For a very good description of 5 spokes. go to http://www.roadsters.com/wheels/ I think I got this address from reading HAMB.
Ryan, they are probably E-T super . The reason they are not the Uni-Lug as most other E-T wheels is because the Uni-lug was for 4 1/2", 4 3/4", and 5" and the 5 1/2" wouldn't have enough room so they are direct bolt. The first series of SUPER had a plastic cast emblem in the center oval that just said SUPER and was a painted green background. That was when the company was Wheel Centre Co. which may be on the back side, sometime in the 1970's Kelsey Hayes bought E-T and those caps had a foil sticker that says E-T and SUPER such as your are. The later K-H versions don't usually say anything on the back. By the way I see NOS caps like yours on eBay every so often so they are still obtainable. I used to "collect" 5 spoke Torq Thrust type wheels and it's very rare to find direct bolt E-T's. Best of luck finding another pair of 15"s I also have a pet peave about mixing sizes so I understand
I'll second the comment about Flamedabone's truck. I thought it was a perfect stance too but it was very low...how I like them. Maybe he'll see this and throw up a pic. MotoAndy bought the truck so he could get a pick too.
Man, stick to your guns on the 14" vs. 15" thing! That is one of those many, many little things that drives me right up a wall, too. The replacement 15" fronts are out there in some body's shop, even if they aren't a complete and total match. Something about your pair is screamin' steel backed wheel to me from the pictures, although without seeing the back it can't be known. Just as an aside, I just got my cheaters mounted up and my bucket is back on all four Americans again for the first time since this fall... Ya just can't beat the look! The Halibrands are dutifully placed back on the RPU where they belong.
You can purchase brand new ETs that look like that in custom offsets and diameters. Try Team III wheels. (Scott) Ago
'64 stil had the single I-beam, and they make a dropped one, or you can get springs that will lower a few inches... The oval caps are cool... Think 2 bar spinner without the spinner. The earlier Ford vans are still plentiful in salvage yards, they have proportional front bumper and one painted silver would look right with those wheels.
Great truck, Ryan! EVERYTHING looks good with 5-spokes! I can't really tell either about whether its a steel rim or not. I would suspect not. need louvers? The "Ugly Bucket" is now dead sexy! Nice job! Stellar pic!
Once you get that thing down out of the stratosphere, Ryan, not one person in 100 will notice the mismatch - and if they do they'll probably like it.
15's in back and 14's in front are a total 80's look. The reasoning was that aesthetically on a fendered pre-war hot rod, if you ran 15"ers all the way around, the bigger tire in back made the rim look smaller. It's true... but just because it is true, doesn't make it right. 14" wheels are just too small for a F-100 or similar sized truck. As for what wheels those are, they appear to be an American Torque Thrust. The way the machined part of the wheel is and the as-cast center how it drops down a bit looks similar to a Crestline or ET. Crestline's and ET's were very similar (did one proceed the other? Call Dick Beith). I have had Crestline's and ET five spokes. Most Crestline's were marked "Crestline-Mark IV-Walnut-Creek-California" in between all of the spokes on the flat that the lug nut goes through. And most Crestline's that I have seen have been 14"ers. The only 15" Crestlines that I have seen have been a pair of 15x6" that I sold to Pat Ganahl (Chevy pattern for use on his '57 Chevy) and a pair that Pete Eastwood toted around to LARS for a few years (5 on 5 1/2" pattern). That said, most ET's that I have seen or had have had the "ET" cast into them. I have seen them both in uni-lug and non-uni-lug (A feature that I think they patented). The reason I think they are Americans is that they have a peaked spoke... that and the grain on the casting is very similar to many of the Americans I have had. I will say that if they ARE Americans. they will be cast on the back side "American Racing" and then the size and off set. Can you pull them off and take some pics? Another thing to remember is that 5 on 5 1/2" five spokes from the 60's and 70's are hard to find... depending on the manufacturer, they may have required a different casting that the other, smaller, bolt circles did. Sam
those look like og ET's or clones there of. taking one off should tell you as every ET i ever had was marked. the caps aren't that obscure. i sold a set of MINT ones last year fo $100 and a set of decent for $75. and that wheel did come in all aluminum, alum/steel, and supposedly a few mag ones. as said ET is producing them now and you can get them in sizes/offsets to suit your need. flamedabones truck was what i was shooting for ride height wise and mine sits about the same. unfortunatly you probably won't get their via "traditional" methods. not saying you can't but it'd be a buttload of work ad would take a combo of dropped axle and frame mods(Z) to come even close. thats why i went with a non approriate donor(jag). apparently folks like it enough that my unfinished project already has me a coupla more slicks lined up to go that route... with enough searching you could proabably find 2 matching 15s. be sure to check them over good. i;ve seen many cracking atth spoke and some cracking at lugs from be over tightened. the 5x5.5 pattern will make it a little harder but not much...
