Mag Wheel Guys - WTF is going on???

I have been collecting various wheels for a couple of years. I have some nice magnesium wheels and a bunch of aluminum slots. All my stuff is for drag racing.... skinny fronts and rears that are 10-12" wide.

Just when I thought I had a handle on the prices... it seems like they have taken a quantum leap recently.

Here is the latest pair that blew me away:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=002&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=120058847002&rd=1,1

I had a very nice pair of these that were single drilled that I bought for $500. I had them polished and put them on the shelf for a while. I decided I didn't want to run the 8" wheels, so I put them on ebay and they fetched $1200.

The guy I bought them from got all pissed off at me for making a profit and wont even talk to me anymore. I guess he felt like a sucker. Well I guess now I'm a sucker too.

I'm just like a lot of you. I buy stuff I like if the price is right. If I get short on cash I will sell stuff to fund my projects. But now I feel like I'd be crazy to sell any of my stuff with the way the prices are going.

Sorry for the long rant.....

 

I know what you mean man, I just sold a pair on ebay for 1600 last week , couldnt believe it..

 

Mark my words... this shit is CHEAP now... just wait 4 or 5 years... in 10, they'll eihter be making exact copies... or we'll be paying 10k per wheel.

Sam.

 

Damn, I sold a pair just like that for $300. Of course that was 15 years ago....... hind sight, ain't it a bitch?

 

Sure glad I hold onto my old stuff. Had these for about 20 years now and I'm sure I'll still have them 20 years from now.

 

oops...here's the picture.

 

I just gave away a pair of generic slot mag wheels for 6 lug GM trucks...15x10's...nothing special...hell, I got them on ebay for 40 bucks including shipping from colorado to MN...stuff like that will never be expensive...but the real slot mags, torq thrusts, and all those other names and styles that people recognize in sizes they can use will always go up...it's insane...us regular joes can't hardly use the stuff unless we luck into a bunch for cheap so we can sell it off to barely afford the things we really want...oh well, someday the trends will die down and we'll all happily snatch everything up at rock bottom prices...or at least I can dream, right?

 

Somebody's re-proing those small window front wheels now, can't remember who........I saw it in TRJ a while back. I know they ain't cheap!

 

I just wish those people who engage in the speculation of old race parts would leave the race parts to racers and go play the stock market or something. I have no respect for speculators in this market and I suspect no one who wants to build a car does either. In the long term the market will crash, it always does. What you are seeing now is a market bubble.

 

All I want is my one missing Appliance center cap...and some flat center spyder cap style covers (without the center bullet, just a flat plate) with a 5x5 pattern...then I'm done looking for wheel parts for a while...unless of course someone happens to make Right and Left handed chrome mopar lug bolts? that'd be nice too...

 

Wheel Vintiques is repoping them in Aluminum. A polished pair runs around $800

I wouldn't buy them for the same reason I wouldn't by a glass car.

 

Kev, I finally have a pair of Kidney Beans being offered to me. Real deal magnesium 15x4.5's. But they are double drilled. I've been dragging my feet cause they aint cheap.

I have a cherry pair of 15x4.5 Sprints that I could sell but I'm sure I'll kick myself down the road.

 

you wouldn't buy a 'vette?...hehehe...I know what you mean about the re-pop stuff...but what about the new castings of stuff that was never made, but is made to reflect the old style 50's and 60's parts? Like, say, Standard Speedshop fuel distribution blocks, or intake manifolds...they're technically not reproductions, just happen to be new castings of old style parts...

 

Thanks a lot Puddin, now you got me started on trying to find the wheel parts I've been missing and I came across these beauties...sure, they're not mag wheels...but they're in damned fine shape... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GM-1...0QQihZ016QQcategoryZ43954QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem oh, and I did find my center cap, and if anyone bids against johnny_cliche for it I'll rip your throat out...I need that damned Appliance center cap...

 

I saw apair of mag' kidney hole front wheels sell at Bakersfied for 2 grand and the guy told me he sold a polished pair earlier for 4 grand. I have only seen one other pair at a swap meet for sale in the last 20 years so if I was you I wouldn't hesitate. The multi bolt pattern doesnt bother me but I'm just not very picky. I realize single pattern is better . You could make a plate to cover it. I would make the plate out of i/8" magnesium sot he color will kinda match.

 

so beautiful...I'll never get tired of seeing that gray color...hey Kev, what size are those BF Goodrich's you have in that first photo you posted? Those are exactly the style of tire I want to run on the front of my gasser...

 

stop it...I think I'm about to mess my pants...spindle mounts, daisy spokes, and flats wheels...oh my...I need those 15x10 Torq Thrusts in the pic with the mint green truck in it...hell, I need all of that stuff...just ship it over to MN...

 

Standard Speedshop......5.00-15 from Coker.

 

Jesus these pics are crazy....I want those 12 spokes man!

 

www.realrodderswheels.com

makes awesome wheels!

they are close enough for me being happy with their sortiment..

even make em in magnesium aswell..

 

i'm going to run realrodderswheels smallwindows on my 1934 coupe
if i cant afford to buy the magnesium americanracings i'm spoken for that is..

 

So Mr. KK, is any of that stuff for sale, or are you just trying to make those of us who sold some of that stuff in the past bang our collective heads against the wall........

 

That's just pictures I took at the swap meet. It's all out of my price range.

 

Well you better step up now, cause like Sam said, they will most likely keep going up.

 

That's gotta be Greg Shelton.

I dont understand why a polished pair would bring almost double though. I have a guy here in the valley that will take a grey pair of magnesium wheels and polish them like chrome for less than $100.

 

I think the gasser craze has driven the prices for vintage wheels thought the roof. The 15 x 4.5 American magnesium 5 spokes were around $800-1000 on ebay last year. I saw a NOS pair sell for $2500. Now even the ratty ones are $2500. I guess the pair I saw this fall for $1800 were a bargain??? If this keeps up it won't be long before somebody decides to remake them. American dropped the ball when they made the TTO, it doesn't look anything like the original. Ain't nothing like the real thing! Anybody got a pair of Crestlines for sale? LOL

 

I paid 200 for the ones on the rear of the Fly and 600 for the 12 spokes on the front a year later.