How many different style Cragar SS's were/are there? I've seen different styles, were they made by different companies? I'm seriously thinking about running these on my Burb with pinner whites.
Cragar S/S wheels were made by Cragar, period. I suppose there may have been detail differences over the years, but as far as I know they were essentially all the same. There were a lot of similar wheels from other companies - Appliance was one company I can think of that built wheels that looked just like an S/S.
Same classic look even today. But just got a set on the ole shop truck & don't like the dumb lug washers ,that have to be checked for proper tourque periodically. Ya think they could have designed without them ....don't see them on many others.
Yeah,,to my knowledge they have always looked the same,,,and nothing screams the 60's like a set of Cragar SS wheels. HRP
There were a couple of different styles of outers. Some of them had a deep dish and some of them had sort of a goofy looking dish to accomodate what looked like smaller centers. Perhaps the bean counters had them using 14" wheel centers in both 14" and 15" hoops for awhile. I remember having some of the deep dish ones on my 55 F-100 30 years ago and they had a great smooth outer hoop. A couple of other guys bought later ones that the outer hoop immediately angled inward to accommodate smaller centers. They never looked right. On top of that, there has been some use of the Cragar name by another company I believe, or perhaps it was licensed. There are some of these wheels out there that just look a little different. There has been discussion on other sites about how the wheels were made by another company for awhile in these last few years. Not sure about those details, but for awhile the Cragar website was advertising that the "originals" were being made by them again as opposed to "others that had been available". Here is some history as seen on www.roadsters.com: The design of the Cragar S/S began in 1962, with marketing starting in 1964. Its styling was influenced to some extent by American Racing Equipment's highly-successful five-spoked Torq-Thrust wheel. The S/S was one of the first production wheels to use a cast aluminum center with a rolled steel rim (both of which were chrome-plated), the way some 1957 Cadillac wheels were made. The S/S was also the first die-cast aluminum wheel. The wheel was designed with ribs and extra material added near the hub. The result was a wheel that offered a load-carrying capacity that was unmatched in the aftermarket wheel industry. Its classic styling made it a huge success with drag racers, hot rodders and custom car builders. Cragar S/S wheels were made in 15 by 4 1/2, 6, 7, 8 1/2, and 10-inch sizes, and I've also seen early versions of them in 16 by 10. In addition to the standard 4 1/2, 4 3/4, and 5-inch bolt patterns, S/S wheels were originally also available in the then-popular early Ford 5 1/2-inch bolt pattern. The original Cragar S/S is still being produced, along with a newer version, designed by the late Larry Shinoda, which is offered in larger diameters. Several Cragar S/S promotional items were released, that included belt buckles, T-shirts, jackets, and even women's earrings that looked like little Cragar S/S wheels. Cragar earrings were not sold, but were given to racers' wives and to some Cragar employees. On display in my shop you'll see a big Cragar banner, a new Cragar T-shirt from the '70s that I got from former Cragar owner Joe Hrudka, seven of the big cast aluminum Cragar mugs, and a chrome Cragar S/S belt buckle. Now all I need is a Cragar S/S tie clasp and a pair of Cragar S/S cufflinks. The Cragar legacy began with George Wight. Back in 1923, George opened a wrecking yard in Bell, California, and named it Bell Auto Parts. Being a race fan, George noticed that some of the wrecked Model T Fords that became part of his inventory had been modified for racing. Recognizing their significance, he set aside part of the shop for speed equipment, which included cams, heads, and intakes. The wrecking yard quickly evolved into the world's first speed shop. In 1928, racing engine builder Harry Miller put together a group of people that included an investor named George Schofield, aviation experts from Beech, Lockheed, and Moreland, and engine designer Leo Goossen. The result was the Miller-Schofield Company, which produced carburetors, overhead-valve heads, and lightweight pistons for the new Model A Ford. The company prospered until becoming a victim of the Great Depression in 1930. In 1931, a successful race driver, Harlan Fengler, found an investor, whose family ran Crane Plumbing, to put up the capital to save the business. The name for the new company was created by shortening the investor's name, Crane Gartz, to Cragar. Manufacturing its overhead-valve heads for the Model A and Model B Fords, Cragar earned an excellent reputation. But near the end of 1932, the Depression again took its toll, and Cragar Corporation closed. At that time, between selling used parts and making its own speed equipment, Bell Auto Parts was doing well. In early 1933, George Wight was able to