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Member
Posts: 46
Location: Ontario,Canada | I'm considering purchasing a set of reproduction Chrysler wire wheels for my 1956 Windsor, but before I lay down my hard earned money I'd like to get any input from the members as to the best manufacturer and vendor for these wheels. If anyone has purchased a set of wire wheels, I'd be very interested to get your input, both positive and negative. Thanks |
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Location: Parts Unknown | Terry,
Unless they came with great spinners, I have run original wires on just about every FL I have owned. For years, finding nice sets was a real challenge. Then I saw some repro wheels come available, but these did not look like the correct wheels. Sure, they were wires, but that was about it! Kanter sent me a catalogue about a year ago where they advertise what looks like a dead ringer for the wider Chrysler-DeSoto type. Understand, Imps looked like the Chrysler-DeSoto type, but the bolt pattern was larger. Dodge and Plymouth laced the wires way out on the bead, for a real different looking wheel than all the others. I have yet to buy a repop set, but when the time comes, I will certainly consider the Kanter wheels. |
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Wise Old Village Idiot
Posts: 3591
Location: Dellslow, West ("By God") Virginia ! | There was an outfit out in Calif re-poping ALL of the OM wires. Old and current Caddy. T-bird. GM. Several differnt vintage style Street Rod wires, PLUS, the 15" MoPar.
ALL of the OM sets were in the $1K to $1,500 range. Except for the 15 X 6 Mopars, with a metal center, (most aftermarket have plastic centers) were $800. and something!
Chrome rim, (set up for tubeless) and stainless spokes. Needs a magnifing glass to tell from OM!
However, I think this dadburn machine 'ate' the address. I have no record.
They use to have a set of OM wires up on E-gouge every now and then.
If you want a cheap set of OM MoPars, E-bay # 246508152 |
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New User
Posts: 4
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I have "wires" on my '59 Suburban and they are as close to original as you'll get.
They come from a West Coast company called "Wheel Vintiques". Their advertisements
are always in Street Rodder, Rod & Custom, etc. Good product. Here's their Website:
www.wheelvintiques.com.
Enjoy ! And good luck. |
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Member
Posts: 46
Location: Ontario,Canada | Thanks for your input guys, much appreciated. I'll check out Kanters and Wheel Vintiques on the web and see whether they ship to Canada. Alumcan, I also remember hearing about a place in California that was producing them, but cannot remember the company name either. I'll check the web and Hemmings. Thanks again. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8948
Location: WHEELING,WV.>>>HOME OF WWVA | TERRY AND CANMAN------i think KELSEY HAYES is the wire wheel producers you are looking for---american hand made-exact repros.-triple chrome plate-56-60 chrysler-$1695.00 -includes tax-shipping is $125.00------california------PH# 818-679-8703 |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 362
Location: Colorado, USA | You could call these wheels 'reissues' since Kelsey-Hayes made the
original wheels for Chrysler Corporation. They were also sold as
Mopar accessories through the dealer parts counters...
Edited by Daven Anderson 2004-03-13 8:20 PM
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Location: Parts Unknown | Good to hear Kelsey Hayes is making them again. With the possible exception of a very few spinner designs on certain cars, nothing makes a 50's Mopar look so good as some correct whites and matching wires - especially on wagons! I have a set of 58 Adventurer spinners, but can't bring myself to go back to 14" wheels and give up the wires.  |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8948
Location: WHEELING,WV.>>>HOME OF WWVA | in the research i've done on these wheels---early 50's chrysler corporation wheels weren't made by KELSEY HAYES !---they were made by MOTOR RIM and STAMPED either MOTOR RIM OR DETROIT---from the info i dug up KELSEY HAYES wrongly got credit for these wheels in a magazine article from long ago and the myth is hard to get rid of-------------after this period i don't know who made them---later |
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Wise Old Village Idiot
Posts: 3591
Location: Dellslow, West ("By God") Virginia ! | Johnny. Wheel Vinteaques, that site you gave out, isn't the one I was trying to remember.
