17" steelwheels

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Finmach

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 10, 2012
Messages
241
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2
Location
Finland
My Car
'72 Mach 1. Ford Racing 460+TKO600+Moser M9 4.11 DL
I've been looking for a quite sometime for 17" steelwheels for the Mach 1. Why steelwheels - well, everybody seems to have 17" chrome 5 spoke AR or Cragars so dare to be different??? If you have a weak stomach please skip this next sentence. I bought a used set of Dodge Caliber 17" OEM wheels = dirt cheap. I didn't want to buy a 200 bucks (a piece) 17" wheels from Wheel Vintiques so decided to try these puppies. These mayflower Wheels are bulged heavily from the center, so you can mount there a HUGE brake calibers if you wish. Otherwise they will need to be widened outwards though, 1" at front and 2 1/2" at rear - I'll have a professional wheelshop to do this during the winter. Wheels bs is 5.27" as OEM, so no need to modify bs.

Wheels did have a 215/60-17 27.1" tall tires mounted on them, I'll use them at front. For the rear I bought a set of four 275/55-17 28.9" tall. I like tall tires, my rear drag tires are 29.3" - love the look them under the car.

What do you think what color should I paint them? I've been pondering between gold or black, what do you think? Black would be an easy choice, but the gold is a very traditional Ford muscle color - remember the 427 emblem? Anyway I'll need to use some filler to be able to hide the mayflower die cutting...

There's a comparison between 275/60-15 and the 275/55-17 in the first picture. 275/55-17 thread measures allmost one full inch wider than in the 275/60-15 tire - Gee.

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Argent or silver would be obvious choice due to argent Mach theme. I am still leaning for the gold, since I am vintage nascar fan... If the gold doesn't work out, then I'll mediablast them and paint them again. Bronze would be nice too like the David Pearson # 17 Holman & Moody campainged '69 Talladega had.

We were trying to figure out the wheel desing of the Dodge wheels. Everybody must know the nascar desing called D-window or D-hole like this:

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I my humble opinion the Dodge wheels has a A-window, so does it make them as the A-#¤%#¤ desing??? :D

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Low budjet 17" wheels are progressing - slowly though.

It's been a while, but now here's the first test paint before mediaplasting. I am ending up to similar paint theme, but going to use a tad darker centersection colour. Rim is silver metallic and the center is bronze flake. Rear wheels are now 17x9.5 with 5.27 BS. They should bring the tire close to the fender. Wheel widener made really nice job.

I'll be posting more pics once they're done or test fitted under a car. Hope you like them!

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Here's something to give you an impression that how much the wheel is widened - can is a std. coke size.

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Thanks for the kind words.

These wheels has a huge 5.27" back spacing ment for FWD cars. For the front the centersection was carefully cut out in turning machine and moved innerwards as much as possible and that was 1" and then welded back together. After welding the front wheels are 6.5" wide with 4.27" bs, wheels overall widht is 7.58", so it gives 3.31" for the "front spacing".

Rear wheels were cut in half in turning machine. They were cut carefully just before the line where the center section is welded to the outer rim. That way you see only one weld seam at the wheel "hoop" since the other seam is invicible. There was a new piece welded between the two splits and they were welded from the tire side. You can spot the cutted crack at the rim if you look carefully. Cutted crack is easy to hide with a small touch of bondo. Welder somehow bends the new piece to round shape, not sure how, he didn't tell me how. He says that apply a thin layer of sealant to the tire side seam and let it dry one day before mounting a tire & giving it a pressure to avoid leaks since there might be pore in the welding (you never know?). Wheels you see are unfinished straight from the welding. They will be finished, mediaplasted, give them a little TDC and shoot a two tone paint.

Here's a pic were from you can see the seams somehow.

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There are dozens of companys in US who can make the widenings, here are just a few:

http://www.stocktonwheel.com/

http://www.elitewheelcompany.co.nz/

aluminium wheel widening:

http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/

Here's some talking from the wheel widening from the H.A.M.B. forum:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79462

 
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I admire your determination. I have been hoping someone will make wide 16 or 17" D hole wheels for about 18 years. Looking good.

