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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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 Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 12:28 pm Post subject: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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I bought a set of those China-repro wheels recently from a samba advertiser, which I think is a Porsche parts/restoration company, "RustyTubs."
They came through w/o any hub cap clips, so I had to deal with that first, and then had them refinished, etc., and I did take pictures along the way, so eventually when I can track all my photos down, I'll go thru and tell a more detailed story.
But for now, here's my car, "Doug the '60 Bug," as seen last Saturday, July 23rd, 2016, at a classic car cruise night in Wallingford, CT, wearing those cool wheels, along with some good used bias-ply whitewalls that I found inexpensively on thesamba also (had to buy some new tubes to run these tires also, which is no big deal).
Eventually I am dreaming about a set of those Excelsior "bias ply look" radials that Coker sells, for these wheels. They are blackwall, and are available in a size something like: "5.00R16," I think, which I think would be the ultimate tire to run on these wheels. But they ain't cheap, so I must save my pennies...
Anyway, would love to see/hear any input from anyone else who's tried these wheels out (and/or the Italian repros, which I believe are more expensive)...
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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
http://www.shorelineantiqueautoconnection.com/
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Join VVWCA: http://www.vvwca.com/
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Your source for old school metal tire valve caps: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1416217
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Thanks Veterans
Last edited by Stock Steve on Sun Jul 31, 2016 12:45 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2016 6:48 am Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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After discussion with my trusted local powder coater guy (http://shorelinepowdercoating.com/home/), we agreed that he'd strip the paint off the wheels for me before I installed the rivets. This series of pictures is how they looked after I got done, with the clips, rivets, hammer, and dolly (good idea to wear some hearing protection for that operation!)... Next stop, the powder coating place...
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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
http://www.shorelineantiqueautoconnection.com/
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Ich Bin Ein Facebooker: https://www.facebook.com/steve.fromsaac
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Join VVWCA: http://www.vvwca.com/
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Your source for old school metal tire valve caps: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1416217
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Thanks Veterans |
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2016 5:04 pm Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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This group of pictures includes a photo of some nice used 16" tires that I bought very reasonably priced from a samba advertiser: 5.00/5.25-16, 4-ply, tube-type BF Goodrich Silvertown whitewalls. They got carefully mounted up on Saturday, April 30th, by my favorite local garage ("Stony Creek Auto," of Branford, CT). I am sorry I failed to take any shots of the freshly-refinished bare wheels from my favorite local powdercoating place ("Shoreline Coatings, LLC" in North Branford, CT, ref: http://shorelinepowdercoating.com/home/); the finish is "Satin Silver," with clearcoat on top of that--it is RICH...
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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
http://www.shorelineantiqueautoconnection.com/
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Ich Bin Ein Facebooker: https://www.facebook.com/steve.fromsaac
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Join VVWCA: http://www.vvwca.com/
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Your source for old school metal tire valve caps: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1416217
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Thanks Veterans |
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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| Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 9:26 am Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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Now that the tires are all mounted up on the wheels, time to clean those dingy whitewalls. Here are a couple of pictures from cleaning day, including one "starting condition" shot, one shot of the cleaning supplies (to which elbow grease was added), and then a couple of "as cleaned" shots... My notes indicate these photos were from May 1, 2016.
Starting condition:
Cleaning supplies/implements:
As-cleaned:
_________________
Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
http://www.shorelineantiqueautoconnection.com/
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Ich Bin Ein Facebooker: https://www.facebook.com/steve.fromsaac
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Join VVWCA: http://www.vvwca.com/
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Your source for old school metal tire valve caps: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1416217
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Thanks Veterans |
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 2:10 am Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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Wednesday, June 15th, 2016 was beautiful day in Stony Creek Village (a section of the CT shoreline town of Branford), when I finally got out for a first road-test of "Doug the '60 Bug" with the newly-fitted China repro Pre-A 16" wheels & used BFG whitewalls. I decided not to fit any balance weights until I did some driving, and so far I've not felt the urge to do so (now after at least a couple of hundred driving miles with the new setup, as this is being written, in mid-September 2016)...
