Now, I know what you guys are thinking when you read the title. No company made magnesium slots, but I've recently bought a pair of wheels 15x10, that I tested by sanding off a small section to the bare metal, poured on a little of white vinegar and sure enough there was a reaction as compared to an aluminum wheel. The clear vinegar went white and bubbled. What I want to know is, has anybody seen a pair of wheels like these? If so, which company makes them? There are not any castings in the wheel indicating who made them. They are poorly cast, the front looks good, but they are rough on the back, access clumps of magnesium around the gussets, ect...Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Romeo Palamides? Halibrands with the lip removed? I lean toward the first mention but the real wheel guys will know better. Personally any wheel with a dish and a window is a slot to me.
That's because you're used to having your dishes served through a slot in the window. Slot mags rule !!
Actually in Oakland once it was a steel door and no bars. I was sure glad when they decided that it was a case of mistaken identity. Much like my original though of Romeo Palamides, if you look close enough at the pics those were probably Halibrand's you can see a faint hint if there the lip around the window used to be.
Not Halibrands. They were probably made by Palimedes, either during his own era or later when they were called Americans. The window shape is a bit odd, but the outer lip looks a whole lot like some ancient magnesium 5-spoke Americans I have.
Alchemy Help me out here I know off topic for the thread but anyway You would know better then I would, what is the story ( short version is good) on Romeo Palimedes and American mags. He started out manufacturing mags and then sold out to American or he took on a partner then they became American mags? American came from Romeo's start correct?
^^^^^^^^what he said Note the earlier Palimedes they only had four slots 57-62 but later mid-sixties to early seventies Palimedes had 5 slots
I'm not a wheel guy, but as a point of reference, here are magnesium Halibrand big windows. The OP's wheels look a lot like these but with the lips around the slots ground off.
I don't remember the details. I think he gained a partner and they changed the name? Somebody will probably chime in soon who knew him personally and helped pour the first set of wheels.
Palamides formed Palamides Racing Equipment when he started making his first wheels. Partners were Jim Ellison who owned the machine shop where the wheels were machined, and Tom Griffith, an engineer who also worked on the wheels. Palamides wanted to race full time, so he sold out to his partners to get the money to do that. They then changed the name to American Racing Equipment. Over the long run, that decision to sell out probably cost Palamides about a bazillion dollars.
I'm not 100% convinced that they aren't Halibrands with the lip removed. I have a pair of 15 x 8 Halibrands that have a slightly bigger hole than the "kidney bean" but smaller than the "big window". If you removed the lip from mine they might look like that. I'll have to dig them out and compare them to your pics.
I recall an article in one of the magazines many years ago where some guy welded lips around all the windows of his aluminum slot wheels. You gotta want it pretty bad.
Did you ever think about it, that word, Mag Wheel? Just maybe they were made of Magnesium. ...................... Jack
Jack--I'm hip to ya. Not clear on your point however. Did you see any mention of the word "mag" wheel in my post? Unless you know something I don't, I still remember them being aluminium. Cordially....................Doug
Near as I know Palamide was only ever a 4 slot design. Some with lips on the window,most without. I would call the OP's wheels medium window Halibrands,that probably had the ribs taken off for brake drum clearance when run reversed. I don't believe their were any Palamide wheels produced after it became American; they did make their "standard" 4 slot in the60's. I'm no expert but have been a freak for these for a long time.
I have a set of halibrands with no lips still have cast #s, halibrand and culver city mold markings right into hole no space for lips, 15's
Thanks for the help guys. Greatly appreciated. I'm no wheel expert. That's why I'm asking here. I would have expected a better quality from halibrand. Mind you I've never inspected real mag halibrands. The guy that sold them to me said that they were halibrands, but they have no marking on the front or back. They are my first set of magnesium wheels. I'm pretty excited but just want to know as much as I can.
Sorry DDD, my comments have nothing to do with your post, only referring to the thread title. ......................... Jack
Sure. Mag wheel means magnesium wheel. The reason why the title is magnesium slots? Is I've read many people's posts online, even on this site, many responses are, no one ever made magnesium slots and these are the closest that I have seen.
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