can you I.D these 4 1/2 x 15 wheels ?

I recently tracked down a pair of ( rare in the U.K ) 4 1/2 x 15`s but they dont have any I.D , any idea`s pleeez ? thanks !!!

 

Look like Ansens.........lots of brands made em though. The skinny ones are fairly hard to find in my part of the country. I chalk it up to a style thing and folks around here tended to run 15x7s all the way around..................I try not to associate with those cretins

 

Don't think it's an Ansen......it used a "rib" in the center of each of the "spokes" (running from the center of the wheel to the outside) I assume as a strengthening measure. Also, the hub/mounting area was not solid. It was scalloped ("scooped out") between the lug stud holes. Maybe U.S. Indy, but they had their name and wheel size in the inside of the rim in raised letters. There were several companies "knocking off" Ansens during the day......Hard to tell for certain.

Hard to find size in any manufacturer line.....use 'em if they are straight/concentric.

 

I have a pair of these, the backs look like yours - as well as the fronts.

Only real difference is mine are not drilled for Uni-Lug.
All that means in my experience is, drilled oval Uni-Lug came in during the early to mid-80's.

That said, use a thick (3/16") lug washer and not the thin washers mag lugs usually come with.

I'm guessing your wheels may be US Indy mag.

My pair match each other in all aspects except one has US Indy cast on the inside and the other doesn't.

The hub has a full flange with no voids.

Perhaps Indy made them for other companies and left their name casting off or quit doing it for production efficiency reasons.

I've got a couple pics, but PhotoBucket is down for maintenance and I can't get the HAMB attachment going.
I'll post em in a little bit.

 

Lots of 15 x 7's as well as 14 x 7's kicking around.
I have a couple full sets.

And am still looking for an Ansen or Ansen styled 15 x 8.
Got one....

 

US Indy Mag.
4 1/2" x 15"

Note the sharper edge on the wheel flange.

Ansen - maybe.


This is a single 8" x 15" I have.
Reputed to be an Ansen and it does look similar to an Ansen posted by a HAMBr a while back.
No pics of the front.
Note the casting voids on the back.
Done to save aluminum I'm guessing.

What's weird is the blue paint on the back, a good match for your skinny wheels.
I thought perhaps a former owner did it, but maybe it's a factory thing.

A friend had a few wheels, but nothing usable for me.
He commented he had a single 8" x 15" Ansen and he'd been looking for a mate for several years.

Then he got it down, gave it to me and said, "now it's your problem."

That sharp flange on the narrow mag I mentioned may be simply a running style change.
Some of the mid-80's wheels I have show that and some older ones are rounded like yours.


Fwiw, I've had no imbalance problems by running the sticky wheel weight tape on the inside.

 

I have two like that, they're Superior wheels. Note the groove around the center hole, that's for a locating ring that fits tight in that groove and over the wheel studs, has several bolt patterns on it. Also use weird long tapered wheel nuts, impossible to find now, I've been looking for 20 years! I also have two similar but wider (10") International wheels, same adapter, same lug nuts.

 

those are rarer then a Henway....

 

I looked, but could see no groove - which doesn't mean it's not there.

You're not talking about the step-down in the center hole are you?

Most of the mags I have are a straight through bore in the center, but some have a step.

I thought the step was for the wheel center caps that go in from the backside and the cap flange goes into the step so the wheel can lie flush on the brake drum flange.

 

As a small fwiw, the broken off sheet metal screws that retain the plastic center caps can be removed by using a hollow drill.

A friend of mine made one, but it was a bit of a project.

You end up with an about 1/4" hole because the aluminum around the broken screw gets drilled out.

I believe the hollow drills are available from places like MSC and the like.

The 1/4" hole is easily plugged and finished off.

TIG is nice, but not necessary.

 

C9--Yes I mean the step-down. The caps on mine are a friction fit in the hole, no screws or anything, and no, they don't stay in worth shit!
As far as wheel nuts go, I scanned the Lug Nut King site and came up dry.

 

Uhhhhhh, what's a Henway?







































.
hahahhahaaa

 

I looked close at your pics, it looks like someone has used regular nuts on them, and just kept tightening them as the nuts wore in to the wheel surface. I was told to try this by a guy on one of the sites where I was looking for nuts, but it seemed a bit Mickey Mouse to me. Looks like it worked on your wheels, though.

 

Thanks . . . I know I need new glasses, but I've been dragging my feet.

Got something you could use to put a very slight flare in the center cap?
Assuming they're aluminum or steel.

One of the HAMBrs posted some nice header tip flares he'd done on his press a few weeks back.

Or a small dollop of JB Weld to glue them on semi-permanently.

Maybe an O-ring would do the trick.

KoolKevs wheels look pretty typical of the Uni-Lugs that are simply drilled oval.
I bought a new pair of 10" x 15" American slots in 1985 and that's the way they were.

Using the standard mag lugnut thin washers has the washer taking a taper and the torque backing off after a while.

Kevs wheels exhibit the common wear pattern you'll find on this type wheel.

Cured nicely by using CenterLine's 3/16" thick washers.

Or . . . you could do what I did on the narrow wheel w/hubcap in the post above.
Make a 1/4" thick x 6" OD steel plate to help reinforce the wheel.
(I used stainless - which was a bitch and a whole other story.)

Perhaps a bit of overkill, but done cuz my wheels have two bolt patterns and I'm a bit of a worrywart....

 

thanks guys , I spent 3 years looking on fleabay and at hot rod shows , swap meets etc for these wheels , then last november at a rockabilly show I met a new hot rodder with an austin devon pick-um-up gasser who had 2 spare sets for sale ......................and he lived 17 miles away from me........DOH !!! I already had the 135 x 15 pizza cutters for them so on they go this weekend

 

Looks like you're about to give them a clean up in the bathtub; or did you already? I'm afraid the lady with the frying pan might have something to say if I did that! A friend has a similar set, skinny fronts, 10" wide rears; same deal with no name on them. I'll tell him about this thread. Thanks. Butch/56sedandelivery.