ZAQ 178 Posted February 24, 2018 Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 Great job bringing your Daytona to a new level after the accident! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger390X Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 Bigsarg do you have a vendor for Zenith spoked wheels? I know of one guy in Miami and sent him an email this morning but do you know of anyone else perhaps? What is a set of 15's worth ballpark? If you don't know I am looking at a Daytona right now and might be making a deal but it needs wheels and few other things. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny-Burnett Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 @Stinger390X I can put you in touch with the people that were former employees of Zenith and they may have a line on some wheels. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAQ 178 Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 Damn this is a great group! People willing to help people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger390X Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Sonny-Burnett said: @Stinger390X I can put you in touch with the people that were former employees of Zenith and they may have a line on some wheels. Sure thing SB! Thanks. If the deal goes through with this unit I'm looking at, it definitely needs wheels and new rubber and of course a paint job as I hate red! I contacted a guy I know in Miami who has a warehouse full of rims and hopefully he might be able to help me as he has thousands of NOS wheels. When I was there last year I stopped in and asked him if he had a rare 6 bolt aluminum rim for my boat trailer and he said give me a minute. He climbed a big ladder and blew dust off an sealed box and opened it to show me the rim. I said how much ...he paused and said how is 20 bucks sound? Of course I bought it immediately. I also got a great deal on some 4" race wheels from around 1965 era for my buddys restoration of a 64' Corvair that he put a straight axle under the front. He was trying to replicate a 60's gasser' Those two wheels were a bit more money of course but I got a great deal for a spare tire for my boat trailer Edited March 3, 2018 by Stinger390X 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny-Burnett Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 (edited) 40 minutes ago, Stinger390X said: Sure thing SB! Thanks. If the deal goes through with this unit I'm looking at, it definitely needs wheels and new rubber and of course a paint job as I hate red! I contacted a guy I know in Miami who has a warehouse full of rims and hopefully he might be able to help me as he has thousands of NOS wheels. When I was there last year I stopped in and asked him if he had a rare 6 bolt aluminum rim for my boat trailer and he said give me a minute. He climbed a big ladder and blew dust off an sealed box and opened it to show me the rim. I said how much ...he paused and said how is 20 bucks sound? Of course I bought it immediately. I also got a great deal on some 4" race wheels from around 1965 era for my buddys restoration of a 64' Corvair that he put a straight axle under the front. He was trying to replicate a 60's gasser' You're welcome buddy...anything I can do for you I will. I'm PMing you now with contact details. I spoke to a guy there several years back about my Zenith wheels, and he remembered working on the wheels for the Vice Show cars. I believe he said they made 4 sets of wheels for the 2 show cars. Zenith as you probably know is no longer in business but this company does work on refurbishment of these wheels still today. I may need to send mine there as mine have been driven hard and put away wet...lol Edited March 3, 2018 by Sonny-Burnett 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsarg Posted March 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2018 On 02/03/2018 at 8:04 PM, Stinger390X said: Bigsarg do you have a vendor for Zenith spoked wheels? I know of one guy in Miami and sent him an email this morning but do you know of anyone else perhaps? What is a set of 15's worth ballpark? If you don't know I am looking at a Daytona right now and might be making a deal but it needs wheels and few other things. Zenith is no longer in business, but when I was researching getting my rims. The company that took over Zenith tooling said they could make a set. However, I went with Dayton rims. Also had to make them, not an off the shelf kind of purchase. I went with Dayton because they are the only company that you can get the rim retrued if you hit a pot hole or something like that. They cost $2700 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny-Burnett Posted March 8, 2018 Report Share Posted March 8, 2018 1 hour ago, Bigsarg said: I went with Dayton because they are the only company that you can get the rim retrued if you hit a pot hole or something like that. Wire Wheel King will retrue/repair Zenith wheels, as they do it routinely when i last spoke to them Many former Zenith employees work there and this co was formed when the Zenith owner passed away. They now sell wheels under their own brand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsarg Posted March 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 I called the zennith new owners. They told me they can’t retrue the rim. I like the zennith safety pin system more than just knocking the spinning on. I pit a 1” piece of thin pinstripping tap across the gap and look at it frequently. Never have had an issue. But the zennith pin would be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsarg Posted March 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 (edited) I got my car show story board in. I used my car staged in stances that are iconic to the Daytona Edited March 14, 2018 by Bigsarg Pic 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny-Burnett Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 1 hour ago, Bigsarg said: I called the zennith new owners. They told me they can’t retrue the rim. I like the zennith safety pin system more than just knocking the spinning on. I pit a 1” piece of thin pinstripping tap across the gap and look at it frequently. Never have had an issue. But the zennith pin would be nice. Who did