What Cragar is this?

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matthon

matthon

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Chromed steel rim with aluminum center.

I don't think it's a GT, or a GT Chrome, based on the old ads, and they are one piece aluminum.

It looks different than my full chrome Cragars, which have a wider outer ring on the aluminum insert.

I don't see any signs of the grey being painted over chrome.

I've had it since high school, came in the trunk of a 57 Chevy I bought, and although I measured the bolt pattern wrong, I believe it's a Mopar big bolt pattern.

I'd like to get another, but I don't know what I'm looking for.

What is it?

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That's an old Cragar S/S. Says so right on the cap. Summit has them.
 
It's a 2 piece wheel, chromed steel rim, bare aluminum center.
I see 1 piece aluminum or 2 piece full chrome new.
Haven't seen another one like mine.
I think I may have put the center cap on long ago.
 
The spoke isn't flat like a G/T or S/S. It has a bit of a ridge down the middle, like a Torq Thrust, but not as pronounced.
It looks a bit like this Swinger wheel, but while it says the Swinger is a one piece wheel, yours is clearly a two piece.

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S'cuder said:
The spoke isn't flat like a G/T or S/S. It has a bit of a ridge down the middle, like a Torq Thrust, but not as pronounced.
It looks a bit like this Swinger wheel, but while it says the Swinger is a one piece wheel, yours is clearly a two piece.

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No, look again. That's not a ridge. It's a reflection. One is in the center, the other is not. That's a Cragar S/S.
 
RustyRatRod said:
No, look again. That's not a ridge. It's a reflection. One is in the center, the other is not. That's a Cragar S/S.
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I think you're right. There's no ridge, but the spokes aren't as flat as a G/T. I always thought the cast centers were the same, but they're not. The only S/S wheels I ever owned were sold on the car 40 years ago.
Here's a link to some NOS S/S on feeBay. They look identical to matthon's.
NOS Vintage 1969 Cragar SS 15X6 Chrome wheels. Mint condition with caps Ford 4.5 | eBay
 
Why no chrome center?
Last pic I cleaned it a little.

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It had a chrome center. A while back. lol
 
SGBARRACUDA said:
How can they be steel/aluminum? How are they bonded together?
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Heck if I know, but Cragar still makes that same wheel. Summit has a pile of them. It's right there in the description too. Steel/aluminum.
 
It appears to me the center was never chrome.

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The center is cast around steel then it is welded to the outer rim, i've cut them apart before.
 
I always search for this rim, or similar, never find any.
I have a few sets of Cragars, the aluminum pits under the chrome, on this one the chrome reflects on the aluminum, as in the last 2 pics.
The center has a shine of it's own, once I cleaned it.

Like I said, always looking, and of course I just found these advertised near me.
Can't say they're definitely Cragars, but advertised as Cragars.

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matthon said:
I always search for this rim, or similar, never find any.
I have a few sets of Cragars, the aluminum pits under the chrome, on this one the chrome reflects on the aluminum, as in the last 2 pics.
The center has a shine of it's own, once I cleaned it.

Like I said, always looking, and of course I just found these advertised near me.
Can't say they're definitely Cragars, but advertised as Cragars.

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The backs sure look like they're Cragars. They're unilug, which we know Cragar sold.
 
Yours? I saw a set of these on the facebook mag wheel page. Pretty expensive, if I remember.
 
Just discovered what mine is, found the pic in the link below.
The camera doesn't capture the center very well, but it has that sparkle/grainy look, you can see it mostly on the edge of the center on mine in the last pic I posted.

Found the gold one too, it's a Cragar.

Set of 5 on ebag now for $2500.

Cragar Sparkler Mags N.O.S From 1970

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The S/S "Sparkler". Interesting.
 
That is the early style Cragar S/S wheels that came on the market in mid 1964. Center section is casted aluminium with added metal plates so it can be welded to the chromed rim. I have restored one set 13x5 and is working on the next set. Takes alot of work but they turn out great.

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S'cuder said:
I've seen S/S wheels with the chrome peeling on the aluminum centers like after a bad sunburn. I'm sure more than one person took it all the way off.
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I had a pair of 15 x 9 that I bought cheap in the late '80s. Spent an afternoon with a wire brush and putty knife removing the flaking chrome from the center. Then I scuffed em and spray painted flat black.

I thought they looked pretty cool on the back of my jacked up '66 Malibu lol.
 
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