 
Thanks guys, your opinions means a lot for me! Because of your intrest here are few spy shots from my "wheel works"... I will stay with the silver rim & bronze center (or copper) but some food for you thoughts.

Wheels has a very small diameter center bore 67.1mm = app. 2 5/8" so it is very small, I found a chromed Gorilla HC 188 center cap very close to the diameter. If you are having a stock front brakes and rear axle, then you can use these wheels since the brake center bore is smaller that the CB on these wheels. If you have a new Mustang, then you're in trouble, you will need to make the wheel centerbore bigger in turning machine I recommend. Aftermarket brakes might be also a problem if the brake centerbore is bigger than 2 5/8". With chrome center caps and with 3" wheel studs and open end lug nuts should look wicked??

I have been also thinking that why there are no 17" D-hole wheels, maybe because they needs to be steel = weight and the cost is getting higher. I like the ol' and new nascar theme so I am fond of these wheels. I was first thinking of set of Wheel Vintiques Gennie style 17x9 but they cost 200 bucks a piece.

Orange is bad looking puppy, if my car would be all black, I might try all orange wheels... Other one was made opposite as the original piece from the earlyer post. Bronze hoop makes very strong contrast on the silver center.

Now sit down and don't get scared!! ;)

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Only testing orange rim with original black center section... looks nice too, would paint the center either flat black or black metallic...

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Gold metallic... little bit of too yellow imo.

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My opninion? Orange and gold don't do it for me. Too much of a contrats with the car. Somehow they look like they don't belong there.

The second pic although is a completely different matter. The orange (looks more like bronze to mee?) rim with the black center looks like serious business, very mean and race like.

I like that a lot.

The bronze hoop with the silver center ain't bad either. But I still prefer the black center with the bronze hoop.

A dark center will make the hoop look wider, thus making the wheel look better.

Just my two cents.

 
My opninion? Orange and gold don't do it for me. Too much of a contrats with the car. Somehow they look like they don't belong there.

The second pic although is a completely different matter. The orange (looks more like bronze to mee?) rim with the black center looks like serious business, very mean and race like.

I like that a lot.
You're correct sir, my typo, it is bronze not orange! I will test today a bronze rim with black center - I will post a pic. I like it too, very razy look! I would like to do the center with very dark bronze with black flake mixed but that is not a standard can aerosol for sure. I'll test the black today - it would hide the D-holes too.

The bronze hoop with the silver center ain't bad either. But I still prefer the black center with the bronze hoop.A dark center will make the hoop look wider, thus making the wheel look better.

Just my two cents.
I like black steel wheels, they do give a Mad Max look. Bronze comes from the Holman & Moody campainged Nascar's from the '60s, like the '67 Fairlane and '68 Torinos and '69 T-degas.
Keep the ideas & opinions coming, they are highly appreciated - thanks!

 
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Like you said yourself: the bronze and black has that Holman moody look.

The problem with all black is that here we need two sets if wheels on our cars: one for summer, one for winter. Now, in the summer our cars have cool wheels but during the winter all the cars have black steel rims.

That us why all black rims have that "negative" image for me.

But the bronze is cool.

Could you send me details on the bronze? I might want to paint the hoops of my rims that way.

 
Yup, I am going to stay on the silver rim and bronze center, it really looks good and once it gets the lacquer it makes the colour a little darker.

I got to admit that my bronze is actually a "copper". I have no idea what is the colorcode for the paint. Manufacturer is Finnish, I'll ask if they can give me the code so you can have it done there locally.

Here's few test pic from the black center section and with a copper "bronze" center.

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Biggest problem with these wheels are the center caps, Gorilla Automotive HC 188 chrome cap is very close, I will receive them in two weeks, can't wait to see how they looks on the wheels.

 
Little progress. Mounted the rears on the wheels, got to admit eventhough I measured and calculated the widening very carefully I was still little bit of scared to see how they would fit. IMO they are just perfect with my rolled fender lips. That's 29" of rear tire ladies and genteleman and mid-eye rear leafs!!!

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Now going to get the tire off the wheel and prepare the wheels for the final painting.

 
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