Projects 16 in wires or 16 in steel wheels?

FYI I ran wires for about 10 years on my A with a stock 5152 Merc
Never had a problem in about 40,000 miles.Also, that stance on joeysmen is damn pperfect!

 

Wires n Y block

 

Wires n Y block 292

 

x2 what AndersF said.

 

Looks great...don't chop it, and my personal likes would be steel wheels.
But...you car, your choice..
Good luck

 

WTF does a Y block have to do with anything, better yet mount both sets
of wheels and change them when ever the mood strikes.

.............................. Jack

 

yup, and 15". No one wanted 16" wheels by the late fifties. Guys were trying to get their cars low.

 

Everything. Wire wheels were popular on hot rods in the forties. By the early fifties, they were fading away, and by the late fifties, when y-blocks started to appear in hot rods, they were all but gone. Next time you are at a swap meet, pick up some old magazines from the fifties. They usually sell for around $5, less than a copy of "Ol Skool Rods" at your local newsstand.

 

George, I've been in this game for nearly 50 years, never heard of or seen a book of
rules as how to build hot rods. Like I said use two sets of wheels and change them
to suite the mood.

............................ Jack

 

Nonetheless, Jacks fifty years notwithstanding, by the overhead era, 16" ford wires were all but gone from the hot rod scene, and 16" steelies were going going gone... If you want the car to look like a car that was built back when, 15" wheels are a better choice with an overhead. If you going for a post millenium HAMB traditional hot rod, buy all means, mix up parts from different eras, no value judgement implied.
There were a few, VERY FEW cars that had 16" ford wires on them at that time, I'll round a few up and post them.

 

A few guys are probably wondering if it was so rare to find cars in the fifties with overheads and 16" ford wires, how I came up with these so fast. When I ran across these two, they were such anomalies that the issues they were in stood out in my mind. Both are from 1957, and I had all of '57 out last night because I was looking for the article "Long Legged Olds" which is in Jan 57.





There were two other cars I can think of that made the magazines after 1955 with 16" wires, both were flathead powered, so do not do anything for making the case for 16" ford wires and an overhead. Interesting to note that, in spite of the SBC, the builder of the car above is referred to as a "student of the old school". Also note, that's "old school", NOT "Ol' Skool".
The "Hamb traditional" guys should also probably note the size of the headlights on these cars...

 

I guess it's just up to the individual but in my opinion the East Coast style leans more toward the steelies. HRP

 

Jack, just stating my opinion. What makes America great is that we are all entitled to them and free to say how stupid someone else's is. That said, totally respect the opinion of having both steels and wires to run when the mood fits. Never been a fan of the skinny ford spokes, KH's look really nice though.

 

Now me, I like bogarts. Lightest, roundest wheels out there. Serious, quality wheels.

I'd like a set for my driver, but they are too damned expensive to waste on that heap.

 

George I got a number for a good therapist in Vancouver. You are a sick sick man my friend.

 

How about wide wide-fives,,,

 

You just fell into Beaner territory my friend. I have always loved wide fives.

 

I know something about wide fives!
They can be very cool, and were on almost evert stock car in the world from about1946-1966!
And, I have a set for sale!!!
Shameless plug!

 

That is just plain weird! I agree with Benno, see a doctor, better sooner then later!

It's odd how that that coupe looks so wrong on wires and an that roadster looks so good on them.
I like wires, but the only way they usually fits with a OHV motor is if you run a full hood! Like Dennis Lacy
The only reason those wheels goes with that roadster, is because it look like an early build/survivor that got upgraded with an SBC.

But wheels make or break a car/rod!
Do the right thing.

And those head lights ain't "traditional", they are era perfect!
I love them.

 

Tell you what Benno, find a pair and lift them up, then tell me that... I know the Hamb only pays lip service to this phrase, but if form really does follow function, those are some BEAUTIFUL wheels. man, I would put a set of those on my car in a HEARTBEAT. Well, maybe not the '39, but you get my drift...

 

Just another point on the wire wheel thing.
Some of you older guys (Beaner!) no disrespect! May remember there was
an early blending of styles (Very late 40's and early to late 50's, even later maybe),
where the British sportscar thing became part of our early car culture.
Not to get tooo deep in this but the same influence that the low long
British sportscar thing had some influence IMHO, to the East coast channel thing
and also the wire wheel thing, (they all had wires). This is of course all conjecture
on my part but I think it has more than a little creedence!
Also another point, remember all those big hot '50's Chryslers with those
beautiful chrome Kelseys!

 

I suppose on a roadster with cut-down doors going for a sports car look, the wires could look at home on a late 50's style build, and since his Y is the very first year (54), I don't think wires are out of the question on a coupe either, but my personal choice would be 15" steel wheels and full wheelcovers of some kind with WWW's for a mid 50's look.

 

Theres actually a '33/'34 cabriolet in Hot Rod from around '60/'61 that fits that description VERY closely, but I didn't want to listen to all the pissing and moaning that starts on here whenever you post a period car with cut-down doors, so I gave that one a wide berth.

 

Just my 2c, just because it was in a magazine doesn't mean that was all that was going on out there at any set time. That said, that's maybe why the magazines side stepped them. I like wires on pre 33 cars but love solids too so my opinion is have both. I also like wide-fives on early roadsters and coupes (this goes back to my young years seeing New Zealand Hot Rods in the early 60s) and I love this A roadster, just needs some nice caps (or not). JW

 

Give it a go. There is nothing like a good discussion, until some one pulls the nazi card or the I don't wonna play card!

Submit the facts, be gentle, listen and repeat!!

 

Im just staggered by the quality of the photo above. That's AMAZING for early sixties! I guess you used a Linhoff or Rolliflex? VERY nice!

 

I personally think that wires fit a roadster better then a coupe. It may go along with @Tony Martino theory on the euro influence theory. At least on my part it probably does. I think too that not all wires are created equal, I got a set of 16s on my sedan now but there were or are wires that I like better. Not as traditional as traditional goes but I am really stuck on the Chrysler and Buick wires of the '50s at least on a fender car.

I am with ya George, I probably wouldn't run them on my sedan but I had a car back in the mid '90s that would have loved them. Different style and type of car. I wonder what the lateral strength of them is, some of the ally light wheels won't take much drifting.

 

On the wires, I see way more (rodabillys, plug your ears, close your eyes or whatever, gonna be more history mentioned here, I don't want to cramp anyones "creativity") skylark, Chrysler and T-bird wires in Hot Rod between '55-'60 than 16" '35/'36 ford wires.

On the Bogarts, they actually will make your wheels in a "race weight" version, or a "street weight" version. They also make road-race wheels. The 'street weight" wheels are more about standing up to the occasional pothole hit than lateral strength though. Even the street weight wheels are LIGHT.