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A Swap Meet Scrounger’s Guide to Vintage Wheels

TEXT & PHOTOS BY Tommy Lee Byrd

ne of the easiest and earliest methods of automotive personalization comes in the form of tires and wheels. Aftermarket rolling stock originally offered a combination of upgraded strength, convenience, and appearance. The custom wheel industry kicked off in the racing world, but by the late ’60s, aftermarket wheels were commonly used as an upgrade for regular street cars. You could buy them through many mail-order companies, such as JC Whitney, or you could even buy them through major retailers, such as Sears, JCPenney, and more. As aftermarket wheels became more affordable, everything from Corvairs to Corvettes had many options for custom fitments. Dozens of brands gave customers a wide range of styles, finishes, and sizes to fit their needs.

We could write a book about the history of the aftermarket wheel and the major players in the industry, but the purpose of this article is to educate you on the various types of wheels that you may stumble across at a swap meet. While you may be fortunate enough to find some cool Halibrand wheels, or magnesium American’s at a swap meet, you’ll likely be met with a gigantic price tag. These wheels are like gold to old-school drag racers and hot rodders. You may also find that front runners (wheels that measure 3 to 5 inches in width) bring more than the more common 6-, 7- and 8-inch-wide sizes. It’s easy to get a little too excited by the high prices on eBay or at swap meets, so control your spending habits and do your homework before you unload a bunch of cash on a set of wheels.

There are lots of important factors to remember when searching a swap meet for vintage wheels. The obvious things, like size and bolt pattern, can be checked with a pocket-sized tape measure, so don’t leave home without one. Always check the condition of the wheel thoroughly, but understand that you’re taking a gamble when buying vintage wheels. There could be hidden damage, such as bends or cracks in the material. You’re dealing with fatigued metals that could be upwards of 60 years old, so be prepared for potential heartache if your wheels end up as garage decoration. On the bright side, the perfect set of legit vintage wheels can take your old-school muscle car to the next level. Let’s dig into the fun of scrounging around at a swap meet, and take a look at some great vintage wheels that may be awesome additions to your project car or parts collection.

magnesium American Racing Torq Thrust wheels stacked

1. If you’ve ever walked through a swap meet, you’ve likely seen some vintage wheels stacked up. Some are wildly expensive, while others are dirt cheap. It usually comes down to the wheel’s construction. These magnesium American Racing Torq Thrust wheels bring big money because they are considerably more scarce than the aluminum versions.

American Racing built these 12-spoke examples

2. Funny Cars and altered drag cars were allowed to run spindle-mount front wheels. These wheels are lighter than typical 5-lug wheels, due to the lack of material in the centersection, and the lack of provisions for front brakes. American Racing built these 12-spoke examples, a very popular design that was built only in magnesium.

3. There are several popular rear wheel configurations for vintage Top Fuel dragsters. Early Halibrand wheels, like these, featured four oval-shaped slots, also known as windows. Halibrand later went to a five-slot design with much larger windows. Notice the dull gray finish—this material corrodes quickly, but it sure looks cool.

4. One drawback of a cast-magnesium wheel is that the material can deteriorate and become brittle. This 12-spoke American has graduated to “wall hanger” status with a broken spoke. Magnesium can be welded, if you know the right guy, but broken wheels were often scrapped.

Halibrand completely smooth tire and rim

5. Halibrand originally jumped into the wheel business with magnesium castings that saved weight, compared to stamped steel wheels. Many of the early wheels are completely smooth with no cooling windows. Notice the knock-off “spinner” with six locating pins, a popular way to attach wheels on open-wheel race cars.

Halibrand purpose-built drag racing wheels

6. By the ’60s, Halibrand was manufacturing purpose-built drag racing wheels, like these 16-inch “big window” wheels. Primarily used for Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars, the 16×10 sizing eventually grew to accommodate wider slicks. These wheels are cast magnesium and bring big money.

7. Halibrand’s most popular front runner option was this spindle-mount design, which was often used on Funny Cars in the ’60s and ’70s. All Halibrand wheels have the word Halibrand and a model number cast into it, unless the markings were removed during extensive polishing.

American Racing wheels without any branding information cast into the wheel

8. Contrary to Halibrand wheels, early American Racing wheels did not have any branding information cast into the wheel. These early Torq Thrust front runners have no identification markings, but the spoke design and magnesium construction confirm that they are indeed American Racing. These wheels fetch huge prices, and they’re typically used on gassers from the ’60s.

9. A common way to personalize the wheels in the ’60s and ’70s involved painting the spokes—sometimes to match the body color, but you’ll also notice that gold spokes were quite popular in the ’70s.

10. American Racing Equipment still produces classic wheel designs, such as the Torq Thrust D pictured here. A quick way to tell the old American from the new ones is the lug nut area—old American’s require a shank and washer-style lug nut, while the new recreations use an acorn-style lug nut with a tapered seat.

