[rohan_fonseca]

Wow Nitin Great pics!

[ananthkamath]

Originally Posted by speedy

this is the wheel design that i am looking for to be exact.

Good luck finding vintage Torqthrusts in India. They're hard to come by even here and cost a good packet.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by speedy

the camaro ss one of my all time favourite muscle cars. my uncle has one and i love it.
any idea guys where we can get wheels like this in bombay. need it for my new muscle car.

@speedy, can you guess, who was the manufacturer of probably the first bling aftermarket wheels in the world?

This is a Cragar S/S Super Sport Wheel -- a classic five-spoke design.

Introduced in 1964, these bling wheels created the custom wheel industry and needless to say, quickly gained top position. Back in 1965, you could buy a set of Cragar S/S new rims and mod your 1965 Ford Mustang.

For muscle cars of the 1960s, the Cragar S/S also happens to be the most popular, most imitated, and most successful custom wheel in history.

The highly polished and chromium plated steel rim is attached to the aluminum alloy center by pressure casting.
No rivets or screws are employed, but the design is good enough to resist a sideways force of over 19 tons before the center will separate from the rim.

On the other hand, cheap Taiwanese imitations separate at barely 10-12 tons.

In 1970, Cragar wrote the book on one-piece aluminum wheels and two-piece aluminum wheels. This established SAE (US Society of Automotive Engineers) guidelines and specifications for the aftermarket wheel industry.

OT: There's a scale-model hobby company called Georgia Marketing and Promotions, who have purchased a license from Cragar to produce replacement toy wheels for 1/10th through 1/43rd scale model cars, as well as complete 1/24 and 1/43rd scale die-cast cars with Cragar wheels !

Ram

[Nitin]

Not sure, but are there people who actually fabricate alloys in India? As in,dealers who can design & actually make the alloys for customers?
If its tough to import these tires, I really don't know how you'd be able to get similiar looking ones..speedy.

[iraghava]

Nitin - None that we know of. It's a very, very specialised job & AFAIK there is no one with the equipment or raw material to be able to do one-off jobs here.

Plus, given the nascent stage that our alloy wheel manufacturing industry is in, I would doubt we have too many experienced professionals available who can design & manufacture custom wheels.

[ananthkamath]

Originally Posted by ram

This is a Cragar S/S Super Sport Wheel -- a classic five-spoke design.

That looks more like a Torqthrust to me. Made by American Racing. Could be wrong though.

[speedy]

thank you guys
Ram special thanks to you for going through all the trouble. my uncles 64 mustang and the camero already have awsome wheels. i needed the wheels for a 68 pontiac lemans convertible that i have just bought. i guess i would just import the wheels when i start restoration of it.

[Nitin]

Speedy, good luck with the restoration!
I'm sure you'll be able to find exactly what you are looking for..

[speedy]

Originally Posted by Nitin

Speedy, good luck with the restoration!
I'm sure you'll be able to find exactly what you are looking for..

thanks nitin, i am still awaiting dilivery of the car. the car looks similer to the red GTO that i posted. i would be doing it up exactly the same. i would get the wheels from america along with any other parts that would be required.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by ananthkamath

That looks more like a Torqthrust to me. Made by American Racing. Could be wrong though.

@ananthkamath, I think I've enjoyed a good number of summers at rural highway pizza parlors all over North America.

I'd like to share my observation that, the quintessential icon of American culture, the "Cruise-In", unveiled a lot of eyecandy -- both hourglass flora and classic V8 fauna.

And automotive swap meets at the local county fairgrounds, were another haven for old magazines, old cars, parts and warm people with plenty of hospitality, bonhomie and stories.

Ram

[kphilip]

nice pics nithin, Have seen only toy cars like that!Was wondering how ppl maintain these classics in US..

[ananthkamath]

Originally Posted by ram

@ananthkamath, I think I've enjoyed a good number of summers at rural highway pizza parlors all over North America.

Good for you, Ram. Thanks for the clarification though. The wheels look close enough that anyone can make a mistake.

[n_aditya]

awesome pics there. With so many hot rods around i wonder how they all sound when revv'd simultaneously. Some even look like our conty. The wheels and tires are just amazing on some cars. Loved the 'vette's and the supercharged monster. 5 Star rating for this thread.

[Nitin]

n_aditya... some of the cars were doing rounds around the block,and oohh yeaah...the engines sure sounded terriffic!
the growl from the '68 mustang and the Camaro were just out of the world!

[LTAutoMad]

For those interested in American muscle, here are some snaps I took during a hotrod & custom show in Melbourne. Enjoy!

If you are a purist, it is sacrilege to cut, slam & chop such classic beauties, but if you are a hotrodder, these are cars are pure art & poetry in motion!