Customs Astro Supreme wheels history

My little brother had to get some new fronts to match the old rears on one of his cars. They showed up and "nope", sent them back. Ended up having to track down another good older pair.

 

Those look more like cragar ET's with a SS cap. ( or its the new modern equivalent ) The vintage cragar SS's definitely have a more rounded spoke design.

 

Astro Supremes have a very slight tapered spoke….. most of what I see here look more like chrome plated TT’s.

 

Not to derail here but what did the original Cragar SS wheels look like compared to the ones above ?
I like & have cars w both Astros & Cragars. Just to keep it on topic...a pic for yall.

 

The spokes were round, not flat flaced. The flat spokes came about when Cragar got bought out. No idea why they changed the spoke shape, seems easy to enough to make them correctly.....I actually knew the guy who bought the brand when the change happened. I'll see if I feel like saying more in a few days, but he had a hand in the whole new Gone in 60 Seconds Eleanor Mustang monstrosity thing as well....here's a real S/S.

 

Ok, I get it now seeing them side by side, thanks for that.
Mine are stamped w an 80s date I believe. Probably the flats, but im not walking to the shop to look just to bum myself out.

 

Perfect wheels for a Watson era Kustom!

 

I used to think ( back in 70s ) those were imitation cheapo Cragar knock-offs

 

Personally, I've never been a big fan of the Supremes, I've always thought they looked a bit clunky. But I have a soft spot for the Astro Customs. Look at show pics from the '62-63 season and they were everywhere. One 'flaw' shared by both was they were considerable heavier than a 'normal' steel wheel and much heavier than the one-piece cast aluminum versions, somewhat heavier than the composite wheels like the Cragar.

Unfortunately, the Customs had several other flaws. Unlike other manufacturers, Astro ***embled their wheels then plated the whole wheel in one go. Initially these were offered in two versions: the 'standard' Custom and the 'deluxe' version. The difference was the standard model had the center welded in from the back only. This left a visible gap on the 'out' side and rust would pretty quickly appear in it. The Deluxe version was welded on both sides, and the outside welds were dressed before plating, preventing rust. This wheel was copied quite a bit, and AFAIK none of the copies had this feature so all of the wheels acquired a reputation for this.

The second flaw was more serious. Astro (and all of the era copies) used a simple concave disc center about 1/4" thick (although that could vary a**** the copies), much thicker that what you'd find on other steel wheels. What was missing was the raised boss for the lug nuts found on all other steel wheels, as well as any stiffening bends. That boss serves as a Belleville washer, keeping the nuts tight as well as allowing a small amount of flex under loads. This led to cracking at the lug holes, not good. That's why Astro added an additional plate welded to the center later and is why these wheels were so heavy. But the reputational damage was done by that point, and they disappeared.

You can get a modern replacement however. Not quite an exact copy, but all the issues have been addressed. Look here... https://www.pavementequipped.com/shop
Not particularly cheap, but not a lot more. And he'll build them to your spec at no additional cost. I bought a set for my convertible and the quality is first-rate. One issue is he doesn't sell the towers/knockoffs, but those are now available again from the 'lug nut king' for about $100 for all four. Because of the redesign on the center, these are no heavier than a 'standard' steel wheel of the same width.

Dare to be different!

 

I did not see Supremes on that link. If I were to put mag wheels on a car now I would be buying Supremes rather than Cragar. I bought my set in 79, and in my opinion they’re not making them anymore. These really are a good looking wheel.

 

He sells copies of the Astro Custom, not Supremes. I'll admit the new Supreme versions look better than the originals, but still not my cup of tea...

 

Was never overly fond of the cast centers on some of the 5 spoke after-market rims particularly when eye balling the hollow nature of the backside, probably okay but back in 1963 or so I opted for all steel 5 slot Astro's on my recently acquired 58 Biscayne, felt they were as close as one could come to an Indy or salt flat vibe at the time. Here in the Nebraska farmland my buddies said they looked like plow discs welded on hoops; however, they thought otherwise when equipped with simulated 3 bar knockoffs.