On 1/23/2017, Dominic Ttaylor-Lane wrote:
"How do the wire wheel rear axle bearing carriers differ from the steel wheel ones? Plenty of steel wheel ones about but not for wire wheel half shafts".

The factory part number for the rear wheel bearing hub includes the pressed in wheel studs. The studs are shorter for wire wheels, otherwise same hubs. You can get steel wheel hubs and change the studs to make wire wheel hubs.

Very early production hubs did not have the groove for the rubber O-ring, only the paper gasket for sealing. 1500 type hubs have slightly larger OD O-ring, but the smaller one for 1600 type can be stretched a bit to work in the 1500 hub. Early MGB hubs ('62-'67) have larger diameter wheel studs (1/2" vs. 7/16).