Team Chevelle banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Anyone know what these spots on my torq thrusts are?

Jump to Latest
Status
Not open for further replies.
1 - 20 of 27 Posts
J

Joey B

· Registered
Joined
·
622 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
I've always wanted a set of "old school" mags mounted on redlines as an "alternative" look for my 69 SS396 Camino. I bought a set of original 60's torq thrust mags, and although i don't have them yet, the guy sent me some close up pics and said they have been polished, but have some weird marks in them... look at the pic below, and tell me what you think it could be. He swears they have never been welded or repaired. He also says there is NO clear coat on the rims. I've never seen marks like this before.. Almost looks like there are 2 layers of metal there... do you think sanding or remachining the rims would remove it? What coauses it? He says all the wheels have these marks to some degree. They are real Americans by the way.
pic below:
mag wheels

[This message has been edited by Joey B (edited 11-01-2002).]
 
#2 ·
Save
Like Like
Discussion starter · #3 ·
They arent brand new, they are 1960's vintage. The guy swears all he did was polish them, and that there was no damage... Any other ideas?
 
#5 ·
Are you referring to the spot on the polished section? If so, keep in mind that polished aluminum water spots very easily. It's not like the modern day billet aluminum either. Those mags were good for their day. Those wheels look they were re-polished and repainted grey. dosn't look that bad to me. Nice in fact.
 
Save
Like Like
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Yes, they are a sweet set of wheels, The center sections ar epainted argent silver to replicate the original look of raw aluminum without the fuss of keeping them clean. i just dont understand why he couldnt get the marks out if it was something like a simple water spot... when i get them i'm gonna try to emory cloth the rim and repolish it, and see if that takes it out. Nice is OK, but i want them to look PERFECT
Image
 
#7 ·
It's really hard to tell from a photo, even a good quality shot. Hopefully when you get the wheels in your hands you'll be able to tell for sure by looking at the back side. Highly unlikely they would have done much to hide a repair on the back. If those spots were farther out on the rim I'd guess they were repaired holes used to screw the rim to a tire. Not likely in that location though.
The true American TorqueThrusts from the '60's weren't aluminum. They were an aluminum/magnesium alloy and therefore had an odd color in the spokes; almost a gold cast to them, and extremely difficult to replicate with paint. Also, don't blast them! You'll never get a good even finish throughout the wheel. I have a pair of 14x6x4.75's in the garage and have looked high and low for another pair. Finally broke down and bought a full set of Torque Thrust "D's". The spokes will be painted with Eastwood's Aluma Blast before they go on the car.
Good luck and let's hope they are water spots! (Sure don't look like it though.)

------------------
ACES #4965
NCOA #9008
TC #1806
#3 forever
 
Save
Like Like
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Yeah, but all 4 wheels? Maybe one bad casting, but do you really think the factory would have repaired a whole set of wheels? I've never seen one like that ever, let alone all 4 in a matched set....I'm hoping i can start with some some 80 grit to scuff them out and work my way back to the dinish they have now... minus the funky marks. Either that, or watch for them on ebay!
Image
 
#11 ·
Joey - In the past I had read many threads on the supercar site where guys have posted about restoring old wheels for their Yenkos and Motion cars. I opted to post about your wheels and ask over there. Check out the replies.... Kinda sounds like tape weights may have caused corosion do to trapped moisture. Here's the link!
 
#13 ·
If the wheels don't say American Racing Equipment on the back side of the wheel then they are not Americans. The American caps will fit on all of the vintage style Torq Thrust wheels. Those wheels have been worked on, the vintage Americans are very high quality wheels and I have never seen a set with the spots on them like that. Someone said the spokes are suppose top be gold colored, that is only true of a certain time period but it has nothing to do with the alloy used. Americans have a chamfer on the lip near the spokes, I can't tell from the picture if it's there or not. Some of the other makes have a flat surface near the spokes. Every one of the vintage style Torq Thrust wheels can be identified on how they were made even if they don't have a name on them. If you want to know the secret of the color of the spokes, just use Plasti Coat Steel Wheel paint.
 
#14 ·
It could be corrosion repair that was caused by a wheel weight mounted at that location. I have seen older aluminum wheels with this problem. The weight hides dirt and water behind for sometimes years at a time and corrosion takes place. Looks like someone could have filled in these voids and then re-polished the wheel..my .02 ALbert


edit: well after looking at the picture again it seems the repairs are to far away from the rim...

------------------
69 Chevelle SS 396 350hp convt. 4spd w/ac Monaco Orange ALS 69 RAG
70 Chevelle LS-5 M-22 Cpe misty turqoiseMY 70 SS
1969 Chevelle SS-396-375hp Tuxedo black w/Parchment interior and vinyl top 4 spdMY NEW 69 SS
1969 300 Deluxe 2dr post Fathom green 33,810 original miles unrestored
300 DELUXE SIDE
300 DELUXE SIDE
300 DELUXE DASH
300 DELUXE EMBLEM
ACES 1805
TC 714 Gold

[This message has been edited by alss (edited 11-02-2002).]
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
Ken, I know what american wheels are, and how to tell them apart. These are the real deal, as stated in post #1. They have American Racing cast on the back, as well as 14x6 0 positive offset. So you can now say you HAVE seen a set of real american with spots like this. I dont have any question as to WHAT the wheels are, I already know that without any shadow of a doubt. I just want to know what the spots are.

------------------
My 69 SS Elco
engine
interior
 
#16 ·
I was not implying that you didn't know what Americans were, you did not mention anything about the back of the wheel in your first post. I collect vintage Torq Thrust wheels so I think I am a little qualified to speak my mind about them. I was not trying to be a smart ass.
 
#19 ·
I don't sell any of my wheels anymore. I use to find them easy but that's not the case any more. I probably got rid of 50 wheels that I am kicking myself for now. 14x6 wheels are the most common and the rarest are the 15x7 crows foot. There is a guy in CA that has 1000 vintage Torq Thrust wheels, I don't have his phone number. The vintage wheels are for sale all the time on Ebay, just do a search on Torq Thrust.
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
Ok, I was looking for some 15x6 with as shallow of a front offset as possible. I settled on these 14x6s but will probably end up trading or selling them eventually. Still not sure what the spots are, hopefully i'll figure out a way to get them off... anyone know a good place for wheel refinishing/remachining? I dont want them polished, i want them to look freshly machined, the way they really were when new.
 
1 - 20 of 27 Posts
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
About this Discussion
26 Replies
13 Participants
Last post:
riskyvt
Team Chevelle
posts
5.3M
members
131K
Since
1998
A forum community dedicated to Chevrolet Chevelle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about restorations, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Bench Racing Performance Engine Chevelle Tech Body Shop