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Hot Rods Mis matched wheels front and rear?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Utahvette, Oct 26, 2017.

  1. 2935ford
    Joined: Jan 6, 2006
    Posts: 3,843

    2935ford
    Member

    So in January of 1966 I bought my first brand new car......Fairlane 500 2 dr ht, 289, auto.
    As you see it came with wire wheel hub caps............
    Well working only part time and not far from being out of HS I didn't have a lot of disposable income (so it was lack of funds) but eventually I managed to save up and buy a pair of chrome rims for the back and a pair of Cragar SS for the front........then many years latter (had that car for 11 years w/110k on it), I had it repainted silver by a buddy of mine and got another new set of Cragar SS.
    My disappointment was how fast those Cragars rusted!
    But......for awhile, I be cool! :)
    66 Fairlane 3.jpg
    66 Fairlane.jpg
    66 Fairlane 11.jpg
     
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  2. This was my best ever attempt at mis-match wheels.
    Rocket five spoke 15" X 8" on the rear, and a very very rare pair of 17" X 3", twelve spoke fronts.
    Oh how I miss my "T" coupe, it was a blast to build.
    Should never have sold it.


    image.jpeg
     
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  3. slowmotion
    Joined: Nov 21, 2011
    Posts: 3,330

    slowmotion
    Member

    Boy Howdy! One reason I've never bought a new Cragar wheel in my lifetime. Seen too many rust or peel in short order and while being decently cared for. I did buy one used pair from my dentist who dabbled a little in drag racing. Only because they were 15X4 and I needed front runners.
     
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  4. AHotRod
    Joined: Jul 27, 2001
    Posts: 12,216

    AHotRod
    Member

    Works for me on my Coupe .... and many other Hot Rods I've built. As I build them, they speak to me .... o_O

    4091205602_a8f92a834b_o.jpg
     
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  5. Like a lot of the other posters, in the late fifties and early sixties, for me it was a matter of money. I always swapped the rear end which caused the mismatch. I also wanted as much rubber on the back as possible, and this provided the wider rims necessary for the 900x15s on the back. Even when I finally matched the rims, the rear end still had bigger tires.
    Bob
     
  6. Chaz
    Joined: Feb 24, 2004
    Posts: 5,016

    Chaz
    Member Emeritus

    It just looks right to me. 33 plymouth.jpg
     
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  7. Tim
    Joined: Mar 2, 2001
    Posts: 17,091

    Tim
    Member
    from KCMO

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  8. Johnny99
    Joined: Nov 5, 2006
    Posts: 1,068

    Johnny99
    Member

    On the street, match. At the track mismatch!

    DSC01372.JPG bluwlys1.JPG
     
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  9. Al, that T coupe is absolutely wicked!
    Got any more pix of it?
     
  10. stanlow69
    Joined: Feb 21, 2010
    Posts: 7,348

    stanlow69
    Member Emeritus

    Okay, that explains the Hot Rods and drag cars. But what about the customs featured in the Little pages magazine missing hubcaps. And having mismatched hubcaps. I can maybe understand a hubcap missing in the rear. But not in the front.
     
  11. I had a '68 GMC truck, with those chrome "wagon wheel" spoke wheels, bigger size in the rear. Owned the truck for several months before I noticed that the wheels matched front to back...but not side to side! The left side wheels were similar, but different, from the right side.
     
  12. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,934

    squirrel
    Member

    Apparently, in the old days, some guys did not take things quite as seriously as we take them today!
     
  13. Tim
    Joined: Mar 2, 2001
    Posts: 17,091

    Tim
    Member
    from KCMO

    I’d also assume that they lost one and they couldn’t find a matching one to liberate. If the choice was none matching or missing they’d probably rather have non matching
     
  14. pitman
    Joined: May 14, 2006
    Posts: 5,148

    pitman

    IMG_2095.JPG
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2017
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  16. VTjunk
    Joined: Jul 5, 2013
    Posts: 287

    VTjunk
    Member

    2017-10-28+19.53.31.jpg
    I've always run mismatched wheels. As a kid I remember seeing guys do that in the 70s and think it looks cool on some cars.
    The Falcon runs M/T wheels in front and Ford police car wheels in back with M&H Racemasters.
     
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  17. gnichols
    Joined: Mar 6, 2008
    Posts: 11,345

    gnichols
    Member
    from Tampa, FL

    On the street, it was just copy cat / boy-racer fad stuff. There are plenty of reasons to do it on a race car - depending on class / type / etc.. Gary
     
  18. Todd553
    Joined: Feb 16, 2005
    Posts: 534

    Todd553
    Member

    My roadster with solid halibrands in the rear and polished Moon discs up front. IMG_3390.jpg 10443124_896237300425326_1091891023456715971_o.jpg
     
  19. mrhp
    Joined: Nov 19, 2006
    Posts: 236

    mrhp
    Member
    from MICHIGAN

    54FF367A-C856-4F5E-BED3-0E6EC4D0625D.jpeg Cause it’s the coolest.
     
  20. deathrowdave
    Joined: May 27, 2014
    Posts: 3,518

    deathrowdave
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from NKy

    Takes me back to a time when all the money I had could only buy 2 wheels from the salvage yard . Usually one on the four was busted in a crash. So two from one car two from another cheap because not a matched set
     
  21. southcross2631
    Joined: Jan 20, 2013
    Posts: 4,413

    southcross2631
    Member

    Hated to buy new wheels and drill screw holes to hold the slicks so just ran cheap steelies on the back. Didn't hurt to drill them.
     
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  22. I have a set of vintage 64 Sears M/T raders for the front in 15x6 and a set of 15x8 chrome reverse for my 41 Ford tudor sedan. I figured it would look more street racer with mismatched wheels.
     
  23. flamedabone
    Joined: Aug 3, 2001
    Posts: 5,440

    flamedabone
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Halibrands and ET IIIs.

    [​IMG]

    -Abone
     
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  24. vtx1800
    Joined: Oct 4, 2009
    Posts: 1,709

    vtx1800
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    When I built the 38 in the 70's it had the same 15 inch slots on the rear as it does now (and they stuck out past the fender lip) and 14 inch slots on the front, sometime in the 80's I bought the wheels that are on the front and ran them on my 58 Chevy (long gone) and decided they'd look good (at least to me) on the front. IMG_1136.JPG
     
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  25. I'm quilty, think it just looks more menacing, purpose built street toughness

    Screenshot_20190411-220645_Photobucket.jpg Screenshot_20180205-222910.jpg 20190410_130154.jpg
     
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  26. plym_46
    Joined: Sep 8, 2005
    Posts: 4,018

    plym_46
    Member
    from central NY

    In our area it was spoked mags up front and chrome reversed on the back plus skinny on the front and as wide as you could get on in the rear. Braking and handling went to hell but it looked dragstrip fast.
     
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  27. 54BOMB
    Joined: Oct 23, 2004
    Posts: 2,109

    54BOMB
    Member

    975C4407-F466-44CF-8247-7CDE3387DBF0.jpeg I dig the mismatch drag look but the main reason I’ve got different wheels is that American Racing doesn’t make a skinny torq-thrust in the old ford pattern . This Halibrand copy looks pretty good though.
     
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  28. I recently swapped the bias whitewalls and Merc caps for these just for a more racy look – I love the all business vibe of the mismatched wheels.

    Screen Shot 2019-04-01 at 11.44.50 AM.png
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2019
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  29. This is a perfect match!!
    DSide.jpg
     
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