American Racing's “Daisy” or “Coke Bottle” wheels

11. Another popular American Racing wheel is the 200S. Some people call them “Daisy” or “Coke Bottle” wheels because of the spoke design. These wheels came out in 1969, and the most common sizes range from 6 to 8.5 inches wide. You may find some 15x10s out there, but you’re not likely to find any original 200S front runners at a swap meet, as they are incredibly rare.

12. Cragar is an iconic wheel brand that made huge waves in the automotive aftermarket in 1964. The timeless five-spoke design still looks cool on the right type of build. Even though Cragar is still producing the S/S wheel, the originals have a little different design and are more desirable by purists.

13. Original-design Cragar S/S front runners are more pricey than common rear sizes, but they’re perfect for a vintage-style muscle car or drag car. You’ll want to stay away from the unilug wheels from the ’70s and ’80s if you’re going for originality.

14. Another cool Cragar design was known as the Super Trick wheel. It was a lightweight spun aluminum wheel that debuted in 1970. These wheels were used on all sorts of door slammer drag cars and were a popular choice for street cars as well. Super Tricks were a multipiece wheel that bolted together.

Centerline Auto Drag—it had the same smooth finish but had fake rivets instead of bolts

15. Centerline jumped on the spun aluminum bandwagon in the ’70s and created a wheel that was similar to the Super Trick. It was called the Auto Drag—it had the same smooth finish but had fake rivets instead of bolts. Other wheel companies knocked off this design, as it was quite popular in the ’80s.

16. Most aftermarket wheel companies were relatively small, but as the trend continued to grow, wheel manufacturing giant Motor Wheel Corporation decided to play ball. The Michigan-based company was a supplier to the Big Three, but its first aftermarket product was called the Spyder. It offered a unique look and featured a chrome-plated steel hoop with a cast center.

Motor Wheel's a racing version of the Spyder

17. Motor Wheel jumped into the racing wheel market for a short time in the early ’70s. A racing version of the Spyder was produced in one-piece cast magnesium and were most often used on the rear of Pro Stock cars. They are extremely rare.

18. Another magnesium racing wheel from Motor Wheel is called the Fly. This was undoubtedly one of the lightest drag racing wheels ever produced. The front runners were made from magnesium and known for being fragile. Rears were made from aluminum.

19. Kelsey Hayes, manufacturer of the famous Chevrolet Rally wheel, also hopped onboard the aftermarket wheel bandwagon in 1969. Hayes developed the “Stripper” wheel to utilize a steel hoop and an aluminum face with 20 spokes of varying lengths and angles. These wheels are rare in any size, but the 15×4 front runners pictured here are nearly impossible to find.

20. A timeless classic aftermarket wheel is the “slotted mag.” Even though “mag” is a common name for the wheel, they were typically made from aluminum. Ansen, Fenton, and U.S. Indy are the top dogs when it comes to slotted mags, but there are about a dozen other manufacturers who built similar wheels.

21. Like most other vintage aftermarket wheels, narrow slotted mag front runners are often more desirable and usually bring more money at a swap meet. If you’re picky about the brand, flip the wheel over and you’ll often see the brand cast into the rear of the wheel. If there is only sizing information and no name cast into the wheel you’re dealing with a knock-off.

22. ET was another great brand of the ’60s and ’70s. ET produced one of the better Torq Thrust copies available at the time and offered them in several sizes. The ones pictured here are 15×8.5. Most of ET’s street wheels were unilug.

23. A closer look at an ET wheel shows the oblong unilug bolthole. Unilug wheels require a special offset washer to accommodate the bolt pattern of your vehicle. Direct drilled wheels are usually preferred, but many ’70s wheels featured the unilug design.

alternative spoke designs Foresight “Drag Mag,”

24. The ’60s saw several wheel companies bring new designs to the market. The typical five-spoke wheel was popular, so companies put their own spin on the trend by creating alternative spoke designs. Foresight created the “Drag Mag,” which featured a split spoke and black accents.

Keystone's affordable aftermarket wheels

25. Keystone was yet another brand that offered affordable aftermarket wheels. You can still pick up some Keystones for cheap these days, but again, front runners are hard to find. Keystone Klassic wheels are perfect for an early ’70s build.

26. Weld Racing wheels are easy to spot because they will have clearly stamped branding, with KCMO (Kansas City, Missouri) alongside. Most will also have a date code. The wheels pictured were built in 1992. Cragar built a similar wheel, and many others would later offer the design.

Weld Racing Draglite wheel on a race car

27. We’re getting into semi-modern territory, but let’s be real—the Weld Racing Draglite wheel debuted about 40 years ago! These wheels first saw national exposure on Lee Shepherd’s Pro Stock Camaro, and they’ve been going strong ever since.

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