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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
http://www.shorelineantiqueautoconnection.com/
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Ich Bin Ein Facebooker: https://www.facebook.com/steve.fromsaac
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Join VVWCA: http://www.vvwca.com/
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Your source for old school metal tire valve caps: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1416217
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Thanks Veterans |
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sonoma_vw
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2013
Posts: 464
Location: Sonoma County
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| Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:18 pm Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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Excellent documentation. Your tires cleaned up very well, and look great on the car. I'm waiting for some widened smoothies to get back from being powder coated, to then venture into "What size tire will fit on my car?" - land. 
I'll post images after I get to a solution. lol. |
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 12:18 pm Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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Bought another set recently... Didn't go thru the exhaustive stripping, installing clips, and then powdercoating process again this time, like I did with my other set, which are silver. These I bought and then sent them straight to the powdercoaters (Shoreline Coatings LLC, in North Branford, CT, my "go-to guys" for expert refinishing) for some basic gloss red. Going to have some fun with tires and center caps options, and may eventually install some hub cap clips, but not for now...
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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
http://www.shorelineantiqueautoconnection.com/
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Ich Bin Ein Facebooker: https://www.facebook.com/steve.fromsaac
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Join VVWCA: http://www.vvwca.com/
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Your source for old school metal tire valve caps: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1416217
-----
Thanks Veterans
Last edited by Stock Steve on Tue Apr 23, 2019 12:38 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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| Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 12:25 pm Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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I knew I eventually wanted these tires, and just had to wait for finances to work out (they are not cheap). These are the Excelsior Stahl Sport Radial from Coker, in size 500R16. I sold the used bias play wide whitewalls that I had on my silver China-repro 16" Pre-A wheels originally. These drive and look very nice on my '60 Bug. Put these on the car two falls ago (October 2017 picture from when I first got them onto the car), need to do more driving with the setup now!
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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
http://www.shorelineantiqueautoconnection.com/
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Ich Bin Ein Facebooker: https://www.facebook.com/steve.fromsaac
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Join VVWCA: http://www.vvwca.com/
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Your source for old school metal tire valve caps: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1416217
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Thanks Veterans |
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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hitest
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2008
Posts: 10296
Location: Prime Meridian, ID
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| Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 4:15 pm Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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Holy smokes that tire is directional! I bet a basic tire shop these days would never imagine that mounted to a wide five rim.
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| EverettB wrote: |
I wonder what the nut looks like.
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'62 L390 151, '62 L469 117, '63 L380 113, '64 L87 311, '65 L512 265, '65 L31 SO-42, '66 L360 251, '68 L30k 141, '71 L12 113, '74 ORG 181
FU#5 |
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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| Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 4:32 pm Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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| hitest wrote: |
| Holy smokes that tire is directional! I bet a basic tire shop these days would never imagine that mounted to a wide five rim. |
My favorite local auto shop also had to wrestle with tubes.
They mounted them "two and two," however, so that all four can roll in the proper direction once on the car.
I gave them a break by not asking them to balance them--but that may come eventually, after I drive 'em a bit.
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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
http://www.shorelineantiqueautoconnection.com/
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Ich Bin Ein Facebooker: https://www.facebook.com/steve.fromsaac
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Join VVWCA: http://www.vvwca.com/
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Your source for old school metal tire valve caps: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1416217
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Thanks Veterans |
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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| Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 9:20 am Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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First attempted fitment of the red China-repro (not "Red-China repro," LOL) 16" Pre-A wheels and knobbies was Friday, May 10th, 2019. I wanted to try them out on the Creeky '69 Bug first, since I felt they kind of fit his gnarly character. I used some 4-to-5 bolt adapters at all four corners, and also had to use some 3/8" spacers at the front, to clear the disk brake calipers (the car has Karmann Ghia disk brakes in front fitted). These pictures are from first-bolt-on, in the garage, and then rolled outside for one quick shot with the '70 Bug nearby for comparison...
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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
http://www.shorelineantiqueautoconnection.com/
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Ich Bin Ein Facebooker: https://www.facebook.com/steve.fromsaac
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Join VVWCA: http://www.vvwca.com/
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Your source for old school metal tire valve caps: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1416217
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Thanks Veterans |
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Mike Fisher
Samba Member
Joined: January 30, 2006
Posts: 17969
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 10:05 am Post subject: Re: Reproduction 16" diameter x 3.25" wide "Pre-A" wheels |
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Gnarly in the dirt & sand, but noisy on the pavement. I'm jealous I don't have an offroad VW myself! 
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Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey |
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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Stock Steve
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2005
Posts: 1963
Location: My Left Nutmeg State
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