Hot Rods Vintage Torque Thrust vs Brand New

So as I consider changing the wheel/tire combination on my 30 pickup I've been looking at ads on Craigslist and facebook marketplace, ebay, etc, and the ads for old used Torque Thrust wheels run anywhere from $175 to $200 each for common sizes with a Chevy bolt pattern. Brand new TT's run about $50 less than that. I'm sorry, forgive me if this is a dumb question, but is there something about the vintage wheels that makes them more valuable than the new? What am I missing here. I think about vintage wheels, and the risk I take if I buy them that they are damaged somehow, that the bolt pattern the seller claimed is correct and that he got the rest of the measurements correct, they aren't cracked, and then I still have old wheels that need to be cleaned up. Why do that instead of buy brand new? And get a clean wheel that's ready to go, and would have some kind of warranty, or could be returned if something was wrong, they won't fit, etc. Seems to me that as long as brand new wheels are available the vintage wheels would be LESS than new. What am I missing?

 

Are the new cheaper ones made offshore

 

yep

 

so?

 

It’s nostalgia dude, plus spoke shape, lug style, etc. Get um & find a good polisher...


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Yes!
That "something" is the original wheels actually do look vintage.
Speaking Torque Thrust "D" style wheels; as nicely finished as the new ones are and yes they are mfg offshore, they don't quite hit the mark on the way they looked originally.
But if you like how they look that's all that matters.
Based on any of the new ones I've looked at though the quality and price is hard to beat.

 

What you're missing is the new ones don't look the same. The originals used shank-style lug nuts and were of one-piece cast construction. This limited the fitments available as you needed a separate mold for each offset, diameter, and width. The wheel manufacturers have now mostly gone to two-piece wheels with a cast center welded into a rolled aluminum rim similar to a steel rim. This allows for easier changes to offset and wheel width as they only need a handful of molds for centers. You can get custom offsets now, something not available in the cast versions. Most wheels now use tapered-seat style lug nuts. When set side-by-side, the differences will be obvious. The modern versions look, well, modern...

A few manufacturers still offer one-piece cast wheels (AR and ET both do) in that style, but have very limited size/offset selections. ET still offers shank-style lug nuts as an option on most of their wheels, I don't believe AR does.

One 'feature' I don't miss with the old one-piece cast wheels is porous castings. Had more than a few that leaked right though the wheel with tubeless tires.

 

I’ve owned both
Like has been said the older wheels have a different look then the new ones.


Nice thing with the new ones is you get the off set you want
They are new straight and mint
And if they are a name brand ( American racing etc)
The quality is good


Lots of off shore off brands making knock off some are close most look just stupid and look like fakes, they are a cast wheel and the quality is sub par .

 

If you can find the old ones in your bolt pattern and lug pattern, great. Chevy wheels are everywhere it seems, us guys with the small Ford pattern aren't as lucky. Most of what I see offered are 14" in a Ford pattern, a no go for me. I'll end up buying new for that reason. Besides, most people aren't going to notice the difference anyway. Now if you were talking about the new style TTII, I'd be more in agreement, the II's have more of a curved spoke that's just not as appealing to me.

 

The original American "D" spoke wheel had a somewhat curved spoke compared to the standard version, done for added clearance on disc brake Corvettes.
The first time I saw those new large diameter wheels with the pronounced curved spoke I threw up in my mouth a little.

 

These are 15X5 Torq Thrust TTOs made a few years ago in China.



This is an original Torq Thrust made probably 30 years ago in Japan.



The easiest differences to spot are the mag style lug nuts and the smaller center cap.

-Abone.

 

Sometimes its best to 'just leave perfection alone! ' Those large diameter Torque thrusts(anything larger than 16") just look....... phony. Insult to injury is putting a set of those rubber band tires on'em.......then bitch about the harsh ride!

Here ya go DDDenny^^

 

Damn, that's nice!....

