion of how this would be
done? Is an adapter plate available, can the VW hub be
changed to fit the rims of another manufacturer?
I bought a 4-bolt Nissan steely & it has 15 round holes, making it pretty TD-like. (Like these–but $10 at the junkyard instead of $60 plus freight).
Mitsubishi has a 15-inch, 15-hole steelie too (five lug)
The Hyundai Elantra took a 15 x 5.5-inch rim with 15 holes, according to these guys. If they’re right, that’s about the best bet. Nearly narrow enough and the holes are the right size and spacing, when compared to the original. The Hyundai rim is just a little flatter through the center section than the ’52 MG. The difference is small enough that, I think, you’d have to park next to an OE MG TD and be looking carefully for anyone to tell the difference.
That leaves just three problems to solve:
1. Bolt pattern. I think the way forward here, for VW people, would be to buy blank drums or discs and have a machine shop drill them for the Nissan (or Hyundai, or whatever) pattern and either tap them for bolts or install studs. (Adaptors are available from outfits like this, but they take up space, push the wheels out an inch or so, and that may cause trouble in our application).
2. Width. These wheels are 5.5 or 6-inches, which is a bit wider than either the VW stockers or the MG. As the stock VW wheels are out at or near the edges of the front fenders, that leaves
3. Offset. The distance between the inside of the rim and the plane through which one bolts them on the hub matters a lot.
There are companies that adjust offset (and widen wheels) by cutting the welds and re-welding the center portion elsewhere on the wheel. DIY-ers with patience and a welder do it cheaper.
The project for us might entail taking our 4.5 or 5-inch VW rims–just the outer rim–and welding those to the Nissan or Hyundai centers with the offset of our choosing. That gets you the 5-inch rim with the 15-hole center.
All that said, it might be easier and cheaper to just buy a set of original TD wheels and then have a machine shop adapt your hubs to them. They can be spendy, but I’ve seen good TD steelies go for less than $50 per rim on ebay. Don’t think I wasn’t tempted.
Collectors can start here.
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