I just bought a 57 Bel Air and wanted to know when the Torq Trust style wheel came out. It is in my avatar, it has stock hubcaps and airbag suspension with flat black paint. I thought it might look cool with that style wheel, with the blasted center on the wheel, what do y'all think. I might just leave the stock caps on, just don't know yet. I don't know how to post pics or i would.
Thanks, i really bought it for my dad. I like the stock caps myself, but he some some Torq Thrusts with redlines on them at the Hoedown today and liked them.
May I suggest putting on 56 Olds Fiesta spinner hub caps with red rims along with you wide whites. I think that set up goes with a lowered car rather than Torq Thrust. Just my opinion, nice looking 57.
I recall seeing the Torq Thrust's in very early 60's. You have a great looking '57. To me, the Torq Thrust's give a car more of a "street brawler" look, or "drag car" look. If your '57 was stick height, or jacked up in front, and maybe missing front bumper, then the Torq Thrust's would fit right in, but...on a lowered, cruiser type,...not so much, in my opinion. Mark
I think i would run some wide whites and the caps you got..or even some spinner caps..that would look sweet. Im thinking TT's came out in early to mid 60's?
I like the caps on it myself, but i bought it for my dad so we will see what happens. If it got changed to anything for me it would be different caps, or chrome reverse.
Yes the Ds came out in 1965 to fit the Disc brake Corvettes with a redesigned spoke but the magnesium Torq-thrust wheels were around before that. These are genuine magnesium wheels and not the aluminum wheels that we all love for the street. This is a 1963 speed shop catalog. If you are wondering when they became popular on the street it was about the time of the TQDs... 1965. Magnesium race car wheels were not seen on the street in my middle class neighborhood.
The Torque Thrusts didn't come about until the last couple of decades of the last century. They are copies of earlier wheel mad by American that were just called Mag Wheels. But that style of wheel became popular in the later '50s or early to mid '60s. They were never really popular with the custom crowd. Chrome reverse wheels would have been the wheel of choice in the part of the country I lived in for that style of car. That said it wouldn't look bad with american torque thrusts.
The American Racing website says the original Torque Thrust D wheel was introduced in 1956. Great looking Chev, but IMHO, it looks better with steel wheels and wheel covers. It would look great with Lancers.
The original torque thrusts came out in '57. Original dodge lancers look good, they will fit the stock 14" wheels too.
D stands for disc brakes. They were designed for the disc brake Corvettes. How ever the straight spoke Torque Thrusts were already popular by then. And I believe there were more of them on street cars than on gassers. What's Dave Mann say about them on his Roadsters website? He has a pretty good history of custom wheels. Larry T http://www.roadsters.com/wheels/
Lose the Caps for sure and put the Early style Americans on it. Lower it as much as you can stand bigs and littles of course and let everybody drool. Tim
They came out in '63. Drag car builder and funnycar/jet car driver Romeo Palamides started American Racing in the 50s.
Stock caps look good no doubt, but IMO the best choice would be spider caps if you end up retainin the stock wheels. Although to be totally honest i can see the car sportin Americans, as long as theyre the magnesium version, and being quite cool, maybe w/ either pinners or 2" whites. Push your dad into considerin also Supremes or Rockets. He might end up likin' em better, and they would fit the style of the car right on.
Do you want a 60s mild custom look or the Friday night street racer look. Customs used hubcaps and WWWs. Street racers used mag wheels and black walls and were not slammed on the ground in my area. You see mag wheels with WWWs today but in my area it was frowned upon. You can do what ever you want but back in the day they were 2 completely different styles with very few exceptions. I'm a 5 spoke lover. They look good on anything. IMHO These will be on my 56 Ford street racer inspiration. I'm with you the polished 5 spokes are a modern interpretaion of the 5 spoke look.
Hard to argue that. I've always been a fan of TTs but with the stance of the car and the whites, I'd probably opt for Lancers or Starfires. The TTs and redlines would put the car into a '66 to '68 era, ...... if that matters. You and Dad gotta do what makes YOU grin.
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