Hot Rods Vintage American Racing CL wheels find. Polish them?

Found these on Craigslist. I just got them home and I haven't had much time to check them out yet. I just took pics, I'm noting them and then I'm heading out to work. I'll mess with them later.

Fronts have really nice vintage Firestone gum dipped pie cuts on them. They appear, like the rears to have never been one the road. (Tires, not the wheels) All 4 hold air and while not for track use will be excellent for show use. Very, very little aging on them. (yes I know not to run them at speed).

 

I really don't like you right now. Just Playin, nice score. Do you know what they fit? If they're 5x 4 3/4 (small Chevy), and you want to sell them PM me...
Later

 

I didn't get a chance to measure. My guess is that they are mixed. The ad said they were 2.75 and 3.50 or something like that. LOL

Anyway, after tonight and another midnight I'll get a chance to check them out better and decide what to do with them. If I sell them, I'll let you know.

 

I called the guy and you had already bought them.......like always a day late. I do know what you gave for them though.I wont tell anyone!!!

 

LOL, they had been in there since Tuesday. I couldn't believe they were still there.

P.S. I paid the asking price.

 

You want your money back becasue the probably wont fit anything you have will they??????? Lucky sucker.........

 

The fronts wont. 5x5.5. The rears are 5x4.5.

Anyways, the fronts look like they have been sprayed silver. They still have the lip sticker on them but sprayed over.......

Being these are what they are (magnesium) I'm wondering.......

Leave em? I'm sort of jonesing a bit to see them polished. Being sprayed, they haven't turned dark so is silver spray patina?

 

score on those skinnys.....are they 5" or 5.5" pattern?

 

I so need that exact set.. building a car with a lincoln I-beam front end (5 on 5.5) and a 1965 Mustang 9" rear (5 on 4.5)..

Don't know what you paid, but great score.. yes, I'm jealous!

 

I would use some paint remover on the fronts. It may take several applications and light scrubbing. The paint will be gone and they will probably be etched and dark, which seems to be the desirable look.

 

Great find. Polish them, No way.

 

Gently take the crust off them with a bit of wire wool and give them a damn good oiling. Keep that old look

 

I've had a couple requests but I dunno. Is a light hand buffing with a fine steel wool the best way to remove the paint?

I read that low pressure bead blasting will work O.K.? Riskier?

Sorry, I've never messed with anything along these lines before and I have no desire to screw them up. LOL

 

I know that paint remover will be okay but you can't just put it on and walk away. You gotta get on that paint as soon as it wrinkles. My buddy did his a looong time ago and then repainted the centers. If you want to know what the outers look like when polished (provided you really have magnesium wheels) look at the pic. Good luck!

 

They look like aluminum in the photos. I had a shop that repairs wheels polish a set of aluminum wheels, looked like those before, like chrome after they polished them. It was cheap, too, they have a machine that does it.

 

You could always just redrill your hubs, thinking of putting these on the 56? An explorer 8.8 is right about the same width as the 56 Pontiac rear . I'm using a 91-94 rear w/drum brakes. I had to make some leaf spring pads, no big deal.

 

Remove the paint, and leave natural, just polish the lip.

 

The rears are aluminum. American Racing only made the 15x4's in Magnesium as far as my high school level history of wheels education goes.

Yeah, the pics don't look right because they are sprayed silver. Maybe I could take a torch to them to verify composite's?

I get the "look" for old gassers but AR would polish these when they sold them for a few extra bucks...... I happen to like shiney things but I'm resisting here so far. LOL

 

I'm a bit bit of a wuss. I'd use the rears but with all the pot holes I'd be too worried all the time to use the fronts on anything.

 

you could probably sell those for enough to buy a pair of new et's polished....and pocket a grand+ .....

 

I'd run them just like they are.

 

Yeah, that's the way I'd go if I did it. Personally, I like the ones on the Vette.

 

Yep! I like to mount the bare wheel on the back of a car on jackstands, fire it up, put it in gear, and work down from sandpaper ro Never-Dull wads. Sounds scary, but it works.

 

It's all personal taste but I like the machined rims and not fully polished. That's how I remember them. I did these on a brake lathe with 80 grit sand paper. The spokes are painted with the stainless steel rattle can detail paint.



It takes some imagination on this hulk but this is how I think they are supposed to look. If they are completely polished they look like new catalog wheels. These are not real Americans but they work for me.

 

How do you clean up the rough cast spokes for paint? I just traded for a pair that have never been painted. I painted some years ago, but they had already been painted once before I got them.

 

If they've been painted with a rattle can, they'll be easy to clean up with some lacquer thinner and a combo of steel wool and toothbrushes (and a liberal amount of elbow grease).
I've cleaned up the machined surfaces of vintage Torq Thrust wheels with 120 to 400 grit sandpaper and finished up with 00 & 0000 steel wool, then a final buffing with Mothers Mag Polish or NeverDull.
The original finish on the machined area wasn't highly polished on those wheels when new.

 

My spokes haven't been painted, they are supposed to be like new, never mounted. I don't have them yet.

 

I bead blast them but if they aren't painted, good old soap and water. There is plenty of tooth for the paint to stick to. It's just when there is over spray or somebody's not so cool paint job that you may want to get rid of.

 

So, soapy wather and then dry? No need for any laquer thinner, etc?

 

I bet I'm the only one on here who knows what you gave for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Man if they only knew......your still a lucky sucker,,,,,,,,,