Centerline wheel ?

Will the old centerline wheels that look like they are riveted together, hold up to drag racing?
I have a chance to buy an old set that are actually stamped "centerline". They are solid wheels that look like they are riveted together.
Thanks, Robert

 

been like that since the 70's. they haven't changed the auto drag style since it was new. that style has also been probably over 250mph....

 

If they are the solid aluminum ones, they are supposed to be lightweight and made for street and drag racing.

 

Should be fine if ya like that wheel. They are a PIA to keep clean especially with the rivets!!

 

that's what they were designed for

 

like these ? these I think say only for drag racing

 

I have some from the 80s that say FOR USE WITH BIAS TIRES ONLY. newer ones that are identical don't say that.

 

Centerline Wheels actually were two pieces riveted together with an O-ring seal between the outside and inside..
Copies of Centerlines just had rivet heads showing on a solid wheel..

 

The rims I pictured sure are thin feeling, like they wouldn't take much abuse from pot holes if used on the street but they sure are light ! I've used Weld drag-lights and pro-stars but haven't bolted these up to anything yet.

 

LOL This member rating system based on post is all wrong. And while I'm at it, just what part of Centerline has to do with traditional hotrod's? I ran them on my 67 Camaro in the 80's. They are nice rims, and well made. Look out for leaks on tubless as they are riveted togather. Check out construction and you have your answer.

 

this thread is way off topic (by 6 years) but it's interesting.

 

Ran em' on the street on my 64 Dodge 440 back in the 80's. I had 15x4's on the front with VW tires and 15x8.5 on the back with Pro-Trac 60's. They are tough, I never had a problem and drove that car everywhere. Also the area where the two 1/2's meet on the inside comes siliconed so they hold air perfectly. Aside from being off topic the only problem is that they will never look as good as the day they come out of the box ever again because there is just no reasonable way to properly clean around those rivets.

 

fun stuff....



and how it looks now

 

I've got a set that say that too. Never could figure out why though. I sure would like to put some radials on them.

 

my OT car has the centerlines that say that too and ive had bfg radials on them for 5 years no probs at all.

 

If they're the drag only ones they will develop cracks if used on the street. My bro in law had a set on a Firebird he got once, they were fractured all over the place...IIRC

 

nice car! c9 would be proud of those slots!!

 

Those Centerlines are both tough and lightweight.

I've never seen any that were for drag racing only. I remember Centerline used to advertise the fact that their wheels were lightweight race wheels that were street legal.

The VW off-road guys used to run those all the time, they could take a hell of a beating. You could dent the shit out of these and then hammer them back into shape and reuse 'em.

I bought a new set for my '57 Bug 'street-racer special' back in '77, these wheels were definitely the shit back then. Paid $44 each for the 15X3.5" fronts and $48 each for the 15X4.75" rears.

I'd trust the riveted Centerline Auto-Drag wheels on a street car over the Weld Drag-Lites or Pro-Stars any day.

 

Kinda 80ish not very trad !

 

One wheel style I never liked. It's like the laziest industrial designer ever got to design a wheel. No personality, no style, no imagination, and always seemed like a knock-off of Cragar Supertricks.

Only look good on an '80's build, and who's doing that?

I'm sorry, you weren't asking for my opinion?

 

maybe that's why I like it....form follows function.

as far as I can tell the Super Trick and Auto Drag both started in 1970

 

In another 20 years some of the same people bitching about them will cherish them like Halibrands.

 

The satin-finish Centerline Auto Drag.......one of my favorite wheels of all time and I've owned everything: real Halibrands, magnesium 5-spoke Americans, MotorWheel Flys, etc. Centerlines were designed for Drag Racing but they were also more than strong enough to live on street cars too. There were many off-shore copycats that lacked Centerline quality and were known for cracking and other poor quality issues. I remember how prestigeous it was to have a set of REAL Centerlines on your car. Funny thing is that today with the Drag Racing market so flooded with lightweight wheels (some looking downright dangerous!) that the the Centerline Auto Drag is considered too heavy for a serious Drag car! I really could give a shit less if a small group thinks of them as "un-traditional". They are still beautiful to me and when they're kept clean, they will always get my attention!

 

went to the "nostalgia drags" at Speedworld (phoenix) last month, pre-81 only cars, you never saw so many Auto Drag wheels in one place before.

 

I remember being 15 years old in the early eighties and wanting a set so bad I could taste it. Only the coolest cars had them on them. I like the fact that they are out of style because they are getting cheaper at swap meets!!! Very easy to clean the satin ones with spray on wheel acid from napa. Spray it on and hose it off, they look like new again.

 

They may not be traditional, but they are going on a FED that I am planning on building.
TE-440 chassis, 360 mopar with a 471 blower.
Robert

 

Centerline's advertised advantages over Super Tricks;
1. Consistant thickness because they were forged instead of spun.
2.The rivets were "better" than being bolted together.
3. Could be used on the street.

The first S/T' s came out in '70 , but Monocoque's supposedly came out earlier as sports car racing wheels by Competion Engineering.

 

I stand corrected, I just went out and looked and mine don't say "for drag use only" they say "for bias tires only"

 

One of the best looking drag racing wheels in my opinion... even better on street machines!

Sam

My Ol' Nova... wrinkling up the McCrearys on a good launch... on the street!

 

your old nova looks like one that races in the gasser series up here