STEEL WHEEL Pic thread: (These puppies get pricey in a hurry)

Here's my Wheel Vintique Gennies.
I got out today and tried my hand at pinstriping the wheels with my Beugler.
I made up a stand to set on the floor to hold the striping tool next to the wheel mounted on the front axle.
I gave the wheel a spin and noticed the surface of the wheel where I want the stripe is not flat. It has high and low areas because it's stamped.
I wasn't counting on that...
So, my rig would hit the high spots and not the low or dig in on the high spots.
I pulled the striper tool out of the holder and tried just holding it and using my hand as a guide against the inside rim of the wheel.
It's hard to keep it straight. On the arc of that surface, the paint wheel wants to wander. Then it doesn't match up with the start.
I got one try pretty good, but after several tries and having to wipe the stripe off, it ate through the black. Now I have to repaint the center of that wheel. The line you see on the wheel center is where the black has been wiped off, not a painted stripe. Looks like I hazed the rest of the center too with the mineral spirits I used to remove the white paint.


The outer stripe I did by hand using the outer rim of the wheel as a guide.
It came out nice.


I'll practice some more and try different things to get a good procedure that works for me.
Maybe instead of tightening the holder solidly, keep it loose so it will follow the irregularities but snug enough that it stays straight.

UPDATE:
Letting the striper float did the trick.
I went back out and tried it.




Plus, with this set up I can do them anywhere (a parking lot, driveway etc.) even with the tire on.

The last issue now is accurate placement and spacing.
These, I just "eyeballed".

 

Here is a pic of one of a set that I built for a track roadster. 15 x 8's and 15 x 5's using new blank rims and 1/4" plate centers. The knock offs are functional. It was a fun project and I am pleased with the results.

 

Love these covers what are they?

 

Wheel vintiques and towel city Tires

Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

I have an original set of 15" ford wheels for my shoebox. The centers are too small for my new rear end so now I have to open up the centers of all the wheels as well as blast, powder coat, beauty rings, lug nuts and then wrap in some www.... Yeah not cheap.

 

Think I paid around a 100 a piece for mine out here in LA theres a bit of a hoarding problem..ha

 

16X4" fronts w/ 5.50's and 16X4.5" rears w/ 7.50's.

 

The old stock wheels, spray bomb brown.

.
.
.
New shoes. wheelsmiths chrome centers with a custom mix schatt brown metallic sprayed on.

 

I picked these up for my newest build,pain in the ass find caps to fit the clips.1948-49 Chrysler rims W/ late 40 Oldsmobile caps.

 

heres my combo.. still need trying to figure out a color to paint them. im not painting the car.

 

At least hit them with some rust-oxide primer.

 

Wheel Vintiques artilleries, all custom-made reversed with custom offsets. 15x8 and 15x10. Repro GMC caps modified to fit these wheels.

 

Impala 409 steelies, 14x7 w/Hurst Racing cheaters

 

The attraction of steelies for me is that they look understated, unpretentious. Custom wheels or hubcaps sometimes look like they're saying, "Look at me! Look how much money I spent!" -- which certainly may be true, but I'd prefer not to broadcast it.

I think that the paint color choice is very important. Painting the wheels to match the body usually looks nice, and it's often possible to choose a color that is complementary to the car's body color but not the same. At one time white steelies with black tires implied a competition look, but people with that inclination now seem to prefer black paint. Personally, I only like black wheels & tires on a black car, and even then I think they need caps and rings to look finished.

 

15x7 Vintique smoothy 48 cap


Jake

 

Why not let the wheels age as well?

 

I run strictly steel wheels and dog-dish hubcaps.

My biggest investment in steel wheels is time. As someone mentioned earlier in the thread, the junkyards are out of the good steel wheels. All you can get now are the hole-ridden, weird-offset FWD wheels that hide behind plastic hubcaps.

It took me months to find a complete set of 14" 4-lug steel wheels for my Falcon. It took me years to complete a set of 14" 5-lug steel wheels for my wife’s Falcon. And it took me a decade to find a complete set of 15" steel wheels for my Camaro (and then I sold it less than a year after I put them on).

I was astounded when my Rambler came with a complete set of 14" steelies, plus an extra two for snow tires.

My Studebaker also has a complete set of 15" steel wheels, but they’re a wonky four-lug pattern and since brake upgrades are in the distant future, I think I need to start haunting the junkyards and Craigslist to find a set of ‘80s 15" Crown Victoria steel wheels before the scrappers get them all.

 

Ha!!! My buddy Panel Pete hooked me up with four free 15" 5 x 4x.5" steelies. Two 15x4 skinny steely rollers and two 15x6(??) Mopar steelies because he was tired of seeing my stupid Valiant on flat tires.

Steel wheels are everywhere... Until you're looking for them, then they're impossible to find.

 

I just screwed up, last swamp meet I was going to buy a set of 4 16" early ford wheels for $40. I waited to long to go back and get them and the guy was gone. I'll never see that deal again.

 

http://www.earlywheel.com/smoothcenter.html
Are these guys any good ?

 

Like that Oldsmobile!!!

 

there are always going to be those that can find a buddy deal or get lucky and those that have media blasters or paint set ups For more populated areas, the swaps are getting thinner and thinner, especially for specific sizes or styles. 16x4 (40 ford) are getting expensive, Merc rims (16x5) even more. I am finding the chevy 15" rim for 49-54 models are getting more money all the time. finding clean undamaged examples takes more and more time.

To media blast and paint (not rattle can) cost money if you do not have the equipment. even the cost of mounting and Balance has gotten to be over $100 a set now. $100 per rim when done is hard to do.


I gave up and bought a set of aftermarket steelies a few weeks ago after trying to find a nice set of 15x4 or 5" and 15x6 (5x4.5 pattern) that will accept an early cap

 

Always been a fan of steel wheels

 

I have them on my Truck.

 

Well said

 

Who ever gave this thread low ratings is, well..................

 

The blue '64 Ford & the white '64 Nova own me !

 

Boones you need to ask brother! I have 2 nos 50 ford coupe wheels in the shop!

 

15x5 up front and 15x6 in the rear