Found this... http://home.earthlink.net/~threynolds2/didgeytruck/americanmags.html Also... I will say that the ones you have pictured do not appear to be an 8" (8 1/2")... not enough negative off-set.... AND I see you have a 215/70 -15 tire... if that were on an 8" rim, it wouldn't bulge like that. I am guessing a 15x7" American Racing wheel... (another rare size). Incidentally, the 7" five spoke American had the same off-set to the front as a 6" wheel and the same off-set to the back as an 8 1/2" wheel! Pull one off and let us know! Sam
I agree with everything said here. I have ET Supers (15x6 and 15x8.5) on my '64 C-10, but they are uni-lug. I used to buy and sell all brands of vintage 5-spokes, and the 5x5.5 ET wheels will not have "ET" cast into the lug flange because the lug nuts extend too far to the outer lip and there's not enough room for the "ET" logo. Ryan's wheels are an early, direct-bolt version and hard to find. The spoke shape, the flange diameter, and the machined steps on the inner and outer portion of the lip identify the wheel as an ET. When you get the wheel off, there should be an identifier on the back-side, just outboard of the spokes. It'll either say "ET Wheels" or "Wheel Centre" and also "Walnut Creek, California". ET was the only 5-spoke manufacturer that I know of that used a 3.0" backspace on their 15x8.5 wheels, versus the industry standard 3.75". Their 15x8.5 wheels looked extra deep, and that's why I liked them. If anybody has any of the early "Super" oval caps with the cast-in emblem center, I'm looking for 3. I have a set of NOS foil emblem oval caps that I'll swap if anybody has 'em.
HAHAHA I keep asking Reggie to sell me the 406!!!! but dang it….. he won't budge! (Reggie. if your watching..don't make a grown man beg!!!)
I had a set of those Super ET's on my first car-(wish I still had the wheels and the car)those oval caps have a nice effect when they are going down the road with the sun hitting them Team III wheels makes the repro edition-not sure about the caps though
drop the front 2 inches , leave the wheels it will look perfect, and better yet "Period Perfect". Oh one more thing, scrape up 2 Mooneyes decals and stick them at the bottom rear of the FRONT wheel wells Just my $02 Sweet ride!
Best place too go for a match for your wheels or buy vintage wheels http://www.akhwheels.com/pages/inventory.php?cat=1 Posted from Austinrod
Here is my shitty old truck that I just parted ways with after 10 years. 15X7 no names in the back, 15X6 no names on the front. I would have never noticed your 14s until you told me, but now they bother me. Definitely be on the lookout for some 15X6s. They won't be super easy to find in your big pattern, so expect to cough up 200-300 bucks for a good pair. Nice little truck, -Abone.
Damn flamedabone, I've had a picture of your truck saved for about 4 years now! love the stance. Do you remember the tire sizes?
Just for shits, here is a shot of my new shop truck... Straight 5 spokes too, just shiny. See ya, -Abone.
Very interesting and informative read, thanks for the link. PS. Torq-Thrusts have been used on everything because IMO they look good on anything!
if you want a budget friendly wheel to run while you look for og's or just want for a budget anyhow US Wheel makes a decent current copy of that 5 spoke design that are about half the price of the new ET. about $125 if i remember right. and the spoke is the nice darker gray like the older wheels. not as nice as the ET's either og or the new repops but way cheaper...
Nice truck Ryan and the rest of you guys, too. The only thing I see wrong is the simple fact that none are in my driveway!
I agree that 14s on front look a little off, especially if your running the same size sidewalls front and rear. The front tires end up looking taller than the rears. I have 15x7 and 15x8.5 TTO on my Unibody. I like the wheels, but the spokes are too light for my eye, Ill probably darken them up some.
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