 

Brings back memories....Just for the heck of it here's some pictures that I took in the late 60's of my 39 Chev coupe that I built with a 241 Dodge hemi bored, ballanced,Crower cam and 4 Stromburg 97's. It had Torque thurst wheels that were actually made of magnesium thus the name "Mag Wheels" Had a lot of fun with it back in the day.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys. It helps.

 

Just wanted to update this thread with this link I ran across the other day, it touches directly on the question I asked here. Good info!
http://www.roadsters.com/wheels/?fb...0OpR4dSrXWPHGTeK-hCHBKaQ9wy32I8z0h6hmaPE8YVUU

 

One issue for the Ford guys with the 4.5" pattern using the new AR TT wheels is the larger center cap interferes with the lug nuts. You can get a socket in there, but it's hard against the center cap and will dent/deform the cap unless you remove it before removing/installing a lug nut... You Ford guys know what I'm talking about.

I machined mine for clearance. I built a simple fixture to fit in my mill vise, the caps attach with two screws, after each relief is cut you rotate the cap to the next one and repeat. Takes some time but eliminates the problem. I'm a bit surprised that AR doesn't address this from the factory...


Finished cap....

 

I've seen vintage magnesium Americans that had a small Ford 4.5" pattern, and the inner bore where the hub fits actually poked through right at the lug nut clearance bore. Just a little, and probably didn't weaken the wheel much, but it looked odd. That's why I prefer an early Ford 5.5" pattern.

 

But the early Ford bolt pattern isn't as popular anymore and can limit you wheel choices...

 

Isn't as popular? Check the prices and see if the same vintage wheel is cheaper with a 5.5" pattern.

 

I recently bought a set of TTO's. I was surprised at the very light gray color of the centers. I thought I remembered them as being darker. Don't mind the dirty tires and wheels. They just chip and sealed our road. Everything is mess. But yeah, weren't they darker when they first came out?

 

This hobby has gotten ridiculous in the past few years. You have to pay top dollar for old stuff or you're just not as cool! Dumb. Buy the new ones and save the money. It's your car who cares what people think.

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They work for me....

 

The dark ones you remember seeing were made of magnesium.

 

I believe you're thinking of the darker modern "D", when they came out with the "torq thrust original" they made it a lighter gray to resemble the original 60's version which was raw aluminum

 

Good find. Makes for some good reading.

 

I'm using the new style on my 56 Ford (15" x 6")and I agree with the center cap deal. I remove them before using any socket on the lugs. Changed all the screws too so I could use a 1/8" allen and not metric. I also needed to us the Gorilla lugs which extended down into the wheel. I like that they miss brake calipers without spacers at least on the Wilwood discs I installed. I'm fine with the gray they use. Everything for me does not need to be 60's authentic.

 

The TTO's are offered in a light grey and a darker grey and I too screwed up and ordered the light grey, Summit has both listed in their catalog, I called them and they said I could send them back for a exchange but it would take several days and I would have to pay the shipping, after all it was my mistake, I just kept them but I do like the darker grey better. HRP

 

I suspect the new wheels are probably better quality and safer even if they were made offshore then those cast in the 60-70’s. There has been vast improvements in casting processes and metallurgy in the last 50 plus years.

Porosity and micro porosity that was acceptable back then wouldn’t be tolerated today. There should also be some consideration as to how an old wheel has been used over the years and rather or not it has been modified or repaired because of a crack or being bent. A popular repair was machining the rim edge to remove curb rash. These wheels were also modified for brake clearance, backspace, and lug nut differences. I would think at a minimum a careful inspection is in order. Zyglo/Penetrant inspection would also be a good idea for an aluminum casting that old. Just because it is old or made in the USA doesn’t mean it’s automatically better.

 

I have both. Four original ones with period tires for shows, cruises and such. Four new ones with tires for the drag strip. I glass beaded the new ones. Painted the spokes with the same Cast Blast as the old ones. Polished the outside with the same 400 paper. From across the driveway they look pretty darn close. Also, the new ones really take a special lug nut. It has a tapered seat and a small diameter short shank as well. I can tell you the new ones balanced out better. Gene.