you call? I just spoke to Wire Wheel King in CA and confirmed what they told me many months ago. Namely that this company has the former Zenith employees, and they made and sold 4 sets of wheels for the Vice cars. They were Series 2 wheels, as mine are and 15 x 7, with perhaps a few 15 x 8. He also said they DO routinely TRUE wheels on older Zenith wheels such as mine, which involves re-tightening or loosening the spokes to eliminate wobbles. They also do wheel repair, if they are repairable. So I don't know who you talked to but I don't believe it was these guys. He also cautioned me that there are some knockoff guys in the same area in CA claiming to sell Zenith copies but they are NOT affiliated with the original Zenith company. Re the pin I think you are referring to the locking bolt that slides through the knockoff/donut. Here's a diagram of my wheels showing the locking bolt: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsarg Posted March 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 24 minutes ago, Sonny-Burnett said: Who did you call? I just spoke to Wire Wheel King in CA and confirmed what they told me many months ago. Namely that this company has the former Zenith employees, and they made and sold 4 sets of wheels for the Vice cars. They were Series 2 wheels, as mine are and 15 x 7, with perhaps a few 15 x 8. He also said they DO routinely TRUE wheels on older Zenith wheels such as mine, which involves re-tightening or loosening the spokes to eliminate wobbles. They also do wheel repair, if they are repairable. So I don't know who you talked to but I don't believe it was these guys. He also cautioned me that there are some knockoff guys in the same area in CA claiming to sell Zenith copies but they are NOT affiliated with the original Zenith company. Re the pin I think you are referring to the locking bolt that slides through the knockoff/donut. Here's a diagram of my wheels showing the locking bolt: Same company that you are talking with. Told me the same stories about making the rims for MV. However when I asked about trueing the rim after it goes out of balance, the person told me no. The person also said he was there during the MV time period. So, if I would have gotten the right info, I would have went with the zennith. They were pretty much the same price if I remember correctly. Oh, well. Things you could have done. I like that locking pin. But, I’ve had absolutely no issues with the Dayton rims coming lose in the last 1000 miles or more. So it’s all good. I just have to keep looking at the tape every now and then. Haven’t touched them with the hammer since I put the tape there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny-Burnett Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Bigsarg said: Same company that you are talking with. Told me the same stories about making the rims for MV. However when I asked about trueing the rim after it goes out of balance, the person told me no. The person also said he was there during the MV time period. So, if I would have gotten the right info, I would have went with the zennith. They were pretty much the same price if I remember correctly. Oh, well. Things you could have done. I like that locking pin. But, I’ve had absolutely no issues with the Dayton rims coming lose in the last 1000 miles or more. So it’s all good. I just have to keep looking at the tape every now and then. Haven’t touched them with the hammer since I put the tape there. Must have been Charlie then that you talked to. He's emailing me some photos of wheels he's making for someone in SC that resemble the Zeniths though they no longer make them with the splines as they apparently lost that source when the Zenith owner passed away some years ago and/or they are too costly. They make newer updated versions of the Zeniths without the logo of course using their own brands or they make them unmarked as they did with the guy in SC. I like the fact that he's very familiar with the show cars' wheels from back in the day, and mine are the same. I may need to have mine sent there at some point for inspection and some possible rework. We also discussed resizing my rear tires down from 255 to 225 and he said I may have a fit problem if my back rims are the larger 15 x 8, so I need to pull them and measure them. I am hoping my rear rims are the same size as the fronts. Edited March 14, 2018 by Sonny-Burnett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsarg Posted March 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2018 20 hours ago, Sonny-Burnett said: Must have been Charlie then that you talked to. He's emailing me some photos of wheels he's making for someone in SC that resemble the Zeniths though they no longer make them with the splines as they apparently lost that source when the Zenith owner passed away some years ago and/or they are too costly. They make newer updated versions of the Zeniths without the logo of course using their own brands or they make them unmarked as they did with the guy in SC. I like the fact that he's very familiar with the show cars' wheels from back in the day, and mine are the same. I may need to have mine sent there at some point for inspection and some possible rework. We also discussed resizing my rear tires down from 255 to 225 and he said I may have a fit problem if my back rims are the larger 15 x 8, so I need to pull them and measure them. I am hoping my rear rims are the same size as the fronts. My rims are 8”. I got the size that the Miami Vice car had from Charley at Wheel King. So I ordered 8”. Hopefully your rims are the correct size. I’m running 225 / 60 both front and back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny-Burnett Posted March 15, 2018 Report Share Posted March 15, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, Bigsarg said: My rims are 8”. I got the size that the Miami Vice car had from Charley at Wheel King. So I ordered 8”. Hopefully your rims are the correct size. I’m running 225 / 60 both front and back. Thanks for that info and the diagram. Charlie mentioned to me that the wheels he made for the Vice cars were 15 x 7, but then he hastily added there might have been a couple 15 x 8 wheels also sent to the show. I see from your diagram that there are 2 