found this while looking for pix of rader wheels,i never really like 'mag' wheels but the rader wheels were cool on a 60's car http://66.154.44.164/forum/showthread.php?p=5954939
Great series ! Lots of stuff I never knew , especially on the older stuff . As with others here I did fall immediately in love with the Centerlines when I first discovered them , but I must I did also like the original Crager stars . My neighbors older brother "hopped up" his family's Buick Wagon (1970-71) and put the Fenton version on it , I guess thats where my "wagon love" started LOL
Thanks. Great thread. Bare with me, and please a little info/history on these wheel types. Thanks, Slim
The D in D-spoke stands for Disc and they were indeed specifically designed to clear the calipers on Corvettes. Then we also have the American Racing T70, identifiable by the push in center cap....
It's been posted previously, but here's a bigger photo of my favorite European wheel - the Campagnolo Elektron magnesium alloy wheel as fitted to the Lamborghinis of the 1960s. This is a true knock off and fits a 42mm K splined hub....
Another Euro favorite of mine - the Alfa Romeo TZ wheel from 1964. Would I use these on a hot rod? - you bet your sweet A I would....
Halibrand smoothies came on Indy cars. Could be flipped for different offset, as seen on Kurtis at Indy 1954. Check the wheel against the wall. [/IMG] Also seen on Russ' roadster, flipped to tuck tire in closer. [/IMG] Indy picture courtesy of IndyCar.com
Thanks Tony. Thats a 2011 decal on the plate,so thats a recent picture, I will have to keep my eyes peeled for that one. Damn nice O/T car.
I may be missing something, but I don't think there ARE any more styles of wheels. We could obviously discuss history and fashions regarding tires, but my preferences are pretty narrow. I like whitewalls (medium wide) I like radials I had bias tires on my last three prewar cars, but I'm over that. I've never seen the point of running slicks on the street. I like the look of dirt track tires, but I'm not likely to do that either. Rubber band tires, superwide WWs, pinners, redlines, raised white letters -- not for me. Would anybody else care to chair that discussion?
Maybe they were discussed, and I misssed it. But what about artillery wheels, Clark wheels, and General Jumbo wheels, etc?
I think of all of them within the broader classification of "steelies". No doubt arbitrarily, I dismissed artilleries and wide 5's in Part 1, post #31. I think of Jumbos and Clarks as a subset of artillery spokes. I think that in the '50s, all of the artilleries (including most wide 5's) were out of fashion except on the most budget-constrained race cars. In the magazines and among my peers, Fords from the '30s had their drums and wheels replaced ASAP with '40-up components. Ironic, in a way, because I suspect a wide-5 drum and wheel assembly is lighter than the successor design; that might explain why they hung around on the occasional racer. I note that wide-5s and other artilleries have grown in popularity in the last few years. They look OK to me in some cases, but I wouldn't run them on my own car (my T roadster had wide-5s when I bought it; I replaced them with Kelseys as quick as I could). For those who have an interest in this style of wheel, there's a pretty thorough discussion of them here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=334574&highlight=clark+wheels
started in 1970. They marked the end of the era that most of us here revere. The beginning of the van era. Personally I hated them and the many cheap clones with the fake bolts. I know that they are 40 years old but they will never be included in my traditional wheel list but that is the purpose of this discussion....I hope. The early American aluminum 5 spoke wheels had a rounded spoke and not the peaked spoke that most of the current clones have.
Wide 5s were THE wheel for a few decades on just about every modified stock car going to the point that modern wide 5 hubs and wheels are still being produced.I don't know how original equipment wide 5 wheels/drums compare in weight to smaller bolt pattern wheel/drums but the wheels themselves are stronger than the smaller center bolt pattern wheels.
im 36 37 in a couple of weeks, generation X.. so when i was a teen center lines were the shit, we all wanted them. pro street i guess reminds some of.. but to me they just scream hotrod. I do not care for the welds either. now.. i have some cool vw wheels. 4 and 5 lug so pretty useless for any hotrod but some of my vw wheels iv collected over the years were damn cool.. and def eruo inspired or maybe even from over the pond for all i know. my first set of wheels i paid for that did not come on a rig would have to be cragers. for a 70s chev. for hotrod wheels, im really digging the military star type. i think they are cool. never owned any magnesium wheels that i can remember, lots of engines tho!!! vw rule... and you all drool.. heh all kidding aside.. great info, off to check the other installments. chris.
