G'day, For our 30th anniversary, my wife purchased a pair of Motor Fly wheels for the front of my 59. Does anyone know anything about them. They appear to be magnesium and are 15" by 3.5 or 4". thanks
They are *****in' wheels and I would only use them on the front of a lightweight car. They say "For Drag Racing Only" inside the rim and are actually one of the few parts that really mean that! Several people have tried to run them on street cars with bad consequences.......they WILL crack with 100% probability. If you really have your heart set on using them, I'd make sure to use a VERY tall 28-29 inch tall front tire (NO RADIALS!) to help cushion and absorb any impacts.
Yes, they are and you should not run them on the street If they are indeed fly's ..if they are spyders, well then its ok
G'day, No street use? Darn. If I can get the car done for next years Hamb Drags, I guess I can show them off there. Would they be period correct for a 59 drag car? ms
They were used in the early 70's on mostly pro-stock cars few Modified production cars, etc Big buck wheels, don't ruin them These are Spyders
Those are Motor Wheel Spyders, not Flys oops, you got it. There is a set of Spyders on a 59 Ford out here in storage that I have watched for close to 30 years. Still in the same place!
Actually those are the rare race Spyders. The regular ones were a chromed steel rim with a riveted in aluminum center. The skinny Flys and Cragar Supertricks should not be used on the street unless the car is real light, like 2500 lbs.
G'day, Thanks for the pics. I do have the Fly's. They are really dark but I think I will leave them that way. The natural patina is pretty cool. ms
I see Spyders here at swap meets often, never fly's There is a swap meet once a year @ Spencer Iowa in the fall One guy shows up with 4 -5 sets of each every year Last time I priced them they were $1500 for a pair of 15 x 3.5 Bogart makes a copy if the fly, its not as cool but close enough
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=243114&highlight=rare+wheels&page=18 Look at post #342 Here is the whole thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=243114&highlight=rare+wheels
I always loved both the Motor Wheel Flys and Spyders. So I had to buy a set of Centeline Telstars for my early Nova. Thought about taking a Scotch Brite pad to them but didn't have the guts. Gary
the lightweight bogarts (without the solid rear half) look REAL close to the flys.....i saw a pair that were satin finished on a nova wagon. looked real close.
My 55 had the magnesium Fly's on the front when I bought it. Kind of a early 70's look. I'm pretty sure the previous owner had driven it on the street a bit, but it had 7.10-15 tires.
well, i just learned sumpin"! didn't know they made "race" spyders.....how much did THEY weigh? the street ones were boat anchors...
I have a set of bogarts on my 70 cuda with satin finish and they look almost exact ,I even had billet caps made to look like the original caps . By the way the aluminum wheels were flys and the magnez wheels were Fleas you can see the wheels on my site front page .C
Here's 2 pics of my Duster - one with motorwheel flys ( we stopped using them as the wheelies were getting bigger and bigger, we were afraid they would crack.) The other pic is with the Bogart Flys with satin finish. Eric Bogart is a big motorwheel fan and he even machined his wheels so they would accept the original Motorwheel centercaps free of charge ! The Flys The Bogarts
Had them on my car many years ago. These actually came off the Super Stock Magazine Maverick of Arlen Fadley
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