Forum: Racing From The Past (go)
Moderators: Racing From The Past

I am currently restoring 2 old 100" cars with no modifications other than cosmetic,but after buying several Edmunds body and a set of scale drawings from Don Edmunds,I am going to start building an Edmunds super (Don said he didn't care).How would you classify this car (reproduction,copy or what)?In the past I have restored cars and had to replace most of the chassis due to corrosion .Is it still an old 100" car or a reproduction?At what point do you think it is no longer a restoration and becomes a reproduction or does it really matter.

Reproduction using period correct pieces is my vote. Knowing you, it will be very authentic and probably more correct than what is left out there when it comes to authentic Edmunds cars. I think the cage is narrower at the front than most other cars from that time and there might be some other obvious differences that would be interesting to see. JMO

You'll do it right Hestand, but if anyone else were to do the same... I would call it a NBR Copy...

Does anyone have any old 6 pin slotted wheels they want to sell or trade ? I need 2-15x8 and

2-15x12.Locating wheels has been a major pain.I have some Duralites that just don't look right.I still can decide whether to start on my Walker car or start on the Edmunds chassis.

I think Ansen is making new ones don't know what sizes. Some times you can find some and have them redrilled.

I called and checked on buying new wheels,15x8 is as wide as they come.How are you filling the old lug holes (epoxy,welding)?

If you find the solid back ones, which is the ones you need you can slug them & weld. Or you don't need to because the pressure plate covers the holes. ebay is a good place to find them under ansen or fenton or alum solts.

Been doing the wheel chase as well. If you would consider new, there is a company called team III that is building a wheel they call the altered, that looks very much like the Halibrand mag. Their web is

www.team3wheels.com

I sent a note to see if they build 6 pin and got a note back to call them at 510.895.8880. Haven't called back, but maybe it is something they would do. Their wheel doesn't have ribs down into the pressure plate area like the American salt flat wheel, and I think they offer them in wider sizes. New wheels looked to be about $400/each. Some Halibrands are on e bay now, but are 13" midgets.

Didn't know if you all knew Halibrand (or some form of it) is still in business in Wellington, KS?

http://www.halibrand.com/index_frames.htm

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

Team 3 wheels can sell you a wider wheel but they would have to send it to Vaughn Machine to have it done, where the 6 pin sprint pattern would also be drilled. When you go out further than 2" extension on cast aluminum wheels, you lose the mag wheel edge and get a forged aluminum, modern day edge on the rim.. He is the choice for many. Problem is he's in CA, and it's not cheap.

Also, the Team 3 pressure plate is I think only a similation. I talked with this guy when he was developing this item and he said it was to give a six- pin look and still have street lugs underneath. He picked this design up at a car show in CA. He does mess with real knockoffs, but they are more intended for Cobra Kit cars.

Halibrand only goes to 10", but they will sell you an undrilled wheel so you can have them drilled to a 6 pin sprint pattern. Halibrand does not like drilling 6 pin sprint patterns in house. Pretty sure Vaughn could widen these too.

From here you leave them polished, or sand them to a satin finish or go get them powdercoated in a magnesium color. Or even better, go with a light gold to simulate the Dow no. 7 color that real magnesium wheels used to be dipped in.

Better yet- take those nearly free slot aluminum wheels you can still find now and then and have them widened at Vaughns. Still you would have a modern rim edge instead of the mag wheel rim edge we are so used to. 10" wheels to 12" might be able to retain their old style edge. He should also be able to fill those pesky lug holes and redrill the center.

I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO FIND SOMEONE CLOSER TO DO THIS KIND OF WORK.

I like the TeamIII wheels,but they are a bit pricey.The Halibrand wheels that you can buy from the guy in Kansas are Halibrand copies according to the website.Looks like I will be reworking some old wheels.I will find a local machine shop to cut and bevel my wheels so all I have to do is weld and polish.

If you use part of the original chassis, it is classified as an original. A new chassis would be a recreation.

I'm still scratching my head on what to start,the Walker chassis has been cleaned-up to its original state.I have all the body panels(new) and it would be a very cool car.The Edmunds would need to be made from scratch,if I set-up to do the Edmunds we will build several while we have the floor plate.I have everything to do either car complete, the only thing I still need is a springer front-end and I may have to build it.I did make a discoveryWinters Performance(Quick change rear-end) is now making the 3 prong knockoffs for $30.00 each that sure beats the Ebay price.

Knockoffs- 2 5/8"s as well as 2 1/2"?

I'm not sure,I just ordered a complete 6-pin ,nonshifter with knock-offs from them and they could not really tell me if they came in different sizes.I don't think they like selling to individuals, it has taken me 2 days and numerous phone calls and I still don't have definite price or ship date.

The rear end would most likely be a 2 1/2" then. Legit non-decorative knockoffs in the 2 5/8" range are getting hard to find these days.

Vintage Wheels US has some wheels and knockoffs that although they don't fit sprint six patterns, they could if only there was a market enough to be heard from. They are so close, it almost hurts. Check out their cobra 15" wheels and knockoffs.

I restored a Nance Sprint car (1 of 6 that had removable roll cage) about 10 years ago and had problems finding 6 pin wheels. Elmer Layne of Kansas City drilled them for the 6 pin for me. His son, Johnny Layne, operates the Layne Machine Works, Inc at 1151 N Chestnut St in Kansas City, Mo; phone # 816-231-3268. I would suggest calling him. Elmer has been around racing since the late 50s (He built a super modified GMC powered car) and Johnny & bro Bobby have been racing since the mid 60s. Bobby drove for years.

I must say this entire site is the best thing that has happened to all of us that like, quote; "Racing From The Past".

Luther Brewer

Vintage Wheels US

http://www.vintagewheelsus.com/

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

For the adventurous, might be time to start making our own pieces. I know that nothing beats finding original parts, but good ones are getting like hens teeth and at about the same price, which for a restoration with history, is the only way to go, but for a car that has no history that is actually going to be put on the track, seems like spending $2000 for wheels for a car that is worth $4000 is out of whack. I am in touch with one steel wheel manufacturer about getting one of their center suppliers to come up with a center with 6 small kidney bean openings like the old Fenton Astro, and drilled for 6 pin. Also, am giving serious thought to trying to find someone to cast 3 bar knock off blanks, that could then be threaded in different sizes. Cast wheels might be a different story, unless one of the big companies would be willing to sell as-cast versions of their wheels and let someone find a shop to do the drilling and center hole, but leave the lips alone. In the 40's, this is how American, Halibrand, etc got started. They had pattern makers that were just out of the war, which made their job easier, but we know there are wheels that are close to what we want, if we could just get ahold of as-cast blanks.