buy all of the Cragar inventory and tooling. This move put George in need of some help in running Bell Auto Parts and Cragar. George was a character. His parents had worked for the railroad, and he claimed to have been born somewhere in Arizona in a caboose. One night, he happened to meet a talented young mechanic named Elbert "Roscoe" Turner, who had just arrived in Bell after having hidden in a boxcar all the way from Texas. The two hit it off, and Roscoe became Bell Auto's first employee. That brings us to Roy Richter, who was born in 1914. As a teenager in the 1930s, Roy was fascinated with race cars, and was one of the many racers who was often found hanging around Bell Auto Parts. When he finished high school in 1933, he started working at Bell as a pattern maker. Roy became a master fabricator who led an extraordinarily rewarding life that first included building championship-winning, cast-aluminum tether cars, and beautifully hand-formed aluminum midget race car bodies. When George Wight died in 1943, Roy took over the business. As a racer who enjoyed life, Roy recoginized the importance of safety equipment. Back in the 1930s, he had been among the very first midget racers to wear a real crash helmet. In a garage behind Bell Auto Parts, Roy and his employees began building Bell helmets in 1954. First worn at Indy in 1955, they were so well-received that the Bell Helmet Company was moved into a building next door with four employees in 1956. Roy's many other accomplishments included overseeing the production of the now-classic and copied three-spoked and four-spoked Bell steering wheels, as well as Cragar intake manifolds and blower kits for dragsters. Although Roy Richter has since passed away, his legacy lives on. Bell Helmets and Cragar both remain siginificant members of the automotive industry. And here is some more info on the Cragar website with further details: http://www.cragar.com/2004-115524-467.asp
Try to score some ROCKETS! I'm on a serious quest myself for a set so if anyone is sitting on a set..Get at me!!... I have a vintage set of Cragars that are reversed with a og set of Premium Sportway 5:20's that will go on my 58 Chevy Sedan Delivery when i get it to where i want...I think its the koolest looking mag mang!
Yeah, I have to say I actually love the old Rocket wheels. I had a set on a 71 Cutlass a million years ago and they looked pretty sweet (7 and 10 inch). Those wheels have that sharp pointy front edge to each spoke much like the early American 5 spoke wheels. They always had a very unique look compared to the flat wide spoke on the Cragars. think I might still have a set of the Rocket center caps around...
I know a guy who still has a set of new in the boxes gold centre Cragar S/S wheels from the 70s. Remember those? Aaacckkk ... cheers Ed N.
Agreed. Had a set on my first car back in the late 70's. It was a Lemans blue 68 Camaro with L60s and air shocks out back. How's that for period correct?
old style new style and don't forget about keystone raiders. looks a little like the rocket. spokes are pointier.
Dang...Kustom guys. I am aware of at least 4 different designs of Cragars. the major differences are as follows.... #1. there are 2 sizes due to lug pattern. this drastically changes the center portion of the wheel. #2. there is a specific style for ford trucks. the center (inside) is HUGE to account for the ford trucks massive rotor "hat". #3. there are super sports, then there are s.s.'s. Major difference is , of course, the removable center cap...and the outside "lip" that accepts it. the ones with the "written out" script are rare as rocking horse shit, and are about 3/4 of an inch "taller" in the middle. #4. outer "hoop" has changed many times with backspacing, and diameter. but for the most part, just like with centerlines, 99% of them look nearly identical to one another.
I have a set of the keystone Raiders! I take them out of thier coveted boxes and rub my naked scrotum on them about once a month.
thats no shit. the holy grail was finding a used set that the chrome wasn't flaking "too bad". i've seen many sets with centers painted black, white or gold.
You are comparing a 14/15" style wheel with the 17/18" style wheels. They are different. You are not comparing apples to apples. The Cragar ss 14 & 15" are basically the same as the ones in the 60/70's. There are some differences between todays 14/15's and the older ones but most people would not recognize them and most don't care. I know the differences but I'm particular and want 100% correct stuff on my car. The Cragars spoke today is slightly flatter on top than the originals-see the above pic of poprodder's car in the UK versus the "old stle' pic by 50 mercfan. Cragar just made this change in the last several years. Also the rim "kickups" are different on various rims.
I got this 57 Chevy 2dr Hardtop in Bel Air trim. I had to decide to restore or rod it. Just the thought of Cragar SS Wheels decided me. 14's x 10 rear, x7 front. Not slammed, but raised a little, with a slight rake. All's I need now is an 8-track jammin Cream, Wheels of Fire!!
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