Poverty caps and Polyglas tires, a classic, entry-level look. This is an earlier example of the body-colour wheel.
Aluminum is more responsive to hot and cold than steel is, and it also oxidizes, causing slow leaks around the bead. In some cases, air actually leaks through the porosity of the aluminum casting. My truck has steel wheels on it, and one tire has a fairly decent leak, so chances are there’s something stuck in it somewhere, or the valve stem is no good—either one, a problem that I should probably deal with sometime soon. As much as I like steel wheels, I don’t generally like hubcaps that much. I don’t mind the look of a small dog dish on the right muscle car. Most of the time, I just run painted steelies with the lug nuts exposed or a small center cap at best. Historically, it’s a tough look, especially when only the rear wheels are steelies, with a pair of skinny mags up front, straight off the drag strip. The perfect hybrid? The Cragar S/S, of course. A steel rim with an aluminum mag-style center cast over a steel star and then welded to the rim. Chrome the whole mess, and you’ve got an iconic look that actually holds air. If you don’t keep them spotlessly clean and polished, they won’t hold the chrome finish for very long, but they will hold air. Many cars that had Cragars back in the day had steelies and dog dishes prior, and in certain scenarios, they can look just as good.
I never thought about it much before, but a month or more ago, it was brought to my attention that at some point, Mopars went from body-coloured steel wheels to black steel wheels on all cars. I can’t remember where I read it, as I just wrote the fact on the back of an old grocery list, but in May 1971, body-coloured steelies became yesterday’s news. Why you ask? The same reason that big companies do everything. It was cheaper and easier. Henry Ford had the same idea with the Model T, which was available in several colours both early and late in production, but only black throughout the majority of years in the middle. Black is cheaper, easier to match, and goes with everything. Personally, I prefer the body-coloured wheels with the dog dish caps, as it looks slightly more upscale and pops way more than bland paint that matches the tire. My ultimate favourite treatment for a steel wheel, though? Chrome, no caps, and a fat tire. That, or a steel rim with the Cragar S/S center in it. Either one is tough and timeless.
Have a question or comment for Kelly? Post it at lmtimes.ca/kirk