The Cragar wheels that were similar to the Centerline Auto-Drag were called S/T (Super Trick) and SS/T (Street Super Trick). I believe they were cast aluminum, while the Centerline was spun aluminum. I much prefer the Centerline. Neither have any place on a traditional hot rod or custom.
The early American aluminum 5 spoke wheels had a rounded spoke and not the peaked spoke that most of the current clones have.*** This quote was taken from a prior post *** The first Aluminum American Torque Thrust ( 5 spoke ) was the pointed spoke.There are 5 sizes 14x 6 & 7 ** 15 x 6 - 7 & 8.5 with one wheel / offset for each size. The 14" x 6 or 7" however came pointed or round spoke. Same part # with P or R added for the spoke design. Terry
I have yet to understand how artillery wheels have become "traditional" in the last half a decade or so... Just don't get it. A decade ago, about the only people that would buy them if you had them for sale were low riders for their "bombs". You never see them in any of the old photos from the forties and fifties, yet they seem to be popular right now. I personally think even if I had an artillery wagon to move, I would equip it with solid, Ford wheels... Oh, and '46 caps! The original race bred Super Tricks were either stamped or spun, I can't remember which. Super light weight and ultra strong. I remember the first time I saw a Street Super Trick... hilarious! It was '79 or '80 and a friend at school said he was going to buy a set of Super Tricks, (major kudos for running racing wheels!) then showed up on Monday with these Cheesy chrome cast heavy looking things... Let's just say pointing and laughing ensued! Personally, being a child of the seventies and eighties I love Centerlines and Super tricks, just won't talk about them here. O/T, ya know? If I can remember to do it, tomorrow I'll weigh both a solid Ford steel (4") and a wide five (3 1/2" V8 sixty is all I have loose right now) to see if there is any large difference between the two. I always dug those wheels because of the circle track history, and also because they do show up from time to time in the old pictures, too.
Super tricks were spun. I have yet to understand how it is that all this crap that has become popular in the last 15 years can be called traditional. Then I see a thread like that one on the Ford PU, where a bunch of guys thought it was actually a period gasser, and it all becomes crystal clear...
Hey! As per last night's conversation that went a bit O/T (forgot we were on the thread about alloy wheels) I have some resiluts for early Ford wheels. My 4" '40 ford solid wheel weighed in at 17 1/2 pounds. My '37 3 1/2 V8 60 wheel weighed in at 12 3/4 pounds. There was a significant weight difference in these wheels. I'll find the steel wheel thread and post this as well.
How about the large,18,19,20",Artillary wheels and Divco wheels,that have been showing up on many current builds? The rears mostly. VooDoo Larry's Coupe is running some now,and Bonesy's Coupe.
I knew some one was going to say that! I guess they could be considerd Artillery type wheels, but they were more a functional item (bigger diameter for taller gear ratios at the lakes) than a styling accessory. To me, even though I know the slang is wrong, they will always be "milk truck" wheels. There is a major difference visually between 18" milk trucks and 15 or 16" artillery wheels. And even if I had a set of 18"s, they would be trimmed with full Moons! My opinion of course.
Although I think the above posts belong in the steelies thread, I agree with all of them. The difference in rim width surely accounts for some of the weight difference, but not all of it, I imagine. Thanks for that test! Dunlop wheels, in some light alloy. Also used on F1 BRM's circa 1959. I like these wheels too, but I wouldn't pick 'em for a hot rod. Wasn't aware of this difference. Thanks for the info. This has been discussed briefly (steelies thread, post #83). They were used on lakes cars in the day, but never on street driven cars that I can recall. I don't think they help the looks of a hot rod at all.
^^ never thought of it before, and its certainly not "traditional" but I kinda like the looks of the Dunlops on that highboy. Wonder if it has a jag six in it??
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