Features Vintage front wheels, post pic's here.

I love old mag wheels. When I see old skinny front wheels, magnesium or aluminum, my heart starts pumping. I've seen many cars that would benefit from a pair of pizza cutters up front. Nothing kills the look of car like oversize front wheels!

Here are some front wheels I had several years ago, I still have the kidney hole Halibrands, the rest I either traded for other parts or sold.


I kept these 15x4 aluminum Crestlines when I sold this coupe. I originally bought them in line at the Long Beach swap meet for $35!! Gotta love a bargain.


Here are the Halibrands I'm using on my 34 coupe project. Not sure why they are so rare, there were plenty of them in the old magazines. I just realized I've had them for over 15 years, I think i've only seen one pair for sale in that time.
Now let's see some pics of your old front wheels.

 

I also have a pair of Malibrand magnesium 15 by 4 1/2 kidney beans, in a Chevy bolt pattern. Once I've refinished them I'll have pictures of them. Here are some of my other old front wheels.


Halibrand magnesium Sprint 15 by 4 1/2


American Racing Torq-Thrust "D" 15 by 6 narrowed to 15 by 4 1/2


American Racing magnesium 15" 12-spokes with early Ford spindles


It's a disease.

Page about my wheels: http://www.roadsters.com/mag/

Page about classic racing wheels: http://www.roadsters.com/wheels/

Dave Mann
(602) 233-8400 weekdays
http://www.roadsters.com/

 

Can you explain how they went about narrowing an aluminum /mag wheel? I'm curious as hell. Nice collection!!!!!
I've got some old crestlines on my 33 Plymouth. 6"wide...

 

My aluminum Torq-Thrusts were narrowed by putting the wheel in a lathe, taking a parting tool and making two cuts on the inside of the rim, machining a step on each mating surface, fitting them together, TIG-welding them, and then doing the final machining. I had mine narrowed by Lonnie Gilbertson and I don't remember what it cost.

If you're serious about having aluminum wheels narrowed, call Lonnie Gilbertson at Gilbertson Machine in Portland, OR at (503) 233-6491, or Eric Vaughn at Vaughn Machine in Monrovia, CA at (626) 358-6413.

Dave Mann
(602) 233-8400 weekdays
http://www.roadsters.com/

 

I once had some wheels widened by Eric Vaughn and it took over one year so keep that in mind. They came out nice but that was a hell of a wait and many phone calls.

 

Wow thats an awesome wheel collection. They are a work of art. I love it its like having a whole pile of stuff everyone wants. Very impressive in deed. Imagine finding all them at one swap meet. But then again you need like $100.00 or so to buy them all. John

 

Both shops are run by good people who are real hot rodders. Eric's shop is a one-man operation. Lonnie Gilbertson's shop has about five employees and they can have your wheels done in a couple of weeks.

Dave Mann
(602) 233-8400 weekdays
http://www.roadsters.com/

 

Here's a pair of 15x4 magnesium American Lemans wheels.

 

These Crestlines are my favorite. Anybody have a pair they'd like to sell?

 

the magnesium wheel is the worse addiction ....its legal.....starts off easy ....a pair of cast offs no one wants.....then it gets really interesting.....for the most part.....i generally only look for fronts and 8" or wider rears.....the odd stuff like the lemans......it was always one of those wheels you got cheap .....till the gasser guys started looking....hahah.....the halibrand sprints......probably still one of the coolest wheels ever.....early round spoke americans.....nothing cooler than a 15x4 ......on anything.....then there are those spindle mounts........nothing says drag action like a 15x3.5 spindle mount sprint......again on anything.....as for rare......still looking for a pair of those 15x4 no window smoothie wheels..... thanks to my buddy mike whitney ....i have a local guy that can repair my single 15x4.5 sprint......so i will probably be looking for another....

here are a couple shots of a portion of my wheel fetish ........brandon

 

I've had several pairs done by Eric Vaughn and the job has been tops. This wheel collecting is as bad as collecting Deuce grille shells.

 

Wheel collecting can definitely become an addiction for some. Sometimes, entire cars end up getting built around a set of kool vintage wheels. The 15 x 10's on the back my roadster are a case in point. I'd still like to find a nice pair of 15 x 4 Crestlines to replace the re-pop ETs on the front of my Deuce. I'd prefer small Ford pattern. Does anybody have a pair they are willing to part with? Otherwise,... I have a nice pair of spindle mount American 5 spokes I would be willing to work out some kind of a trade for Crestlines. No, they are not for sale outright.(it's too hard to hide the money from my old lady) I would only interested in a possible trade.

