Mag's as a name;;,can an was used often too mean alum. rims also ,not just Mag. Right or wrong,it was the slang of the early 1960s. Fit at least as good as now BS,like "street rod"as a distorted term ,or better. My fav. was the Indy Slots{ they were really alum.} Took me some time after getting my hotrod 28A Bobtail Running in 1959,to get a set of Indy Slots on it in the 1960s. These slots looked racer to me ,so I though then,an still do,that they were the "COOL PLUS" rims. 5 inch wide front and 10 rear,was what I was able to get. The Redhead makes them look even better !!!
Calling a wheel made of aluminum a "mag" is like calling any old hot rod a "roadster". Or any old Ford a "Duece Coupe". It's fine for the uneducated, but we need to do better.
That is the perfect combination and look in their as-cast state, those American "bear paw" rear wheels are some of the rarest wheels out there.
The very rare American front wheels called the Silverstone, they resemble the English Minilite wheel.
Shakey Puddin. Homeboy used to stand this thing on the bumper on a regular basis. Had a pair of polished Hals for the rear sometimes too. Bad mofo. -Abone.
Bit hard to go past original Halibrands on my 34. Suits the build which was originally done in the 70s to the best of my knowledge.
Good point, but because of Ted Halibrand we all - back in the day - knew the hot wheels as "Mags" and when Halibrand switched to aluminum castings in the late '70s (after company was sold), those of us who grew up with the term just stuck with it. From Holley's website: If you ever wondered about the origin of the term “mag wheel”, you can look directly to Halibrand’s magnesium-alloy wheels that dominated racing for the answer. And we do mean “dominated” …in the 1950s and 1960s, it was easier to count the cars that didn’t wear Halibrand wheels than it was to figure out how many racers had them! Many sports car racers had them, a majority of the field at the Indy 500 had them, land-speed racers like Mickey Thompson put them into the limelight, drag racers used them, and even Ford was interested, offering the “kidney bean” wheel as an option on the Thunderbird. Carroll Shelby put them on the Cobra and Daytona Coupe, Chevrolet ran them on the CERV-1 prototype and the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, and you’d be hard-pressed to miss seeing a set on a local hot-shoe’s ride around town. How about Sam Conrad? Bet Bob @bchctybob wold vote for this one:
15×7 inch Halibrand Kidney Bean, Indy-style polished magnesium wheels Hello, If we were to be able to run the original magnesium wheels today, safely, then these are the ones. But, as we all know, time marches on and things just don’t stay pristine for safety’s sake. Time ages everything. We are constantly reminded of that fact everyday. But, as good as the design is in knock off/spindle form, the nuts and bolts version is just as nice looking. Research provides us with many similar design choices from current manufacturers, but do not list them as Magnesium wheels. So, if the car sits like Mox Miller’s immaculate 1958 Impala, then magnesium wheel it is. If the wheels are necessary for the look on the daily drivers, then an upgraded safer standards technology (a similar look), style of kidney bean and nuts/bolts version is the choice. Jnaki But, every time I see a photo of Mox Miller’s 58 Impala with those wheels, envy sets in and the memory of seeing them up close and personal at his house rings true. It was real and so out of the normal everyday cruising hot rod scene, but boy, they looked outstanding close or far away...YRMV If the "magnesium" wheel is not available like the pristine ones on Mox Miller's impala and the look of something we wanted in 1960-65, the the 5 spoke American Racing Equipment company wheels would be our choice.
One of the most famous Willy's of all time...... Polished Magnesium's was "it" back in the day. Credit photographer. I did not take this picture.
I've heard them called a few different names, so what is the correct name for the rear Halibrands in that picture?
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