sizes described for this one rim...the Measured Rim Width of 15 x 7 and the Overall Rim Width of 15 x 8, so this makes me wonder which term Charlie was referring to in describing the wheels sent to Vice. And I am wanting to go to the same (or close) tire size you have on your car so thanks again for that. My biggest fear is the rears because my rims fit the 255 size tires now and I am concerned that a big reduction to 225 will not fit properly on my rims. It is possible my rear rims are larger than my front rims. Do your Daytons also use a donut/knockoff to mount your rims, similar to the Zeniths? Edited March 15, 2018 by Sonny-Burnett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsarg Posted March 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2018 I took what was told to me by Charley and talked with Dayton.i told them I was running 225 60R 15 on the car at the time. Dayton came up with the rims I have. I know very little about rims. Just that the look good? Here’s a chart that will help pic the rim size. I think your ok, regardless if you have the 7 or 8” rim. Dont get caught up with the speed rating. It’s really a gimmick to sell you a more exspensive tire. See chart. Unless you drive over 100mph continuously, Lol my car feels like it’s doing 100 when it hits 70 mph. The tubular control arms really give it the quick response that the car was lacking before. All the bushings were serviceable before I switched to the tubular A-arms. I would recommend this upgrade for any C3 hope this info helps 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny-Burnett Posted March 20, 2018 Report Share Posted March 20, 2018 On 3/16/2018 at 9:11 AM, Bigsarg said: I took what was told to me by Charley and talked with Dayton.i told them I was running 225 60R 15 on the car at the time. Dayton came up with the rims I have. I know very little about rims. Just that the look good? Here’s a chart that will help pic the rim size. I think your ok, regardless if you have the 7 or 8” rim. Dont get caught up with the speed rating. It’s really a gimmick to sell you a more exspensive tire. See chart. Unless you drive over 100mph continuously, Lol my car feels like it’s doing 100 when it hits 70 mph. The tubular control arms really give it the quick response that the car was lacking before. All the bushings were serviceable before I switched to the tubular A-arms. I would recommend this upgrade for any C3 hope this info helps Thanks again ...really appreciate the comments on rims and the tire specs in your screenshots. Is that last chart (for the 255's checked) referring to Rim width ranges of 7-9 inches? It's almost warm enough here in the north to get the car out and take it tire shopping so I'm looking forward to that diversion soon. I am still having trouble conceptualizing the significant tire width reduction on my rears (going from 255 to 225) and whether this is going to either create too much of a visual recess with the tires in the wheel well, or even whether this may not even fit properly on my rims. But I'm no expert either on this so I need to find a shop willing to let me try different sizes and evaluate the rims. Lol...I did hit 100 mph when I first bought the car...and that's when i learned the rims were out of round, the trans mounts were bad, and the master cylinder was failing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAQ 178 Posted March 21, 2018 Report Share Posted March 21, 2018 A 225 will fit fine on a 7- 8.5” rim. I would go w/ the 235 for a little wider stance in trying to get the tires even w/ the fender flares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny-Burnett Posted March 21, 2018 Report Share Posted March 21, 2018 (edited) 33 minutes ago, ZAQ 178 said: A 225 will fit fine on a 7- 8.5” rim. I would go w/ the 235 for a little wider stance in trying to get the tires even w/ the fender flares. Thanks. I'm looking to have the same tires all around because today I have the Vette config of very wide 255s in the rear and narrow 215s in the front. I'm pretty sure 225s in the front will fit, and may protrude from the wheel wells a bit but 235s may really protrude from the front wells and look odd. It may also restrict the turning radius which is a bigger issue as JN found out. I agree the 235s would look better in the rear wells but my front wells are dictating the situation. Unless I am missing something here, so I do appreciate any and all thoughts on this. (I may need to have a skilled rim guy weigh in on all this too. ) If you look at the famous driving scene in Brother's Keeper you can see the protrusion in the front wheel wells and that car was using 235s. Edited March 21, 2018 by Sonny-Burnett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAQ 178 Posted March 21, 2018 Report Share Posted March 21, 2018 Maybe a 225 in front w/ 235 in rear? I would rather run the staggered tire sizes from front to rear to get the tire/fender looking flush w/ each other than to just have the same size at all 4 corner & have a tire too inset into the fender. The 225-50-16s I have on the front of my Mustang rub but I don’t care lol. Low cars rub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsarg Posted April 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2018 Saturday I drove to Plains Ga from Tallahassee Fl for a car show. I cleaned the car completely Friday. Rims were spotless. Car was spotless. Then I drove it 2 1/2 hrs to the show. I left the house at 5:30am. Got there at 8:00. Started cleaning again. Spent most of the morning doing the rims again. By the time the judging started (12:00) I just finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsarg Posted April 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2018 Did I forget to mention? Lol 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadrian Posted April 17, 2018 Report Share Posted April 17, 2018 Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger390X Posted April 17, 2018 Report Share Posted April 17, 2018 Way to go DUDE!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadrian Posted April 17, 2018 Report Share Posted April 17, 2018 Any shows in the north Georgia area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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