CRAGAR SS are as good as it gets. There are a few others in the same coolness category . But CRAGAR's are timeless.
One of the most popular wheels in the '60s. We could get seconds directly from Cragar if we ran their decals.
I just put a set on my ‘58, replacing the polished Torque Thrusts that were on it. Huge improvement. I like it.
They were my wheel of choice for my very first 1950s ride, and at the time were the in thing. Today, it’s all about nostalgia, baby!
Someone already mentioned it here. If YOU like them, they are cool. Not that it matters much but I like em.
I've had several sets..on the right car (perfect on tri-five Chevs) they are the "go to" wheel for me.
Had them on my 70 Chevelle and they were perfect for that car,haven’t used them since. I gave up polishing wheels 10 years ago, steelies and caps forever now.
.....Had them on a '72 Chevelle back then as well. They were perfect for the car at the time, or at least I thought so....That was the old style Cragars. I don't like the new ones. They messed with the spokes somehow. They just don't look like the ones from the '60's and '70's.
I just wanted to say.... Stay away from the uni-lug mags.. them things are dangerous!!!!.... Get the right ones that fit your bolt patterns.... Enjoy your rides!....
Anybody that thinks that Cragar SS don’t belong on a hot rod needs to see this picture of your deuce. End of story. Also, yes, the current version has flattened spokes for some unexplained reason. I have asked Cragar customer support about this: no response.
I guess that old threads never die--back to life after being dormant for 10 years (and still the same comments) Roo
Cragar SS's are excellent choices for muscle cars & mid '50's through mid '70's hot rods. IMO, the chrome finish makes them a little more showy and less racy than 5-spokes or slots. I had 'em on my '55 way back before I knew what traditional hot rodding was.
I don't understand, aren't torq- thrust made by centerline? All aluminum construction? Edit, sorry for the stupidity, American racing, not centerline.
Hello, It is Cragar, not Crager. When they came out in 1964, people just looked at those as an alternative to purchasing a real American Racing Equipment mag wheel. The look was similar with 5 spokes, but they were shiny. It was noted then that they were trying, but just looked like knock offs. It was hard to knock off the top brands on the market at the time, American Racing Equipment and Halibrand. But, with a lower cost, the Cragar S/S wheel made dents in the overall scene. They still looked like knock offs, but now there was another choice. Since the original American Racing Equipment 5 spokes were not polished to a chrome shine, this gave people some glitter. It still looked like a cheaper alternative to the “real” mag wheel. The Halibrand models just stood out with no competitors in that look, as yet. Jnaki From 64-68, there were other companies that created their own brand of wheels as it was a buyer’s market. Some even started showing up on factory production cars. So, for one group of hot rodders, then on to the next age group, the choices were there. They all wanted the notoriety and market that American Racing and Halibrand created from the drag racing world. Real American Racing Equipment 5 spoke Torq Thrust model for the street. The American Racing Equipment worked for most, but the initial outlay was quite expensive for teenagers. But, the alternative was the lower cost, shiny Cragar S/S wheel as it combined the 5 spoke look with chrome polishing. “To each his own…” The choice was always there for new wheels for our 58 Impala. By the time I was the owner, the silver rims and finally the small Chevy hubcaps and trim was the last high school look. Then with some finagling, I was able to get a set of Buick Skylark Wire Wheels. I finally ended up with black Buick rims before I sold the Impala to a friend. But, all along, this is the look that I wanted as soon as the American Racing Equipment 5 spoke mag wheels came out on the market. The depressing thing was that they were too expensive for a teenager back then. It would have looked as fast as it was, but with a definite drag racing look. VERY CLASSY… https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/pics-of-58-chevies.951592/page-24#post-13490151 https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/pics-of-58-chevies.951592/page-24#post-13466915
I was just playing around, Cragar's look great on a lot of cars like the ones posted above. On some cars they don't look quite right but you could say that about any wheel. American Racing owns torq-thrust and American Racing is owned by Platinum Equity as of 2005 from what i read.
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