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Features cragar wheel history

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by bulletproof1, May 14, 2008.

  1. Ekki
    Joined: Jul 24, 2009
    Posts: 1

    Ekki
    Member
    from Germany

    SS/Ts - still in use.

    Ekki
     

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  2. 55chevy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2006
    Posts: 280

    55chevy
    Member

    Crager wheel history, WTF?

    Yes, I remember Mach VIIIs, my favorite wheel, I found a pair of 14 by 7s for a good price in the early 80's, I had a 1964 ElCamino I was looking for some wheels for. Later I saw a pair of 15 by 8s or bigger on the Front of a van, I talked the owner out of them and got the 14s and had a set for my ElCamino. I would love to find another set of them for my 57 Chevy.
     
  3. I've always considered them "correct" for the time - who says that they aren't???
     
  4. Yes, I remember Mach VIIIs, my favorite wheel,



    does anybody have a picture of this wheel?
     
  5. 55chevy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2006
    Posts: 280

    55chevy
    Member

    I have a photo of them on my ElCamino, but no scanner. They were like 5 slot aluminum mags, only with 8 bullet holes instead of slots, similiar to Soft 8s but better looking.
     

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  6. propwash
    Joined: Jul 25, 2005
    Posts: 3,857

    propwash
    Member
    from Las Vegas

    First set of Cragars I saw on the street (about summer of 1964) was a full set on Chet Prudhomme's beautiful black 40 Ford coupe out of Kennewick, WA....I wasn't wild about the look, but to me they were more attractive than those stupid Radir or is it Rader? wheels everyone seems so wild about.

    dj

    "what if there were no hypothetical questions?"
     
  7. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    A couple of random thoughts...... It seems like right after S/S's came out in '64 they were the thing to have for hot rod builds. Pickup any CAR CRAFT mag from '64 or '65 and you'll see lots of them on early cars. They did a step by step build on a "T" bucket from Nov.'64 to July'65, and it was shod with S/S's and bias plys - bitchin'! This is personal taste but..... I have always thought of S/S's as GM wheels. I don't know why, but I always think of them on '55 - '57 chevs, '66 - '67 novas,early sixties Impalas, stuff like that. Now there are exceptions to that, (one being that '62 or '63 ranchero above) but for some reason S/S's have always looked awkward on Fords and Mopars. And I base this theory on absolutely nothing! Anybody else? Oh, and as to the late seventies early eighties look - I think I'll have it in spades with the girlfriends new cruiser. Take one '71 v8 maverick, (rangoon red, 27,000 mi. original) one set of slot mags, one set of radial T/A's, lower a touch, done. Instant high school parking lot 1979. Word has it she won't go for the mullet though........ Sorry that was a bit O/T!
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2009
  8. thunderplex
    Joined: Nov 27, 2007
    Posts: 1,182

    thunderplex
    Member

    This just in...

    I bought my first set of Cragar 15 in. S/S's at Car Craft in Atlanta, sometime during 1966.

    Back then, S/S meant Super Stocks not Super Sports. I had to buy 'em two at a time, ...'cause I couldn't afford the entire set of four. They were two piece wheels and the inner piece was NOT chrome plated but was aluminum. The rims were chrome with the usual thin crappy-assed plating that made Cragar infamous.

    Still, I wish I could find another set.

    Somehow, things back then seemed to be easier and better.

    ... we now return you to regular programming.
     

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    Last edited: Sep 12, 2013
  9. TheNovaMan
    Joined: May 3, 2009
    Posts: 46

    TheNovaMan
    Member
    from Michigan

    I agree that S/Ss look good on almost any GM car and not a whole lot of Fords (I like Mavericks with S/Ss), but I think there are quite a few Mopars they look good on.
     
  10. bobscogin
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 1,771

    bobscogin
    Member

    I remember it that way too. There was a lot less concern over what was traditional back then.

    Bob
     
  11. mercuryjunky
    Joined: May 7, 2009
    Posts: 1,970

    mercuryjunky
    Member
    from arvada,co

    Looking for the cyclone caps cragar made for the mercury cyclones back in 64-66.I have three I just need one more.
     
  12. Me too!!!
     
  13. Muttley
    Joined: Nov 30, 2003
    Posts: 18,500

    Muttley
    Member

    Can you post a picture, I'd like to see those.
     
  14. mercuryjunky
    Joined: May 7, 2009
    Posts: 1,970

    mercuryjunky
    Member
    from arvada,co


    Heres a pic of one of them next to anniversary cap. [email protected]
     

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  15. I have bought a couple of Cragar S/S wheels in my days. The first was in 1974. I bought a set in 1985 and bought the optional 3 bar spinner set also. Last year at a swap meet in Kansas I bought a pair of two (2) bar spinner Cragar S/S center caps, with the traditional blue color in the center section. These are NOS. I have NEVER seen these before and am wondering if any one else ever has? Has anyone else ever seen a two bar spinner Cragar S/S center cap before????? They are really nice looking. Prototype?????????????? They are definetly NOT aftermarket for a Cragar S/S. They are spot on with the originals, but have the two bars spinners.
     
