Aftermarket Aluminum Wheels for 1973 Mach 1
#1
    My car came with Cragar rims and tires, with the big'n'little theme. The front wheel was 14 inch, with a smaller tire, and the back wheels were 15 inch with a big fat tire. Looks old school, but the Cragars are getting some rust pitting, and the unilug washers bend and don't keep the lugs tight.

I was looking in my favorite catalog, Summit, and saw some inexpensive aluminum rims, called Legend 5. I ordered up a set, with 15x7 for the front and 15x8 for the back. I can use the same back tires, that I have now, and buy some front tires that are the same height as the back. Kind of just narrow and wide, but all the same height.

The wheels came and I got some tires for the front from Canadian Tire. I brought them back and switched them out with the Cragars.
The front wheels fit right on, but the rear wheels had very little thread engagement. The 15x8 wheels are thicker than the 15x7 wheels. I even took pictures of the two sizes of wheel on the rear, showing good nut engagement with the 15x7 and poor engagement with the 15x8. I sent the pictures to Summit, who will notify the manufacturer. They did offer to let me return the wheels. I would rather just get longer wheel studs.
   
The Cragar Wheels.
   
The unilug slots, not my favorite.

   
This 15x7 wheel on the rear has the lug nuts down in a deep hole, and takes about 8 turns of the wrench. Good.
   
This 15x8 wheel on the exact same wheel studs, does not go on very far, only about 3 turns. I can get longer studs, but I wondered why the machining would be different for the same brand of wheel.
They are made in China. Summit says they have had no complaints. Well, I don't want to complain, I just want them to be safe. They make a wheel stud 2 3/16 long, should be about right.
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#2
From my Mechanical Engineering mindset I would think the larger 15X8 wheels needed the additional thickness in the hub area for more strength. I would get the longer studs like you mentioned. That's probably what everybody else has done. Thus, why Summit hasn't had any complaints yet. Summit Racing does have good customer service. They're my fist place to go for aftermarket performance items.

On a side note. It's also fairly common for imported materials to have less strength than their equivalent US counterpart, for reasons I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if a US made equivalent wheel would have a thinner hub area.

Best Regards,
Mike
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#3
They are a nice looking wheel with metallic grey center and machined lip. Summit has a good shipping program, and sends parts to Canada for a reasonable shipping cost.

I think they did add more metal to the 15x8 wheel, they just needed to drill the hole deeper. I think having the nut a bit out of the hole looks better anyways. Longer studs coming up.
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#4
Yeah, get the longer studs. It's the safest path. Those are nice looking wheels.

I had a typo on the earlier post. I fixed it. I accidentally wrote "...wouldn't get the longer studs..." and I meant to write "... would get the longer studs..." Sorry about any confusion. I don't have the best typing skills.

Where I live, in Northern California, regular ground shipping from Summit Racing is next day and free. You cannot beat it.

Best Regards,
Mike
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#5
Check the 7 inch rims
Make sure those are not " over-drilled " and too thin
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#6
I would not have seen that, Don. Looking at the 7 inch wheel it is drilled very deep, and not that much metal left. I hope it's good quality aluminum. Maybe the 8 inch wheel with the longer studs is the "correct" install. They do look nice. The Cragar wheels are sold.


   
The left rear wheel, tires are 225/60-15. I could have used bigger, but this is what was on the car previously.

   
The front wheel with 215/75-15 is the same height as the back. The car looks more level now.



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#7
I didn't see that either. I was thinking the thickness on the hub portion of the wheels were different. If it was a mistake on the 7" wide wheels, I don't know what the chances of getting two wheels like that would be. They are a nice looking wheel. I hope its not a case of poor quality control.

Best Regards,
Mike
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#8
Some suppliers cast the wheel and finish it EXCEPT for the stud drilling which is done at purchase time - a bit like all the paint colours you get at the hardware - reduces stock but allows for quick shipping.

That would explain the drilling being the same - right or wrong.
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#9
(04-07-2015, 06:18 PM)Mach1FatherFigure Wrote: Some suppliers cast the wheel and finish it EXCEPT for the stud drilling which is done at purchase time - a bit like all the paint colours you get at the hardware - reduces stock but allows for quick shipping.

That would explain the drilling being the same - right or wrong.

I would venture to guess Summit Racing buys these in finished form. It's a tough call as to why the difference. Hopefully, it was deliberate and part of the design. The wider 8" wheels now seem safer and maybe the issue is the 7" wide wheels. It may be worth another call to Summit Racing. They have good customer service. It's unfortunate, but in my experiences many imported items that are copies of US made items always look great and often better than the US made item. Only after close inspections do you notice difference that cannot be changed and may hinder fit or function.

Best Regards,
Mike
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#10
Yes, Summit has good service, they told me I could return the wheels, even after they were mounted on the car.
What I did was order some different wheels, called Ansen Sprint. The Summit rep said they were better quality, and they arrived today. The hole drilling looks very uniform. I will not have to change wheel studs, or have one thick and one thin rim.


   


   
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