Hot Rods LET'S CRITIQUE WHEELS - New Repro Wheels that do or don't

I assume you noticed the little Hurst Airheart 150 spots on the pink one? Theres a couple posts on here about what crap they are, and how useless they were, so naturally one of the first things I asked when I was talking to him was how good the brakes are. He said he hadn't driven it enough yet, but his dad said they worked excellent.

 

Chip
From what I heard about the "restructure", a lot of people took a bath on that deal.
Yes, that "matching" Sweet Swirl steering wheel was pretty hideous.

 

Absolutely I saw them! I don't find them "useless" in any way shape or form. You gotta use them in the right application. I have made vrackets and used them now on a half dozen 'Buckets where the owner's insisted on motorcycle front wheels and they are bitchin'. The 150s and 175s both.

 

Pleased do! Yes I have that one, and i forgot about that car. I'm missing just one or two issues of Street Rod at this point.

 

At least with the wheels, you cant see them when you are driving the car, only innocent by-standers are victimized. Man, that ugly ass steering wheel is right there IN YOUR FACE!

 

Chip I think I am getting close too, I scored another 8 issues yesterday, but I need more '72. Do you know what the total lifespan of Street Rod was?

 

The pic didn't transfer, but I believe the wheels on the Chevy truck with the grey centers are Cragar Eliminator 500 wheels and not Rockets. To me, they are a somewhat closer copy of the Indy speed wheels, other than the unfortunate lettering cast into the outer lip.

For a truly period correct look, I'm surprised 14" wheels aren't more popular. I bet 14's outsold 15" sizes 2 to 1 when the wheels were new (a guess, I have no real world numbers to back that up). 14" tires are still available new, both modern radials and repop bias sizes.

The new Rad*rs are an easy giveaway as the originals had a steel outer hoop, easily spotted. I had a set of old ones on my lowrider '64 Olds in 14"


I thought they worked well, although lowriders are from a fairly different world than customs or hot rods.

What I'd like to know is, has anyone studied the new Hurst wheels next to original ones? My dad shelled out big coin for a set of the correct repop Hurst wheels, they look 100% to me on his '65 GTO, and I'm doing a '65 Tempest but the new Hurst Dazzlers are like a quarter of the price. They don't have the separate trim ring like the correct ones do, and they're only 15" I think, but still, nice looking to me, and at least the machined outer lip somewhat resembles a trim ring, not too boxy, I like that.

 

I have that Hammond issue also George, in my opinion, one of the best shots ever on ANY mag cover. Did you say that's 1972? The year I graduated from high school, and I had not started getting magazines by subscription yet, so I'm pretty sure I don't have a lot of them.
I'll have to "unearth" them, but you are welcome to them to finish the set.
BTW, someone needs to "tribute" Seth Hammond and put a car together just like it.
Hmm, Marty has a "little" dirt track T building experience, but he's kind of busy.

 

Ha! I rated the current Radirs as a "100 yards" wheel. Cant stomach those things, I would NEVER put them on ANYTHING.

I am not sure how many more I need, I know that magazine had a VERY short life. I have Aug. -Dec. '72, Feb-July '73, I think it started in '72, gone around the end of '73??? Chip probably knows better?
There might be info in Tex Smiths book, I'll look it up.

EDIT: looked it up, doesn't really give dates, just a paragraph about starting up Street Rodder when he was with Tom McMullen, and that Street Rod magazine was already up and running. My earliest Street Rodder is Jan '73, it say volume 2, #1 on the cover, so Street Rodder would have started sometime in '72. Anybody know more? Chip?

 

Correct, the photo I posted is of Cragar Eliminators.

And as you said, 14" wheels are certainly period correct, and often have a better look overall than 15s of course dependent upon application. Tires exist but the choice is very limited compared to what was available back then, even into the 80s, especially taller 14s.

Love that Olds, and those tires!

 

The Cragar Eliminator 500 is a good looking wheel as far as new wheels go. I think you have to sand and polish the ribs to get the look, they come all one color. That extra step makes all the difference, the all one color centers are kinda ugly. A different center cap would help too.