  16. I wish they were more common,Ive got the 3bar on my 56 and their a pain in the ass when ya gotta check lug nuts,they are always in the way....about ready to go back to standard centercaps............so do you have pics of them
     
  17. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    The for lug 4 spokes on my Capri, they're dated 1992, I spent a long time looking for a perfect set, these were NOS.
     

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  18. bkhpah
    Joined: Oct 9, 2007
    Posts: 61

    bkhpah
    Member
    from Latrobe PA

    Just restored this set of 14X6 Cragar G/T mags. Not a Cragar you see everyday...BKH

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  19. TheNovaMan
    Joined: May 3, 2009
    Posts: 46

    TheNovaMan
    Member
    from Michigan

    Very cool. Is that a one-piece wheel?
     
  20. bkhpah
    Joined: Oct 9, 2007
    Posts: 61

    bkhpah
    Member
    from Latrobe PA

    No, the have a steel ring with an aluminum center..BKH
     
  21. novadude
    Joined: Dec 15, 2005
    Posts: 531

    novadude
    Member

    I like those GTs. Would be a prefect wheel / tire for any mid-60s muscle car.
     
  22. TheNovaMan
    Joined: May 3, 2009
    Posts: 46

    TheNovaMan
    Member
    from Michigan

    So who designed the S/S?



    Does anyone have an old pair of skinnies? How wide were they, and what was the backspace? Bonus points for pics.
     
  23. Little Wing
    Joined: Nov 25, 2005
    Posts: 7,505

    Little Wing
    Member
    from Northeast

    Im still waiting to see a REAL Cragar Sparkler,,Have seen adds but never seen one in real life,,,The centers were shot peened and chromed
     
  24. Muttley
    Joined: Nov 30, 2003
    Posts: 18,500

    Muttley
    Member

    Roy Richter

    Yeah, I do.

    Four inches wide, two inch backspace.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  25. Captain Chaos
    Joined: Oct 16, 2009
    Posts: 652

    Captain Chaos
    Member
    from Missery

    I think the Cragar SS look good on anything = ))
    I have a pair of the SS skinnies for GM and 1 rim for ford.
    I have a set of the GT in 15" x6 I think for Ford, going to use on my Ranchero for now , planning on chrome reverse for it though .
     
  26. When I was a kid every hot street car in my neighborhood had Cragar S/S wheels. They were the cats ass. When I think back, (in the 70's) it was almost as if no other company even sold wheels. Several years later when I got my license a lot of guys had aluminum slots and the solid Centerlines too. I remember back then, the real Cragar Super Tricks seemed like hard core racing wheels (they were!) but we felt the SST's were phoney wheels we that we all wouldn't own because the racers didn't run them. I still have a pair of the 15X4 S/S on my 57 but time has not been very kind to them. As much as I hate unilug wheels they look like the only option at this point.
    On another note, a couple years ago I read on one of the 55-57 forums that Cragar had licensed production rights for the S/S to a couple different companys and guys were complaining that on some of the wheels the runout was pretty bad. Is that all taken care of now? If anybody has any update on this i'd like to hear it because i'd like to get me some new ones but i'm a little gunshy.
     
  27. Da Injun
    Joined: Dec 22, 2006
    Posts: 410

    Da Injun
    Member

    You and me both.
     
  28. your dead on about the 70s and cragars.I was inn high school in the early 70s and you had to run them to be considered serious,also I had cragars on my 65 impala and on my 56 f100 (later tru-spokes) and ansen slots on my 56 f100 panel,when Mount Saint Helens blew the ash killed the slots and the cragars survived,ended up buyin S/Ss for th panel then,I have run them to this day in my 56 straight axle car.......
     
  29. Capt Crash
    Joined: Jan 21, 2008
    Posts: 108

    Capt Crash
    Member
    from Colorado

    It is true that a few years ago there were 3 different companies that were making Cragar wheels, I do not know if that is still the case, but the 3 different companies all made different wheels. Only one company, Unique which is owned by Carlisle, produces the S/S wheel.

    Brian
     
  30. Thanks Capt Crash at least thats something to go on. I'm gonna try to research this a bit and if I come up with anything either way i'll post it back on this thread.

    Update: I poked around on Chevytalk.com and the posts I found were up to about 2003 and before. It seems that guys were experiencing excessive runout on some of the S/S wheels. Another problem was mounting the wheels. It seems if you do not use Cragar brand lugs and washers the wheels move a little do to the fact that the dimensions of other brand lugs was just different enough to cause a problem aligning the unilug wheels. I didn't see any newer posts about it so I hope the problems have all been solved by now.
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2009

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