Finally the time had come. The MG C GT was finished after a long restoration and was allowed to go to England. Fresh tires had just been fitted to the alloy wheels and a final check followed.
Everything seemed to work normally. Were there strange noises? Yes! When driving very slowly, a strange noise came from behind. A metal on metal sound, but again not continuous. Just to be sure the wheels are off the ground and listen to the sound. Again that clicking sound but intermittently. The choice was made quickly. They traveled with a different car because there was no time left to see what was going on. A pity, because the problem had been easy to solve. The new tires were also re-balanced, and because they were light-alloy wheels, adhesive lead was used instead of lead. That lead lies on the rim and therefore hit the hand brake mechanism bracket. After the hammer was mounted, the sound was naturally gone.
The same problem had previously occurred with the front wheels. The solution there was less simple. Due to the mounting of the light-alloy wheels, there was less space between the steering balls and the inside of the rim. Even the hammer was too thick here. First, steering balls of another brand had to be mounted. They were a few millimeters narrower and therefore did not hit the rims and the lead.
Photo and text: Jacques van den Bergh