Street Rod Builder Article.qxp

HIGH-FASHION WIRES
No Longer an Old-School Look, Contemporary Wire Wheels
Are Fast Becoming a Hot New Trend
omeone at Dayton Wire Wheels noticed a huge gap in the wheel business, and I don't mean back in 1916
(although the company certainly did then, as well), when Henry Ford's original Model T traveled America's
roads on Dayton wire wheels. That was then, this is now, and it's a whole new ballgame.
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Dayton's rich heritage of pioneering
wire wheel technology led to its innovative wheel designs becoming standard
equipment for more than 30 automobile
manufacturers, including the legendary
Duesenberg, Cord and Auburn. Today
Dayton Wire Wheels is creating more
than an automotive fashion statement,
as it continues to incorporate premium
performance and durability measures into cool-looking wire wheels that fit
more applications today,
for the modern rodder,
than ever before.
If you are wondering if
your billet wheels can be
replaced with a cool looking set of wires, the answer
is yes-on all counts and in
all sizes. No longer must
you worry about highhorsepower applications,
or whether Dayton wire
wheels are up to the torsional loads imposed on
such a design.
Independent tests have
shown that the new stainless tough-laced wire
wheels can withstand the
same abuse as billet
wheels, and they have actually outperformed some billet designs under identical overload conditions. Did you know
that a Dayton wire wheel can withstand
frontal impact and side loading that
makes it an alternative big-tire option?
Neither did we. But the video and photo
results of such tests are impressive, as are
the results of how round the Day tons
remained under strenuous abuse. These
are little known facts about wire wheels.
In addition, when compressed, they
bounced back when others cracked and
even failed.
But that's the performance aspect.
There's more to owning a wheel than
expecting it to be round-that's a given.
Dayton knows there are cheaply made
wire wheels available that can have serious problems with poor fit, lack of lasting
finish and worse: structural deficiencies
that are bad for the aftermarket and the
image of such wheels. Inferior chrome
plating, loose spokes and loose knockoffs are but a few of these problems,
and when a hub adapter fits poorly, the
wheel will not run true. You must be
careful, as many off-brand wires are not
laced to run true, let alone seal tubeless
tires.
All this raises the question: When was
the last time you went out to the garage
and checked the run-out on your present wheels, regardless of the type of
wheels they are? Wheel run-out at the
outer rim should be within a few thousandths of an inch on full rotation.
Some say as much as 0.004-inch is
acceptable. Why not check your set?
Jack up the car and steady it. Mount a
dial indicator on a sturdy stand of some
sort and mount its pointer on the outer
surface of your wheel rim. Very slowly
rotate the rim one full revolution, noting
the dial-indicator readings as you go,
and see what you learn about your own
wheels. You may be
surprised to learn that
not all wheels are created equal, regardless
of what they are made
of. All quality aftermarket wheels (don't be
surprised to learn that
inexpensive imports
may not be) are
checked for runout
before leaving the factory to ensure that
they are within factory
tolerance (whatever
that may be for each
manufacturer). So,
check to see what
effect road use has
had on your custom
aluminum wheels
and if yours are within
acceptable tolerances.
Each Dayton, as an example, is handtightened and gauged (with a dial
indicator) for concentricity and run-out.
The spokes are pre-loaded with even
tension for durability and precise wheel
alignment, and contrary to popular
belief, periodic re-truing and/or retightening is not required.
Wheels are, however, a fashion statement, and until now Dayton wire wheels
have not generally been thought of in
contemporary fashion terms, but rather
more for their classic good looks on
traditional street rods, old classics
Cross Lace —
available in 13- to 16-inch, 72-spoke
chrome, with chrome knock-off or
specialty hub
Classic II—
14- to 28-inch, with high offset, 72 to 88
spokes, available in gold or chrome
Classic II 14- to 22-inch, 72 to 88 spokes, available
with contrasting painted rim and hub,
stainless or painted spokes, wide choice of
paint combinations and your choice of
center cap
Triple Cross (chrome)—
13- to 20-inch, 72 to 100 spokes, with
chrome plate nipples and hub center, with
or without knock-offs
Triple Cross—
13- to 20-inch, 72 to 100 spokes,
with or without knock-offs, painted
rims and hub, stainless spokes and
your choice of center cap.
and European sports cars. There has
also been an embracing lowrider movement, which has its own style of wire
wheels. And there are the classic cruisers,
the full customs and the luxury automobiles that also embrace the wire wheel
look. Largely, however, you expect to
find such wheels on classic Italian and
English sports cars, especially vintage
British sports cars such as Aston Martin,
Austin Healey, Allard, Jaguar, MG,
Morgan and Triumph. Now you find
them on more and
more contemporary
rods, especially those
where the wheels are
artfully integrated into
the overall appeal of
the car, such as Ashley
Webb's (SEMA's Best
Heritage Vehicle,
awarded by Ford)
beautiful hand-built
Track T roadster fabricated by her dad, Dan
Webb. This Webb creation incorporates a
unique set of staggered Dayton wires
painted a contrasting
orange to the sleek
black roadster. The car
is a startling work of
art and incorporates
huge 20- inch Dayton
wires on the rear and 17inch Day tons on
the front. The arresting combination is
used as an integral design element in
the Thom Taylor penned roadster, and
we couldn't imagine the car with any
other style of wheel, regardless of color
or finish.
