Hot Rods Do TrueSpoke wheels have any value?

My car (pic in avatar) came with a set of True Spoke wheels (chrome) I haven't used them, they're not my style. They just sit wrapped up in my attic. I'm not sure if I should just let them sit up there just in case I change my mind or sell them. Do they have any value? They seem to have gone out of style. Thoughts?
EDIT - I'll try to add a photo here to see what style they are. I'm just not too crazy about how they look. What do you guys think?

 

I paint them and use in place of old ford wheels . I think the paint looks better than chrome.

 

Chrome wires look good on the right car but are a PITA to keep clean and keep rust away. I wouldn't paint them though; it can be tough getting paint to stick to chrome, I'd powder coat instead.

If there's zero rust, they're worth good money although size/bolt pattern will affect that. I'd say anywhere from $800 to $2K for four really nice ones. Wire wheels are big bux new...

 

Thanks Steve. Am I correct in assuming that wire wheels are out of style? I see very few on this site and elsewhere. These are hardly used and rust free, but I'm just not sure that I like the way they look on the car.

 

I’ve been saying for a few years now that the original Tru-Spoke style wheel will be back in style soon. The ones with the small center cap, first popular circa 1973. Might take another decade for the OP’s wheels to come back in vogue.

 

They look A LOT better without whitewalls on a fender less car. More of a Four Door Stocker thing for me. But I do still love 'em.

 

Right wheel for the right car. I had tru spokes on a 69 vette, looked cool in the early 80's. Chrome KH spokes on a T-bird is tits! Buick wires? Can't be beat but not on a GS455. I think the problem for me is that they don't say muscle car, or muscle hot rod. It's a cruiser wheel. Low riders look great with spokes. Your avatar looked like a guy with work-out clothes and dress shoes. Both are fine, but not at the same time.

Sell em. Nice wheels! They need to find the right car. IMHO

 

You can take them to a plater and have them de-chromed, then blast and paint )or powder coat properly).
They'd look great in Maroon or another traditional color on your car.

 

Actually your little "A" looks pretty cool with them. One thing I would mention: Don't leave them for a long time wrapped in your attic in the heat and humidity of Houston. Make sure to protect them with wax or a light coating of oil as they will become a real pain to de-rust down the road.

 

They look good as is; I wouldn't paint them. Yes, they will rust and require a lot of maintenance. Finding someone to true them (if/when needed), balance them, or mount tires, can be a problem. Some/most shops won't touch them for liability reasons. They also require running tubes, which is not a good thing on a regular driver riding on tubeless tires.
If you can afford two sets of wheels and tires, keep the True Spokes for show, and use the other for driving.

 

I think they suit the style/colour of your car. So they’ll be someone else out there who wants them. Storing chrome wires is tricky they do tarnish/rust even in storage.

 

Somewhere, somebody wants exactly what you have. Those are not cheap wheels. They've got all kinds of traditional style. They aren't a passing fad. If you think you want painted spokes, don't start with those. get some others that are or were made to be painted.
That type of wheel is subject to rusting if not stored in a temperature-controlled situation. Say that they're stored in a garage or attic and the ambient temperature has been cool at 50 degrees for long enough for the wheels to also be at 50. If a warmer and more humid weather front rolls in, that humidity can condense on the cooler wheels like a glass of ice tea on the back porch. Over time it can happen more than once, each time like you sprayed them with a garden hose. Covering in plastic trash bags, or similar, with a minimum of leaks and pinholes helps a lot. Double bags are cheap insurance. But "inside" storage is best if you can do it.

 

Mid-'70s we had a friend who bought a Sierra gold & ivory '56 Bel Air hardtop with under 30,000 miles that looked brand new. He put some Tru-spokes with black tires on it - looked like a million bucks.

 

Those would be perfect for one of my "builders" - a '55 Stude Speedster(came w/wire wheelcovers). Or on a 70's resto-rod.
Marcus...

 

If there not perfect then there crap.
Mine are not perfect.

Some early ones were known to have issues and True spoke will not service them. The later ones they do . I think there still In business.

PITA to keep up , prone to rust , dog pee damage,

Expensive if there mint.

