Wheels used on Trans-Am Camaros

[cuda48]

Chad,
 That is an amazing photo showing the differences when mounting the same size tire on two different size rims! That is really hard to believe. Wow.

Mike

[Jon Mello]

Below are two 15x7" aluminum '60s era "D-spoke" mags. The wheel lips are different. The top one is definitely an American Racing
wheel as it says so on the back side. Who was the manufacturer of the one on the bottom? Were magnesium versions made in
both styles? Chad, from looking at the photos of your wheels, it looks like the 15x7" front wheels have the lip like what I have in
the bottom photo and the cheater 15x9" wheels have the true American-style lip. I don't think I had previously seen that on a real
magnesium D-spoke. I guess I'm wondering if somebody besides American Racing was making a magnesium D-spoke wheel. I have
heard no magnesium wheel has the American Racing script on the back side.

[OCTARD]

Hello Jon,

I don't know the answer to your question.  There will surely be someone that visits this forum that does.

-Chad

[Sixteen Grand Sedan #56]

Hi Steve,

I have acquired a set of used Torque Thrusts that measure  15 x 8.5  Has anyone seen these before?  They were to be used on a 67 camaro T/A replica project by a friend of mine.  We have acquired a donor street car and some engine and tranny parts, but he has been taken ill and the project has been stalled, maybe for good.  The idea was to replicate just what I drove, not a fancy "modernized" vintage racer you see today.

Robert Barg

Robert

Are your wheels aluminum?

The 8.5 wide rims are common in the aluminum version of the Torque Thrusts wheel as well as the 200S version

[oldtransamdriver]

Not aluminum as far as I know - thought they were old style, but I don't have them - they are in storage with the old camaro project in Chehalis WA that we have now listed for sale.

Robert Barg

[Jon Mello]

Here's another magnesium wheel made by American Racing in a squared off 6-spoke design.
I think this wheel may have come out in 1971. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. This wheel
was discontinued rather quickly from what I understand. I believe it may have been too easily
prone to cracking and breaking. If somebody has a better photo of one, please post it. This
particular mag is on a '68 Trans-Am Camaro once raced by Stan Bennett from the Pacific NW.
Stan had purchased it from a guy who had been Trans-Am racing it on the East Coast previously.

[OCTARD]

Hello Jon,

I've had a couple knowledgeable folks refer to these wheels you show on the Stan Bennett Camaro as the American Racing "TA 70" wheel.  Some of the following cars ran/run them (with links to each car where more pictures of the wheels can be seen):

• One of Joe Chamberlain's '69 Camaros - (pic of wheel within this PDF) - http://www.transamcars.com/content/76/76history.pdf
• Mike Folsom '70 Boss 302 - Now owned and run by Craig Conley (I don't know if it ran these wheels "in the day" -  http://i.pbase.com/o6/21/783021/1/131107557.aEPauVnK.DSC_3487c640.JPG
• Ed Hinchliff/Steve Ross '68 Mustang Notchback - Now owned and run by J. Bittle (Also don't know if the car ran these wheels "in the day" -  http://image.popularhotrodding.com/f/8686559+w750+st0/0508phr_ta_09_z.jpg

-Chad

[OCTARD]

Another forum member noted that he could not view the link above to the Mike Folsom '70 Boss 302, now owned and run by Craig Conley.  Here is a link that shows multiple pictures of this car running both Minilites and the American Racing 6-spoke "TA 70" wheels.

http://www.historictransam.com/Drivers/CraigConley.htm

-Chad

[Jon Mello]

Thanks for those links, Chad. Below is a photo of the Jim Dodd Camaro at the St. Jovite
Trans-Am in July, 1970. This is the same Camaro that was sold to Stan Bennett, seen above.


Photo by Yves St. Jean at www.autocourse.ca

[cuda48]

Guys,
I thought that style of wheel was made by  the Motor Wheel Company.

Camicia

[OCTARD]

Hello Mike,

The Motor Wheel Company "Spyder" has a similar look, but is definitely different than the American Racing 6-spoke ("TA 70") wheel noted above.  Here are a couple shots of the Motor Wheel Company "Spyder."

• Up Close
• As used on this Milt Minter driven, Herb Adams built Firebird Trans-Am car

-Chad

[Jon Mello]

The Motor Wheel Spyder was one I had planned to put up. I'm not sure what year that
first became available but I don't recall seeing them on Trans-Am cars until about 1971.

Here's a super rare wheel, seen on the Vick Campbell Camaro at Sebring in 1967. It was
manufacturered by Creitz, who also made other performance equipment such as intake
manifolds.


Photo by Craig Fisher

[cuda48]

See...You can learn something new just by reading the comments on this forum.  All these years I thought those wheels were Motor Wheel variants and now I find out they were Americans!  Well I suppose they didn't make too many of em' because I've only seen a handful of cars with them.  I'd worry about them if they had a reputation for breaking.

  The other wheel you have to put up there Jon is the Cragar SS.  They sponsored Ron Grable and were used on Walt's Code Key Shelby...I'm sure some Camaro's too.

Camicia

[OCTARD]

Hello Mike,

Jon's note about the 6-spoke (TA 70) wheels being somewhat of a flawed design may well and truly be the case... but some folks feel differently:

A note from the BOSS302 forum, back in 2003, regarding the factory supported Mustangs use of wheels:

• "To answer your original question, 69 teams used the 200S Americans and then the Minilites.  They were 15x8 and they both were Magnesium NOT aluminum.  The 200S had problems pulling the center out and were not used in 1970, just the Minilites.  American came out with a 6-spoke wheel TA-70 and it was much stronger, but they had lost the contract and teams by them, so too late."

But these are all magnesium wheels we're speaking about.  Several factors can lead to their demise.  They're so darn light and trick, so many of us are willing to give them a shot.

-Chad

[Jon Mello]

Chad,  You know, I don't know that for a fact about the "TA 70" wheel being prone to breakage. That's what I thought I remembered hearing about them but I may in fact be remembering the problems with the 200-S. Both wheels were made by American so that contributed to me making the declaration in the first place.

Mike,  I do remember the Cragars on the Dart and the Mustang so I agree they did actually get run in the T/A series by a small number of cars.