Buried Spitfire parts!! (Possibly)

Mike,

We are talking very early production Meteor. Yes the nose wheels changed down stream.

When I get back to my files I will supply the Dunlop AH numbers.

Mark

Isn’t the Meteor nose wheel rim eleven inch diameter and the Spitfire main twelve? The Meteor wheel also looks very different and distinctive with a plain, flat face on either side. Nothing like a Spit wheel that I have ever seen.

I have some unused/boxed Meteor nose wheels (just thought I’d mention it!)

Anon.

Is it true that the early meteors had front wheels converted from late mark spitfire wheels?

Not late Mk Spitfires but the four aperture 10.25″ wheel introduced shortly after MK IX started production.

The early Meteor nose wheel used the same casting and bearing offset but the brake drum register and fixing machining was omitted. Although it had a dedicated Dunlop AH number a Meteor wheel can be converted for Spitfire usage.

In times past I have had Meteor wheels still in original Dunlop packaging that were actually Spitfire main wheels with the brake drum removed, resprayed and over stamped with the Meteor AH number.

Mark

A long shot, but I once read in an old Air Pictorial that there was for a long time a Miles Master hulk on the edge of the airfield.

Martinet T Mk. 1 JN668/G-AKOS. Left to rot in a nearby orchard.

This was unearthed yesterday on a building site at Gloucestershire Airport, Staverton and I’m trying to identify it. A couple of posters on ww2aircraft.net have suggested late mark Spitfire. Is this forum able to shed any more light?

The inner side has a stamped serial number on AH 41612 and the rear hub bears two marks AH 40623 Iss 4 and XRD2513m There are other marks but they will need some TLC before they’re fully visible.

Untitled by Darren Lewington, on Flickr

Untitled by Darren Lewington, on Flickr

Hi,
The part number for the early type, three spoke vampire main wheel is:

AH8218 (pre-mod 842) and AH9139 (post mod 842)

This wheel does look like this wheel fitted to mark 1, 3, and FB5 vampires.

Jon Howard has a pair for his project. These numbers can be cross checked.

A long shot, but I once read in an old Air Pictorial that there was for a long time a Miles Master hulk on the edge of the airfield.

http://457thbombgroup.org/Visitors1/bbv33.jpg%20%20Miles%20Master%20from%20RAF%20Westwood%209-20.jpg

A long shot, but I once read in an old Air Pictorial that there was for a long time a Miles Master hulk on the edge of the airfield.

I don’t want to say “called it” but…

https://twitter.com/HorsaJed/status/777151450023591937

Looks like a low profile, high pressure, jet- (or late heavy piston) type wheel to me.

Anon.

I suspect Bruce knows what he’s on about!
To my layman’s eye, it looks like early Vampires had similar wheels?

Is it true that the early meteors had front wheels converted from late mark spitfire wheels?

As do most of the forumites these days:D

I’ll see your ‘bearing cap retaining studs’…

…and raise you an internal reverse locking flange!!!

(Sorry, I’ve no idea what I’m talking about, not a ******* clue!)

No bearing cap retaining studs – which is why I said not..

Nice find, looks like Spitfire 22/24 wheel to me.
http://www.airpowerworld.info/other-fighter-planes/supermarine-spitfire-mk-24.htm

Loving the radioactive symbol on that wheel

It could be the wheel off an Electra…….just sayin’ ……..

What tools did you have to use to get through the teak-reinforced crates?