Cragar rims,Are they too far gone?

[toolmanmike]

I’ll probably stick with the slots with that in mind. One less thing to worry about.

What wheels are on the car now?

 

[SlingLow]

Old guy asks: I remember custom wheels being called Mags because they were made from Magnesium. Is that still a thing?

 

[toolmanmike]

Old guy asks: I remember custom wheels being called Mags because they were made from Magnesium. Is that still a thing?

Nope.

 

[SlingLow]

Old guy asks: I remember custom wheels being called Mags because they were made from Magnesium. Is that still a thing?

Thanks @toolmanmike . Was it a thing in the 70s/80s from whence my limited memory resides?

 

[33 IMP]

Old guy asks: I remember custom wheels being called Mags because they were made from Magnesium. Is that still a thing?

Real magnesium wheels haven't been made for a bunch of years, they are a pain in the *** to maintain, and now VERY expensive!
American Racing made some torque thrusts in mag in the sixties, but most real mag wheels (at least the ones I remember) were Halibrands, Indy Roadster wheels from the forties thru the seventies. Halibrand also made real mag dragster wheels.

 

[WileERobby]

Man those sold quick….gone in a few mins. Anyhow does anyone know what my current rims are called? My buddy was calling them kidney beans but I don’t know if that’s what they are.

Your second wheel pic appears to be Ansen slot wheels. A common install back in the day.

 

[SlingLow]

You know, you guys rock! You never blow off the stupid questions or the people who ask them. I appreciate you all.

 

[toolmanmike]

Your second wheel pic appears to be Ansen slot wheels. A common install back in the day.

I don't think Ansen's were ever uni-lug

 

[33 IMP]

Your second wheel pic appears to be Ansen slot wheels. A common install back in the day.

Had some ansen slots (sprints)on my 57 Chevy (14x8)in the seventies. They had huge thick washers so they could be two patterns. One or two might still be in my garage attic.
Still got a pair of 15x8.5 Ansen tt lookalikes. Heavy for their size.

 

[multimopes]

Mag wheels, as mentioned, became a generic term for any wheel that wasn't just steel painted factory rims and used hub caps or wheel covers. Factory wheels that weren't painted but polished or chrome plated were also referred to as a mag wheel. If I recall correctly, one of the main reasons for not using magnesium wasn't just price. They were very dangerous when a vehicle caught fire. Evidently, once magnesium gets hot enough to burn, it is very difficult to extinguish as it makes its own oxygen. I recall way back when while we were camping out on an island in the middle of a lake, one guy brought some granular magnesium powder. Well, he put it in a pot & set it on fire. Well, it scared the living sh_t out of us as it burned right through the pot and the metal stand under it and kept burning through the ground until it hit water and still continued to burn. It burned in the water until all the powder was used up.
Those slotted mags have always been my favorite style. They are easy to clean & easy to check your brake drums & /or discs / calipers for heat from dragging. They were the first ones I ever owned. I bought them for my first car, a 65 Dart coupe. The ones I bought were made by Fenton, but I think I have used almost every brand made. I know that I had Ansen's, Et's, (AP's "Appliance"), & American Racing for sure. I found out recently that American just stopped making them. However, Thank God they are still made by Indy and in a large variety of sizes, even 17". If I had money to burn, I'd have put them on every vehicle I ever owned. Front wheel drive pretty much played a big part, due to the offsets, in my opinion, which did them in. I believe that Mag wheels in general, not only enhance a vehicle, but, since you can see brake components through the open areas, it encourages keeping your brake hardware and any visible suspension components clean & painted, which is a good thing! It also makes a vehicle more unique than a stock setup. Thinking back to my old Dart. I jacked the *** up to clear big *** tires, which scared people away who thought my car was fast. The joke was on them, it was still a stock slant 6! One other thing; mag wheels also draw attention from law enforcement, which might make you more inclined to "behave yourself, lol!"

 

[1 Wild R/T]

To me, those are "slots" or slot mags, and unless it says who built them, they could be by anybody. There were about a hundred companies that made or sold them.
To me, a "kidney bean " would specifically be a Halibrand indy roadster style wheel, real magnesium, and VERY expensive! (those aren't, no offense).

Kidney Beans...

 

[RemCharger]

I don't think Ansen's were ever uni-lug

Had some ansen slots (sprints)on my 57 Chevy (14x8)in the seventies. They had huge thick washers so they could be two patterns. One or two might still be in my garage attic.
Still got a pair of 15x8.5 Ansen tt lookalikes. Heavy for their size.

Yes the washer was like a control arm eccentric .
One of the better unilug setups that I've seen. Retorque everytime you get gas lol

 

[33 IMP]

Yes the washer was like a control arm eccentric .
One of the better unilug setups that I've seen. Retorque everytime you get gas lol

Did a bit of research. Turns out I had Sprint ll. The "ll" were unilug.

 

[33 IMP]

Kidney Beans...
View attachment 1556239

Real "brands", pin drive, true knockoffs, looks like a dow7 coating for corrosion protection. AND safety wired!

 

[dodgedifferent2]

As I suspected the chlorine bath did not change anything or dissolve the plating.

Now to do some more digging to see what else I come up with.

 

[toolmanmike]

As I suspected the chlorine bath did not change anything or dissolve the plating.

Now to do some more digging to see what else I come up with.

View attachment 1556296

Those are too far gone to be close to nice. The steel rims are pitted/rusty and the aluminum spokes are corroded.

 

[dodgedifferent2]

Those are too far gone to be close to nice. The steel rims are pitted/rusty and the aluminum spokes are corroded.

Never say never ;-)
I redid some aluminum rims that everyone said were too far gone. Now people offer to buy them off me.
Also did some steel rims that I re-hooped.

 

[toolmanmike]

Never say never ;-)
I redid some aluminum rims that everyone said were too far gone. Now people offer to buy them off me.
Also did some steel rims that I re-hooped.

Oh sure, anything could be done if you have enough time and money. Common sense tells me that if a brass wire brush or some fine steel wool and some polish can't turn them into 10 footers, they are probably too far gone to fix. If you have your heart set on Cragar SS's they do make new ones. I'm sure new is cheaper than rechroming one now days. Now, if you have something you need to restore like the original SS's that came or 65 Dart Chargers, you may have no choice. Ulf over at FABO takes them apart and restores them however he has to make them new again. He has no choice. They don't make 13" Cragar SS's any more.

 

[matthon]

Quick-Glo
Cleans chrome, stainless, removes rust and paint and crud, adds a wax coating, only need a tiny amount on a cloth.
I've used it for years, everything from wheels to steering wheels, trim, most recently on this pitted lever.

 

[multimopes]

Not to drag this out, but on my first car, I first installed baby moons. I added trim rings later. After that I bought & installed something I didn't see mentioned here; that being slotted chrome steel dish wheels. The back of them was flat, so I needed to put spacers behind them to clear the brake weights. Later, I bought another Dart, a 63 coupe. This one got keystones in front & Cragar SS in the rear. I couldn't pass up a pair for free. However, the Cragars & the Keystones both did the peeling on the spokes & a tad of rust on the outer sections. Also my 70 Challenger RT had Keystones all the way around when I bought it. I bought another 65 Dart GT later, on which I put factory Rallye Wheels with trim rings.