yenko chevelle wheels

[68l30]

Ratpack,you are correct.I used a .6875 end mill to machine the lug holes.I custom made some 304 stainless washers to get the correct depth on the lug nut.The counter bore on the lug hole varies from wheel to wheel,quality control was not what you would expect today.If I didn't get in on the bottom floor of this project cost wise I would have thought twice!

Steve

[RVOR]

Had a chance to look at the ET "0lassic Five"
cast wheel today. It may be an excellent substitute for the original Atlas with the exception of being a 2 piece wheel. I called
Team III Wheels who are the manufacturer and asked for if they had other options. He claimed that was the only straight spoke currently on the market that he knew of. They just so happened to have a 1 piece design in work, due to complete in March. He has picked up a number of vintage wheels from swap meets and is reproducing the ones he thinks enthusiast want. He also stated he has had car clubs in the past give him a wheel that had not been manufactured for years and reproduce it for them. The cost is an initial $3000.00 then approx. $300.00 per wheel.

[Jeff H]

I have a set of Ansen 5 spoke wheels that look similar to the torque thrusts, but they are 15x6 and they clear disc brakes. They were purchased in 68 and put on a 67 Corvette and are in very good condition. Check this site for a bunch of vintage mags http://www.roadsters.com/wheels/#Ansen it's gives some good information.

[Rat_Pack]

Jeff H, thanks for the note on that wheel site. Good information for the novice. There are some statements that are incorrect about American and Fenton wheels on that site.

Not all American Torque Thrusts have the offset or size cast into the back of them but they all do say American Racing Equipment. I have not found any of the T70 wheels to say anything more than American Racing Equipment cast into the backs of them. Some of the T70 15 X 7 wheels do have Patent Pend cast into them after the ARE casting. Also I have never seen an original set of aluminum Torque Thrusts with the centers painted (except current TT-D's) as the article states in the "restoration" area. The finish was "as cast" and they even stated that in their ads. The May 68 issue of HRM the ad states "Prime Metal.....we are the largest producers of unpainted wheels in the world". The machined areas were exactly that, machined, but almost to a polished look. They did not have the deep machined grooves like the current wheels have where you can catch an edge with your fingernail. They were a lot smoother and were almost undetectible.

Some Fenton mags that look like the Torque Thrusts are exactly that. They used a Torque Thrust wheel to make their casting and the words Fenton Racing Equipment is cast into the back of the wheel. What is funny is that you can see where they removed the word American and cast their logo in there. This is most commonly found on their 15 x 9 (not 8-1/2" wide that is another difference) wheel. Where they changed the wheel was on the outer machined/polished lip. Besides adding a 1/2" to the width of the wheel, the "step up" where the machined surface meets the spokes is at a sharper angle than the American. Thus giving a deeper look to the wheel.

Sorry for the long post but I just wanted to relay some more information about the many differences of these wheels over the years...................RatPack............

[68l30]

Rat_Pak,How did ARE finish the rear side of the Torq Thrust? I have mine polished from the cast area where they are marked ARE out.Do you guy's clear coat your spokes and center non polished areas?I thought I would for ease of cleaning...

Steve

[Rat_Pack]

The machined area on the backs of the wheels are finished like the current Torque Thrust D's with a pronounced machine finish. If you clear the centers make sure you use something that does not turn yellow from heat. I think Eastwood offers something that will work. If you use anything else the clear will yellow after a few trips to the local cruise night maybe even quicker if you have disc brakes on the front. Also sometimes clear coating rough cast aluminum will darken the finish a little, not always though.

I leave my wheels unfinished just like they came originally. If you have them on a daily driver I can get you a mix formula that is very close to the original gold/gray tone of the aluminum that they used to cast those wheels in. I will email you a picture of a car that I finished this summer and we painted those ugly dark gray centers on the current Torque Thrust D's...............RatPack.....................

[Stefano]

Rat_Pak,
I have used "POR" cast iron gray exhaust manifold paint, with satisfactory results. While not correct for a judged car this works great for Cruisers and drivers. The POR is a bit lighter in color than current Torque Thrust "D"s but has the distinct advantage of heat resistance and durability. No clear coat necessary.
I'm sure you could figure out a way to add some gold tint for a more correct appearence.