I have an old set of Drag-Mags, or maybe the later copies of them, and the tooling they used to machine them was really rough, lots of lines in them. Plus I'm not even sure what kind of center caps they were supposed to have, never saw an original center cap for those wheels. Part of what makes some of these new wheels look "off" is that they're finished to a much higher degree than ever before.

I guess that's not the worst thing. Very few new wheels nail the look 100%, but it's nice that they're at least trying to give us some options. It wasn't that long ago that pretty much all newly manufactured wheels were pretty gross looking.

 

It was just a simple pointed cone, I have seen them with the center caps back at the time. I might even be able to find an old ad with the caps, I'll take a look.

 

Well I guess I drive a circus wagon [emoji106]



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Street Rod magazine started in Oct. 1971 and ran until July 1973, I believe. Sreetrodder magazine started May 1972.

Mick

 

Yep a simple aluminum cone - the new chrome cone centers will work, but aren't exact match to what they originally had.

Last set I had come through had Cragar push through caps (like what came on their slot wheels) screwed right through the tops of the original cones with a hideous washer and phillips head screw.

 

I may be leaving myself open for some criticism here, but man are those new American Racing "Ansen Sprint" way off!

Yes:


No!

 

Thank Mick, Excellent. So I am missing Oct. 71-July '72, and Jan.73, so 10 issues, I am just over half-way. Thanks, now I know what I am looking for. Way more fun than collecting hockey cards!

 

Ouch! stung by the "trendy" bug!!

 

O8 Racer, honestly, your car is one of two i thought of before I posted that. Love EVERYTHING about your car, with the exception of the wheels. It's just been within the last decade to decade and a half that artillery wheels have been made in Ford type bolt patterns. Some how they have become "traditional".

I think that maybe, for me personally, it's the "new" designation of traditional that bugs me about Artillery wheels. Traditionally, they only showed on mid thirties G.M.s, and I can think of one upline mid thirties Mopar application as well.

I know it's sort of shallow appology, but absolutely no personal insult meant to you...

 

No worries my man and definitely no appology needed. I do agree with the repops. Thats why I ditched the wheel vintiques set i had when I found an original set of Budd wheels. The new ones just don't look the same.

That being said if they we cool enough for Nimrod then they are cool enough for me.

 

George
Did you know that Street Rod magazine was based (nearly) in my back yard.
The president/publisher was John Slaughter, he lived just a few miles from me.
John passed away earlier this year.
So far all I have found are:
July 72
Oct. 72
Dec. 72
Feb. 73 ( Hammond, Lang issue).
March 73

 

I just heard about John Slaughter's passing, last night, I did quite a bit of work for him on the John Corno/Russ Meeks AMBR car, when he re-vamped it in the 80's. At the time, he offered me a complete set of Street Rod Magazines. I thought, what would I want those for, and declined the gift !

 

Marty
I'll pm you a story I just found.

 

George, check this out - American Rebel Wheels...

Plus they also make 'em in 7/16"-18 AND matching valve stems!

 

Those lugs only have .060" wall thickness on the shank portion - that doesn't seem like enough to to have ANY thread strength, if there is even threads in that portion. I think these were designed to just help with concentricity of the wheel mounting - not the make the attachment any stronger, unless I am really missing something here. As for the strength and use of conical lugs on Aluminum wheels, the OE's have done it for over 30 years, I know that Ford did this in the late 70's

I have never seen a 10 spoke Halibrand, as far as I know they only made 12 spokes.

 

Steve, those are NICE!

 

I'd be really surprised if there were a design patent on those wheels. that has always been an issue in the wheel business, no one had, or could enforce any kind of design patent - it only takes a minor change to get around it.

 

so basically we need to re-chrome all our old wheels and since EPA has put their foot down on them who will chrome them will put us out $300-400/wheel. Sigh.
This article has brought some things to light. I often see a wheel now being reproduced and say wait a minute? Or those cragar s/s wheels look different.
I will often buy used wheels and pay a little more if they are complete with center caps and they are in good shape. I bought some 14" cragar aluminum/steel wheels because they were complete a few weeks ago. View attachment 3324409

 

Dated 69 was told dealer put them on a camaro new and wife hated them they got put up when tires wore out


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Yeah, not sure on how well they are made or finished or the dimensions of the shanks but, at a glance, they look great. I'm hoping they are made in the US like their wheels.

Steve