Yenko Wheels

skierkaj · #1 03-30-2005, 09:16 PM

Are you sure Atlas wheels weren't available to the public for sale as a set? I distinctly remember my uncle telling me he had a set on his '69 GTO. Who knows? Maybe they were from a Yenko car?

12bolt · #2 03-31-2005, 05:20 AM

where The YENKO rims 14" or 15"?? I have an OLD set of 4 American Racing Torque Thrusts that were on a 55 Chevy I had. I am pretty sure They are 14". The Cars last inspection was 1977!

**Steve Shauger** · #3 03-31-2005, 05:33 AM

I believe 15x6 was the size used although i am sure there were exceptions.

Belair62 · #4 03-31-2005, 05:50 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Atlas was actually the wheel Yenko used, but they were never sold anywhere

[/ QUOTE ]

Joe...if Atlas didn't sell them outside Yenko they would have gone out of business after they made the first set...maybe they made them for other stores or shops..they were knock offs of Americans along with the rest of the look alike wheels...pretty sure American came up with the design and it was just copied by all the rest.

**Steve Shauger** · #5 03-31-2005, 05:58 AM

My belief is that they were a low cost knock off and obviously sold elsewhere. Only a handful of Yenkos were actually equipped with them. We know how price conscience Don was...

**Lynn** · #6 03-31-2005, 07:28 AM

Since the Yenkos were ordered with the sport car conversion, they would have come to the dealer with 15 X 7 Ralleys, correct? How many got the mags? Were all the mags the same brand? What did Don do with all the left over ralleys? (uh oh, now I did it, someone will no doubt be selling Don's "secret stash" of ralleys on ebay now along with a "notarized" letter from Don Yenko vouching for the authenticity - should take about 3 nanoseconds for that auction to start).

Lynn

Belair62 · #7 03-31-2005, 08:06 AM

There was a fellow around this site who claimed to have wheels from Yenkos store with receipts...but it turned out to be BS...

camarojoe · #8 03-31-2005, 05:46 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Since the Yenkos were ordered with the sport car conversion, they would have come to the dealer with 15 X 7 Ralleys, correct? How many got the mags? Were all the mags the same brand? What did Don do with all the left over ralleys? (uh oh, now I did it, someone will no doubt be selling Don's "secret stash" of ralleys on ebay now along with a "notarized" letter from Don Yenko vouching for the authenticity - should take about 3 nanoseconds for that auction to start).

Lynn

[/ QUOTE ]

VERY few cars actually got the mag wheels, even though most cars have some sort of mag on them today. I don't know an exact figure, and i don't know that anyone does, but I doubt there was ever any giant pile of 15x7 YH rallys like there would have been with the "rainbow" of XT's in 70.

camarojoe · #9 03-31-2005, 05:41 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Atlas was actually the wheel Yenko used, but they were never sold anywhere

[/ QUOTE ]

Joe...if Atlas didn't sell them outside Yenko they would have gone out of business after they made the first set...maybe they made them for other stores or shops..they were knock offs of Americans along with the rest of the look alike wheels...pretty sure American came up with the design and it was just copied by all the rest.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is fact they were not sold anywhere, as Marlin said, my brother can fill in the details, but basically Yenko commissioned Atlas Foundry to make him some wheels, because (surprise!) he was trying to save money from buying them from American or other "wheel specific" manufacturers. Atlas was also the foundry that cast many other Yenko aluminum parts, including the valve covers for the Yenko Stinger Vega's etc.

**Steve Shauger** · #10 03-31-2005, 06:40 PM

Great information, can't wait to hear the details. How much could he have possibly saved, and what about the setup and sand casting costs to produce these low volume wheels. If Yenko saved money, the foundry probably lost some on this deal.

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