I called (must have been no more than 2 years ? ago, 800 #) and remember them telling me the price was $800 and some, WITH the METAL (stamped steel) center caps included, with a 4 1/2" lug circle!
The reason, (what they told me) Chrysler wires were cheaper than the others, T-bird/Cad/GM/others, was the lack of a center cap emblem! NO royality payments, or tooling costs.
If someone wants to spend several hours searching the old archives, there was, like now, discussion about wire wheels and I posted the name of this wheel company! |
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Location: Parts Unknown | The original (50's vintage) wire wheels on my 58 Desoto (pictured) say Kelsey-Hayes right on them. |
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Veteran
Posts: 150
Location: Kronenwetter, Wis..... . just south of Wausau | Canman - read thru these wire wheel post quickly, then checked archives. Are you talking about www.hobbycar.com? |
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Wise Old Village Idiot
Posts: 3591
Location: Dellslow, West ("By God") Virginia ! | That name sounds like it. Something about that name, 'hobbycar',,,,,,,?? But click on the web site, and there is nothing about wheels. I dunnno.
Maybe they went out of business bvetween now and when ever it was I talked to them??????????????? |
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New User
Posts: 4
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Hey Gang...I forgot to mention one thing: I think the ones that Kanter sells are the same
ones they get from Wheel Vintiques. With a mark-up to go along with their handling
of the product.
The ones on my Suburban make the wide-whites and mint green paint look extra
cool !
Good luck with whatever ones you choose ! |
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Veteran
Posts: 150
Location: Kronenwetter, Wis..... . just south of Wausau | I clicked on it and theres alot about wire wheels. This might work better: www.hobbycar.com/chrysler.html. You're not sipping on that shine jug tonite are you? Your exact words in the msg dtd May 9, 2002-----I found a company out in California that is 're-poping' the chrome 15" wire wheels used by the Fwdlk era vehicles. www.hobbycar.com. I rest my case. |
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Location: Parts Unknown | Glad this subject came up. When I saw those ads for the Kanter repops @ $1500 (or close enough) I realized the days of paying a grand for a decent set, and another 3 grand to have them disassembled, repaired, rechromed, and reassembled were over! Actually, I am flabbergasted by how the daunting resto prospects of 20 years ago are now just a phone fix away! Can't beat that now can you? Glad I hung on to my old tank until the *weather* got better! |
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Wise Old Village Idiot
Posts: 3591
Location: Dellslow, West ("By God") Virginia ! | Johnny, yer case IS rested! Hell. It's totaly asleep! LOL
If that's the name of the wheel company you say I had contacted back then,,,,,'Hobby Car,' then that's the one. I'm NOT saying you are wrong, I had forgotton the name.
But, when I try to click onto the ww dot hobby car,,,. All I get is a die cast modle car site that's under construction. The other one you suggest, all I get is "page expired" ????
You say you are getting the Hobby Car wheel company's web site? You are much smarter than I am on the use of these dadnurn machines.
They still selling the Mopar wheels at the same price I was quoted back in '02? |
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Veteran
Posts: 150
Location: Kronenwetter, Wis..... . just south of Wausau | Alumcan - Daggone it, I think you're right. I'm geting a page expired now too. I followed other links for that page but it seems the wheels are all for modern cars. I swear by that bottle of bourbon I drank last nite I had found some good info but I guess not. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8948
Location: WHEELING,WV.>>>HOME OF WWVA | time now is 7:01----WHEEL VINTIQUES is still there---just gotta hold your mouth right---later |
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Wise Old Village Idiot
Posts: 3591
Location: Dellslow, West ("By God") Virginia ! | Can you look again. I remember the post talking about the price of those wires.
Most in the post said that the price was for ONE wheel.
Then someone actually contacted this company and the price WAS for a complete set.
That is the post I was refering to. |
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Wise Old Village Idiot
Posts: 3591
Location: Dellslow, West ("By God") Virginia ! | NUTS! I punched the wrong button!
