hubcentric wheel spacer help...

[E21_Ross]

as my dad owns an engineering firm looking to get some made up as the ones i have are absolutely crap and to change a wheel is a 2 man job. my 2 questions are:

1 - the protruding "lip" which goes into the hub of the wheel - how long is this usually?
2 - the holes through which the bolts go, is it necessary to have these threaded, or can they just be made a tight fit?

i have the needed inside diameter of the hub, the PCD of the bolt holes, the pitch etc of the bolts and the best overall diameter of the spacer and they should be a piece of piss to make just wanted to get those things cleared up.

thanks

[Frances The Mute]

When I had mine made, I replicated the angle and size of the existing lip on the hub to ensure a perfect fit.

I didn't thread the holes either, just a snug aperture for the wheelbolt to pass through.

[E21_Ross]

thanks chaps. material ordered in so will come later today, will get the wheels off over the weekend and get the vernier out and get some measuring done!

cleared up exactly what i wanted to know. thanks

edit - so with the lip made on the spacer, am i right in saying it's actually possible to change the wheel with just one person? currently i need 2 people, 1 to hold the wheel up and try to align to the spacer and the hub, then other person to screw the bolts in! it's such a pain in the arse!

thanks

[silver surfer]

Why don't you also make 2 threaded bolts with the head lopped off and in place dremel a line in the middle to fit a screw driver and put these in before you take the wheel off. They will allow you to take the old wheel off with this in place and put the spacer on and put the wheel back on wth the modified bolts helping you keep the wheel in line to put the other 3 longer bolts on. I then screw these out and replace with the longer standard bolts.... may need a magnet to retrieve the bolts more easily.

I've done this....Its a bugger otherwise to line up the front rotating brake disc, the spacer and the heavy wheel..in the dark and in the pouring rain!!!

Just make sure the modified bolts are long enough.

SS

[SteveS Cup]

2 man job to change a wheel with a spacer!?

[E21_Ross]

SteveS Cup said:

2 man job to change a wheel with a spacer!?

trust me, with the current set on there, it's physically impossible to do it alone. the current spacers on the front....the centre bore (i.e. what slots onto the hub) isn't matched to the hub so if you rest it on the hub it's not centred. it's hard to explain but you'll just have to trust me it's a right pain in the arse!!

[ROOODBOY]

I had hubcentric spacers on my E30.

The ones I bought bolted to the hub, then the wheel bolted to the spacer.

Didn't have to worry about longer bolts or lining up the spacer when putting the wheels on, but you will need bolts to bolt the spacer on with and an extra set of (countersunk) holes in each.

[E38Ross]

sorry totally forgot about this thread.

all largely irrelevant now as the E21 has been sold. initial purchase price £600, too much work on it, sell price £2500.

not tooooo bad.