12 spoke aluminum Performance Machine wheels.

Someone asked if they made a 12 spoke aluminum wheel, Performance Machine made them for motorcycles. I've been told they bought the molds from American wheel and just machined the hub for different bearings than the car spindlemount wheel used.

I've got a couple of the PM wheels that I was working on to put on a Ford axle before I got side tracked.

I did some measuring and found out that the spindle that Chassis Engineering sells to use on the Dodge brake setup was pretty close, so I got a set of them and the outside tapered bearing and race worked in the wheel. I had to do some machine work to the spindle but nothing major. The Performance Machine wheel was machined for a brake adaptor and not a dust cover, so I mad some dust covers to bolt onto the wheel (shoulda wiped the dust off of it before I took the picture). I'm gonna have to machine an adaptor to fit the inside bearing and rotor to the wheel, but you can kinda see where I'm headed with the PM rotor spacer.
Larry T

 

nice !!

 

Cool! I don't think PM offers these anymore...do they?

Those don't look like 15's OR 18's. Are they 17's?

 

cool. they look like 16's to me.

 

Nope, it was a 70's deal. They are a lot rarer than American spindlemounts, so the adapters are going to bolt to the wheel. I'm not going to modify the wheels so that they won't work on a scooter.
Larry T

 

No, they are 15's, a lot of guys ran a 15" radial car tire on their scooters when they came out. They also made them in an 18" (for the front) same as American.
Larry T

 

Nice work, and a cool idea.

 

do the sidecar wheels they made mount any differently ?

 

A friend of mine worked at PM for a long time and I actually got the last set they had laying around. All the machining had never even been finished. After they sat around the shop for years, I recently sold them at a swap meet.
He said they weren't American's molds but were their own design. Pretty sure the pair I had were 16's, if my memory isn't too far gone.

 

I've got some old magazine articles about the 12 spoke wheels, but it would take a while to find them. Here's a post off of off the Jockey Journal by Danny F (pretty knowledgable about custom scooter stuff).
But to throw a wrench into the works, my wheels don't have the rib on the inside.

..........Yep Larry, American only made them 17 years long for car drag racing use, some scooter maniacs adapted a couple for own use until production of those 12 spokes stopped..for several years there were rumours of someone manufacturing the wheels for bike use, but tracking these outfits down was harder than finding the rims..! Until Performance Machine came onto the scene..Perry Sands, owner of PM acquired the molds and began production..he planned production at that time from 50 to 100 maximum a year, and all of them wheels would be sold complete with PM's brake setups...now I want a set...!!

Perry Sands , owner of PM with the original 12 spoke patterns
(one side...)

 

Just saw Perry last weekend. I'll have to ask him next time I see him. He sold PM a few years ago to the MAG Group but his son Roland and daughter Summer still work there, as does his brother Ted.

 

The guy on the left looks like a Mad Scientist, lol

 

If you talk to him, how about asking him if he remembers what sizes they made.
Larry T

 

Super cool.

 

Perry sold the Molds to .........................Jessie James , I dont know what he has done with them, I will ask him next time I talk to him.

PM also built a modern version of 12 spokes for bikes , Jeff Decker ended up with 3 of them 21 inch and 2x18's ,They are on a bike I built for his wife Kelly "special K" on my website.

I dont know how many sets PM made, but there the coolest billet wheel's ever, and They wont make any more ............I have one 18 inch wheel still, a bit wider then the one we ran on Kelly's bike.

 

I don't know why they quit making the Billet 12 spokes, if it was lack of sales or what, but when I got a pair of 18's for my Road King about 7 years ago, Perry gave me a smokin deal because he said they were the last ones. I thought they looked way cool, but they weren't "Blingy" enough for most of the H-D crowd.

 

maybe Jesse will weigh in on this, Come on man, we know you are on here

 

I have all the Original hand carved wood patterns and pour molds for 15" 16" and 18" American/Performance Machine 12-Spokes.....

 

The unsung heros of the post war hot rod movement were the PATTERN MAKERS. I've read some stuff here about them, but whoever did them for halibrand, hilborn, palamides, delta machine, enderle, and so on, deserves some form of recognition. Thier stuff had a real organic exciting form to it. modern CNC is prolific, but it does not have the soul of pattern cast parts.

And now cast magnesium is out of the question for EPA and safety reasons? Is it even possible to cast magnesium these days for hot rod parts?

And just what is Dow 7 really? paint? plating? can it still be bought? does it last, how do you put it on?

Jesse - could you be a pal and do a 3D computer scan and post the files on HAMB, please?

-90% Jimmy

 

Thanks for the post. In all the years I've been doing this I've seen quite a few 15 and 18 inch PM 12 spokes, but never (that I can remember) any 16s.

If there are molds, there must be wheels. Anyone have pictures of 16s?
Larry T

 

Looks like it is time to do a limited run for cars AND bikes.

 

Well asto teh question I asked that got this ball rolling seems Radir makes spindle mount 12 spoke Aluminum wheels ( just as pricey as the Magnesium) ,,I had thought back in the day other may have made 10-12 spokes Aluminums

 

Jesse, I wish you would consider producing these wheels in aluminum 15" size. The nostalgia drag racing crowd need these wheels.

 

Hell I'd be up for a pair of 15's and 18's!

 

Radir only makes 12 spokes in an 18, 15 X 3 1/2 would be nice for doorslammers.

American is remaking their 5 spoke spindlemount in aluminum now, but like you say pricey. I don't guess cheap wheels and high speeds make much sense though.

I don't remember anyone else making a 12 spoke wheel like Americans. Creitz had a spoked wheel, but it was a little bit different.
Larry T

 

The American 12 spoke is the ultimate altered wheel. Here are my magnesium 12 spokes, that are impossible to keep polished. The best I can do is steel wool the spokes and polish the outside ring. I know I would appreciate these being manufactured again in aluminum.

 

Soon after Performance Machine took over the 12 spokes production from American Racing they were advertised as Cal Mags ...

 

not to hi-jack the thread, but what's the deal with the ET spoke wheels..other then not being 12 spokes???



been tinking these would be nice my topo...........

 

The Creitz wheels are ten flat in line spokes instead of the six front - six rear pattern like the Americans.

The American spokes themselves also vary as before 65 the spokes are plain and shaped differently than those with the American racing logo and fins cast into the inside six. The early hubs are much more crude and less than round as they are not machined areas on these. If you don't see all the variations at one time its hard to notice, but if you ever compare them side by side there are many differences in the castings from size to size, the spindle it was cast for, and when they were made.

I'm still waiting to see those Halibrand spokes you guys keep posting about....

And one vote for no more reproductions.... There is enough of what was once rare and coveted made lame by over saturation. American made them from 58 to at least the late 60's when they came out with the five spoke spindle mounts (most likely right up until the patterns were sold), and there is a set for sale on a regular basis on here, Ebay or GasserMadness not counting the "other" new versions. I don't see the shortage and it's nice not to see them on every other car.

 

I don't see over saturation as a problem, by repopping the twelve spokes. Look at all the funny cars that are being made useing the new American five spoke spindle mount, I think they look great. I would not have a problem seeing hundreds of altereds built all over the country with period correct wheels.