Projects New Personality with Simple Changes

I’m a wheel combo whore.

 

some wheel changes over the years

 

Mags look like an incomplete thought that will break when you hit the curb

 

with slots in the process of building little girl will be 30 in June

 

Have 4 sets of wheels for the 49 Dodge truck project.
1) Factory issue 16” with factory caps, both blackwall and wide whites in 6.00-16 in the barn.
2) 15” steels off a 1978 Ramcharger, camper sourced caps, rings and full wheel covers available in the garage. Have both radial and bias 7.00-15s (215/70) in street and mud terrains.
3) 15” white spoke with push through centers, 225/65 street tread radials.
4) 14” ARE Outlaw 2 clones off the 92 Danger Ranger parts roach. Ranger donating wheels, rear axle with springs and hangers, 5spd, heat/air, door latches, wiper motor, window regulators, seats, speakers, fuel tank…
I figure it covers 50s to mid 90s simply by changing the wheels and tires to suit. Right down to the alkyd (with hardener) enamels it is getting painted. Ever “borrow” Grandpa’s do everything truck when you were in high school? I did, and it has been mine for 40 years.

 

Sabres to Supremes.

 

Hello,

Most cars from the factory are what a group of designers thought was a great design and features they created. Designers, yes, but probably not an average hot rod teenager with idea, although lacking the money it takes to make the changes.

When we were in the throes of teenage cars and drag racing, I got my inclination to make changes to my brother’s 58 Impala for my own tastes. we were finished with our 40 Willys 671 SBC motor build and racing, so, it was now the Impala until I could get my own car for surf adventures.

My brother had moved on to old vws and vans customized for camping, in addition to the longer stay surf explorations along the coastal areas in So Cal. So, that left me with a nice Impala our mom confiscated for her own car to go shopping and visits to friend’s houses. So I had a nice Impala on alternating days along with my new find of a Flathead 40 Ford Sedan Delivery for our surf adventures.

There was no getting around trying to make changes to our teenage cars. My brother’s friends started the weekend meetings at our Westside of Long Beach house as a gathering spot to exchange ideas, swap parts, hubcaps, wheels, etc to see what they looked like on their own cars, if the bolt patterns were the same. Even if they weren’t I was the “young one” to do all of the wheel removals and bolt on the new changes, or just take off the one side of wheels and roll up them up to the other teen’s car.


Jnaki

So, in my own driving time as a teen the 58 Impala started as stock, then went to various wheel changes and even added black wall slicks to the mix.

As our expanded cruising range came into play, I was able to get a set of Buick Skylark wire wheels and got the necessary axle/lug bolts changes to allow me to fit the Skylark wires to the Impala. now, it was a whole new way to cruise. A custom car that was also fast with around 300+ hp and a C&O Stick Hydro to get me off of the starting line or stop light while others were trying to get traction with their shifting gears, etc. No contest, until the we waved goodbye, after selling it to a friend and prior to going off to college.
Thanks, @themoose
For me, it did make a difference in styling as well as being the underdog thinking a custom car was not going to be a fast car. With 6 red taillights showing up all of the times in the opponents front windshield, was satisfying… YRMV

 

Holy shit the Lee lenses are fire! 100% You get an A+

 

TIME TO SHARE THIS STORY AGAIN ::
Wheels , tires, yeah they make a difference,,,,how bout whole car ?
Dan Carter, a good friend of mine, had a turquoise '56 Chevy 210 Del Ray coupe, black and white del ray interior. It had stock painted wheels and small hubcaps 2 inch W/W's all the way around.
It also had a "built 389 Pontiac with tri-power," a Cad LaSalle transmission, Olds rear end With 4;56 gears,traction bars.

Ok, stay with me now, his widowed mother was a nurse at the hospital just down the road from the cruise epic center. She had an identical car !! except hers was a six cylinder three speed column shift.
she worked nights 10 hours at the hospital.
Ok, On Friday/Saturday nights, when the "hot shots" came to town to race and cruise, we would goat them into racing. The hood would be up on "mom's car, borrowed for the "event."

Dan would say I want to put my racing slicks (with black rims) on and then we will meet you out there.
I would hold the $100.00 from each driver. At the end of the quarter mile winner gets to pick up money from me. I would ride with the winner, Then meet back at appointed hamburger stand.

Mom's car would be idling in covered parking stall, (to make sure engine stayed hot.)
We would go by and trade for Dan's car, and head for Reynolds Road, get in the lane with engine turned off, the shell would pull up to the line, 3 horn honks and the race started.

Dan ALWAYS won, would pick me up, split the hundred, and go by the hospital , trade cars,
go back to Hamburger stand, and lift the hood and wait for the pigeon.
I can't remember how many just drove on by, when they saw the car sitting in the first parking spot
with hood up, showing the stock six cylinder, waiting for the next fun run.

O THE GOOD TIMES,, GAS WAS .30 CENTS A GALLON, AND LOTS OF DARK STRAIGHT COUNTRY ROADS...

Dan's gone, his mom, and so are the two Chevys.

 

Great read! Thanks for sharing!

 

What a beautiful truck!

 

Dude we did the modern equivalent in like 2001. Only with two 84 Chevy chevettes lol. Me and a buddy were hanging out drinking beer at his family farm poking around his family automotive field of dreams (aka junkyard). Came across a matching pair of chevettes. We grabbed a pinto rear end and a 327 and th350 from a c10 and crammed into one of them with cheap parts store hubcaps. Used the leftover parts to fix the other one to stock with similar hubcaps. Then the rest of the story was similar to yours .... though the 327 car was better at burnouts than racing lol

 

Many moons ago I made a thread on changing the wheels/tires/wheelcovers on my mercury.

Before:


After:

 

The various tire & wheel combinations we've run on the "HEMI 32" Coupe:

​

 

Wow! That is some great history, the hot rod looks great all along the journey.

 

Changed tires/wheels to 6.50x16 Firestones on 1941 Lincoln 5x16 wheels on rear and 4.75x16 Firestones on 1940 Ford 4x16 wheels on front. 1949 Ford 16" smooth trim rings and 1946 Ford hub caps. Changed headlights to Guide 903 J. Removed roll bar and put top up. Removed T-nerf bars and rerouted tailpipes through the rolled pan.

 

wheel & engine colour change, reverse eye spring, dropped headlight bar……

 

I’m partial to all 3 for different reasons

 

I had installed Ranchero taillights on my 57 Fairlane. I bought a 64? Galaxy taillight at a garage sale . It laid over the top of the Ranchero taillight. I made some 3/16” spacers out of aluminum to set the trim rim out so it would hold the 64 taillight in place .

 

From the Americans to the Steel wheels...

 

Nice save!

 

^^^I once looked at a 64 Vette roadster with the same wheel/tire setup except the tires were basically an all-terrain tread. Not sure what some folks are thinking. And, amazing what some slight changes can do.

 

Night and day

 

I'm waiting on the painted version, it's gonna be a knock out! HRP