 

Were those 15 by 10s made by Appliance?

That's a size Amerian should have made their early aluminum Torq-Thrusts in.

Dave
http://www.roadsters.com/

 

Some pic's of the new HURST SUPER CUSHION
26" Tall
4 1/2" Wide and 5 1/2" Wide Available
15" Rim Only
Capped on 165R15 for the 4 1/2" wide
Capped on 195/75/15 for the 5 1/2" wide
Same compound as our race tires
Blackwall only on the 4 1/2"
1" w/w avail on the 5 1/2"
In Stock!!!!!
26x4.5x15 Retail at $300.00 pair
26x5.5x15 Retail at $380.00 pair "NEW CASING"

 

They are aluminum ETs. They must be somewhat scarce. I've only ever seen two other sets. I spotted them on ePay several years ago. Had to have them.

 

E-T made a ton of 14 by 7s and few 15 by 10s.

Dave
http://www.roadsters.com/

 

I got this old pair of Ansen Sprints for the front of the roadster. They're 5" wide so I guess they don't count as pie cutters but they'll work. I haven't cleaned 'em up yet but I will, someday.

 

those 10's are the cool style with that deep barrel.....like the old style first style 16x10 mag torq thrust......you would think american would repop a aluminum version of the 15x4 magnesiums.......brandon

 

I thought I saw them advertised special order somewhere. I know they come skinny enough to mount front runners.

 

My favorite aluminum slot front runner is the Fenton Gyro in 15x3.5. Here is a pair on Shakey Puddin with Ansen 15x12's out back. I love the smooth dish on the Fenton's. Closest thing to the Halibrand kidney bean.

 

This is what I have collected for my Willys:
American magesiums, 15x4 in small Ford pattern and 15x10's in Chevy with a set of old M&H slicks.

 

i had a pair of 15x4 daisy spokes, i sold 'em a couple of years ago. why? cause my storage trailer got broken into, and they took 24 wheels, all my 8 1/2''s and 10''s, including a pair of 10'' e.t.s and 6 (yeah, six) 15x8 1/2'' tr70s. i figured selling 'em beat losing what i had left. i do still have my eric vaughn-widened torq-thrusts, beautiful machine work, but i too had a long wait...

 

I'm a wheel freak also...

Here is some other stuff I've had or have.

-Rare Creits spindle mounts
-15x8 Kidney beans shown next to some Fenton 15x11's which look close to a big window
- 15x10 Halibrand magesium sprints. Hoping to find front kidney beans to run with these someday.

 

I still haven't grown tired of the chrome reverse I run on my 32.
15x4's with Coker bias plys.

 

Bitchin' 5 window!

 

Man.... sorry to totally hijack this thread, but nothing gets me excited like vintage racing wheels. Here is my latest score. 15x4 magnesium Americans with Pirelli Stelvio Supersport tires. Been sitting on a shelf for 30 years.

Kev.... I still have this recurring dream where you PM me and want to trade for your kidney beans...LOL

 

Thanks for this post, I always love the old wheels threads. Even if a lot of the wheels we have seen before in other posts.
The first wheel here is a copy of an American 15x4 done in aluminium. Friend here (Billy Musset ) had 4 pairs done because he was sick of having to polish the magnesium one's he had on his 3 window (as featured in Rodders Journal a while back, mention was made of these wheels in that article). Billy kept 2 pair, one pair went to the US and I got one pair. They were not cheap but I had to have them.

Was lucky enough to score a pair of magnesium early Ford bolt pattern 5 spokes from the guy I bought my deuce tudor body from. They will go on my deuce roadster, which has on the rear a pair of aluminium 5 spokes that were narrowed by Eric Vaughn (bit of a long story behind those wheels).

5 spokes are my favorites, but thanks to everyone for showing us all the great old wheels. Geoff aka whodaky

 

Shakey, I'm right there with ya, chrome reverse..... simple,cheap,never out of out of style. Gary

 

I still have these that I want to trade for some 5 spoke spindle mounts.

 

I took alot of pics of front wheels at the 06 NHRA Hot Rod Reunion just to put on this thread so here they come.

American Daisy spokes.....