I'm considering trying to paint my set . No way I can afford rechrome .
There coming off my A PU

 

X2 what @Bandit Billy said.

 

Years ago, when I bought my 47 Dodge Business coupe, from a dealership in Stockton Illinois, it had a set of Tru-spoke wire wheels on it.

They had already been neglected and were not in the best shape appearance wise.

They had rust, chrome was peeling off of the spokes, etc.

My friend and I drove it from back east out to Seattle.
We had one flat on that trip, and fortunately, that happened in a motel parking lot over night.
The inner tube had let go.
Long story short, it wasn't the easiest situation to deal with, but we got it done.
It was my intention to replace them with Wheel-Smith artillery wheels, but the car eventually got sold.

Up close, you could see just how bad they looked, but with some steel wool and some FLITZ, from about 40 feet away, they kind of looked okay, but the sad reality of these type of wheels, is they require a lot of attention to keep them clean.

And inner tubes are required for them as well.
Every ones results may vary.

 

I'm looking for wheels right now. Stuff you would think is easy isn't. Slim pickings for stuff I'd buy and run. Those will have a buyer, but it's going to be tough to find the person who wants them. All I can say is advertise. I would not spend a lot of time fingering them into their best, buyers always want 'em cheap and a diamond in the rough, not pay for your time getting them nice.

 

I had a set on a '79 Ranchero Squire (faux wood trim). It was such an ostentatious combination that I liked it. Unfortunately in Minnesota, after 5 years they were toast.

 

If the wheels in the original picture are what you're referring to, those are "Street Rod Wires", originally made by Wheel Vintiques in the 90s and then copied by a few other places. They have 52 spokes and are styled after the orginal Ford wires. True Spokes are styled more like the original Buick wires and have 40, 45, or 50 spokes.

Also, wire wheels will never go out of style. Fully chrome wheel are pretty flashy, they require the rest of the car to also have a lot of chrome to not look out of place.

 

Somebody wants these. May be out of style on the hamb but not everyone is on the hamb.
Not everyone is in style either.
Hell ,most cars shows around here have cars that are dated to the 90s.

 

Got my set in 1975. Never could keep them balanced. I use them for rollers.

 

My Model A coupe came with Tru-spokes and they hadn't been taken care of. I replaced them with black steel wheels, cleaned them up and put them on Craigslist. They sold immediately for some decent bucks, $600-700 IIRC. New ones are ridiculously expensive, so the guy was glad to find a good used set.

Like someone said, around here they aren't very popular, but the HAMB is a small cross section of the greater hot rod community. They aren't "out of style" there's just a smaller market for them right now. I wouldn't have them on any of my cars, chrome or painted, but the guy who bought mine was thrilled to get them. To each his own.
Don't ruin a good chrome set with paint or powder coat, if you don't want them, sell or trade them. If yours are as nice as you say, they should bring much more than mine did.
BTW, I'm glad that I only had to clean them once....

 

HA HA...I know that guy.

 

this car looks bad ass just as it sets,... this new trend of everybody's cars having to look exact to be excepted in the click is not only boring, but horrible... ol car get togethers were about checking out all the stuff there... now it's sit in chairs and make fun of anything differant.. shun the new guy, Custom used to mean do what blows your skirt up... like a dually roadster pickup slammed... sounds cool to me, and I'd walk across the parking lot to check it out... the get togethers I been to lately, the old guys park their cars and go sit in the shade and criticize the cars as they roll in..

 

post up a pic of how you changed it...

 

If they were in my attic I'll take them out into the driveway clean them for the last time, photograph them, and advertise them. How many times will a chromed wire wheel owner clean the wheels? Life is way to short to spend the time. Shipping cost will be a price consideration. Good luck.

Bob

 

The lowrider guys dig the non-staggered sets.

I’ve always kinda dug the hot rod style spokes on a fendered ride.
Friend of mine was looking for some a few years back. Used an old set of Cregar spokes.

 

Depending on size/pattern/condition, I'd consider a trip to Houston to buy them from you if you decide to sell.

 

I’ve got a set of rusty originals in the classifieds for almost give away price. Can’t give them away…..