This post was 'sposed to be down there for Tim, in the wanted section. Sorry, just ignore this section.
If anybody wants ,or has to know. It's www.hobbycar.com
The Chrys wire wheels are there, better than OM for $1,200 or the WHOLE SET! |
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Regular
Posts: 56
Location: Katrineholm, Sweden | When we bought our Imperial the guy who helped us with the purchase also fixed a set of wire wheels to it. They were only $1040 including hubcaps! Size is 15x6" and bolt pattern 5 x 5 1/2"
I can try to figure out were he bought them if someone is interested. The only thing marked is the hubcaps; "Bob Bornstein". I found the adress to him here: http://simplexco.com/auto/sourcelist/sources.htm
Seems like he's only doing hubcaps though...
In my opinion they seem to be good quality but since we have not mounted tires I cannot say how the will work. If the chrome looks strange in the pictures it's because there is dust on the rims :-)
Edited by 1955imperial 2005-03-01 8:37 AM
 (wheel and cap.jpg)
 (hubcap.jpg)
 (wheel front.jpg)
 (wheel back.jpg)
Attachments
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 wheel and cap.jpg (92KB - 143 downloads)
hubcap.jpg (38KB - 145 downloads)
wheel front.jpg (71KB - 145 downloads)
wheel back.jpg (60KB - 152 downloads)
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Wise Old Village Idiot
Posts: 3591
Location: Dellslow, West ("By God") Virginia ! | Rick, I might see a potential problem. Maybe?
The center hole diameter. It looks too big.
Is the inside diameter measurment on the wheel, the same (just a 'whisker' bigger) measurment on your hub/drum boss?
Meaning if the center hole is bigger than the hub/drum boss. The lug nuts/bolts are suporting the weight of the vehicle and holding the wheel on.
Look at your OM (black staped steel ?) wheels mounted on your car. Remove the hubcap/wheelcover. See how the wheel is riding on the hub/drrum boss?
The weight of the vehicle is supported by that.
The lug nuts/bolts just hold the wheel on.
I (if it were me) wouldn't want to trust a set up like that.
Hard cornering, whill those 54 year old bolts/studs take that kind of presure? |
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Regular
Posts: 56
Location: Katrineholm, Sweden | Didn't think of that. I've seen other cars with the same big center hole (after market wheels) on other cars but never heard of a failure. But just in case I will have to find out for sure before they go on...
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Wise Old Village Idiot
Posts: 3591
Location: Dellslow, West ("By God") Virginia ! | There IS a way around this big hole/universal/one wheel fits everything.
You have a set of wheels at a GOOD price. Use this suggestion(s).
If you have buddy that has axcess to a lathe,all fine and dandy. You can make a set of 'spacers'
One way, is make a set out of stainless steel, where they will have a 'tap in fit' on your wheel., and the same inside diameter of the center hole of your OM wheels. Then spot weld the spacer to your wheels in four places.
Or, make the spacers out of a semi harden type of steel (NOT a extreme hard) and press them on your hubs.
I have done both ways, but prefer the spot weld method.
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Regular
Posts: 56
Location: Katrineholm, Sweden | Beeing a former workshop mechanic having things made in a lathe is no longer than a phone call away. However, my problems did not end there. Went to my garage the other night to testfit one of the wires on the car. I then found out that the bolt holes are to small..., I guess they're made for 1/2" bolts but my Imperial bolts measure 14.3 mm (whatever that is in inch..), the holes in the wheels are only 13,5 mm...
Well, I guess that phone call will have to include some re-drilling as well as the spacers:-)
But hey, things could be a lot worse! Today here in Sweden we have a lovely sunlight and temperature is rising after a very cold night. Birds are singing welcoming the spring wich is not that far off and tomorrow I beleive the Imperial will have to go out of the garage so I can admire it fully! Sommer is on it's way and by then this wheel thing will feel far off.
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Reproduction wire wheels