Of course, the more traditional wires
we've come to expect are still available,
and the selection and breadth of available styles and wire sizes and rim offsets
are broader today than ever, and you can
get them in chrome (four-layer nickelchrome plating for greater durability and
corrosion resistance) or painted in vivid
as well as muted colors. Stainless steel
spokes, which cannot rust, have twice
the fatigue resistance of chrome plated
spokes. Swaged spokes, which are thicker at the hub and tapered toward the
rim, provide a number of advantages.
The swaging process gives the spoke a
smooth, brilliant finish, provides an
improved, even distribution of stress,
and allows the use of more spokes for
even more strength. Then there is the
precise and expert polishing of all the
parts, including the wheel rims, both
front and back. The tubeless designs are
built to guarantee a seal, yet the wheel
can be disassembled and reassembled
in the event of wheel and/or spoke
damage.
The technology incorporated by
Dayton to design, engineer and manufacture these wheels in-house includes
its custom designs and starts with the
bolt circle and center-locating hole that
is precisely machined to the original
wheel specs for each vehicle. This
ensures optimal, smooth running. This
advanced knowledge and experience in
each phase of Dayton's wheel technology is not only conducted under strict
quality control, but it is the stuff that creates such specific results and is the product of such companies that have been
building and continually developing
such product since the turn of the century-not this century but the last century.
And during that time, you can imagine
the number of imitations that have
cropped up-designs built
to compete with the
standards set by Dayton.
Dayton continued to further its technology,
which includes technology presently being tested to the Society of
Automotive Engineers'
specification J328 for
fatigue resistance. So,
as in life, there is a
difference.
Put in its own words:
"In a market full of imitations, we have made it
simple to distinguish
true Day tons from the
look a like." This has led
Dayton to devise a number of wire wheel
designs aimed specifically for the street rod and
high-performance markets, and all are
stamped or forged with the genuine
Dayton logo. Designs include:
• The Cross Lace, available in 13- to 16inch, 72-spoke chrome, with chrome
knock-off or specialty hub;
• The Classic II, 14- to 28-inch, with high
offset, 72 to 88 spokes, available in gold
or chrome;
• Classic II, 14- to 22-inch, 72 to 88
spokes, available with contrasting painted rim and hub, stainless or painted
spokes, wide choice of paint combinations and your choice of center cap;
THE USE OF ROBOTIC ARMS ENSURES PRECISE RIM DIMPLING FOR PROPER LOCATION AND ATTACHMENT DEPTH. THE SPOKE
LOCATION AND NUMBER OF SPOKES DEPEND UPON WHEEL DIAMETER AND STYLE. THE ETCHING PROCESS IS SHOWN FOR
WHEEL HUB COVERS. THE WHEEL HUBS ARE HIGHLY PRECISION-MADE COMPONENTS MADE ENTIRELY AT DAYTON. FOR PROTECTION, EACH WHEEL IS ETCHED WITH ITS OWN SERIAL NUMBER AND DAYTON LOGO.
• Triple Cross chrome, 13- to 20inch,
72 to 100 spokes, with chrome plated
nipples and hub center, with or without knock-offs;
• Triple Cross, 13- to 20-inch, 72 to
100 spokes, with or without knockoffs,
painted rims and hub, stainless spokes
and your choice of center cap.
Basically, there is a wire design to fit
almost any look and style of street rod,
and if you don't see what you like,
Dayton will create one for you. You
can mix and match most color codes,
select from forged-steel hubs with
direct-bolt or true knock-off wheels,
polished stainless steel or painted
spokes, and sizes ranging from 13 to
24 inches in diameter with a variety of
wheel widths and rim offsets.
These wheels come with a three
year warranty on finish and structure,
and every wheel is 100 percent made
in the U.S. And, if you like the look, the
wheels can be gold-plated or painted
to match your paint application
(code). Dayton understands the time
and labor involved in any street rod
project and why so much of this time
is spent making every detail just so. As
a result, the company believes that
there is no generic wheel, and if what
Dayton offers doesn't quite meet or
match your style or color of car, the
company will customize a wheel with
specific paint to exactly match the finish of your vehicle and will include any
of the options available, including cap
design, which are high-strength caps
in several designs and feature the
Dayton name forged on the back. The
adapters are also stamped with the
Dayton name to ensure that only genuine Dayton adapters are used.
And for you guys who wish to
restore a set of original wire wheels,
Dayton does that too. Dayton has a
full restoration shop in-house and has
created a process that can transform
even the most worn wire wheels into
beautiful "new" wheels. Dayton will
inspect your wheels to see if they are
rebuildable and will contact you
before any work is performed. The
wheels are first checked for straightness, hub wear and metal deterioration. If your wheels cannot be restored
to original specs, this is a way
to learn what your options are.
Obviously, show-quality wheels, built to
100 percent show perfection, will receive
that extra attention, and all wheels are
carefully checked in both lateral and radial directions. Protection against stone
chips is accomplished with several coats
of primer and four layers of enamel with a
special advanced hardener, which also
protects against further corrosion.
This is a cyclical hobby we are involved
in, where looks play an important role in
our component selection. And if something does go out of style, you need only
wait for its popularity to return. Our cars
are full of revolving trends, and now that
our cars are being built to such high standards, incorporating the "feel" of yesterday with the technology of today, it's little
wonder that Dayton Wire Wheels has
gained so much recognition among present-day custom rod builders. No longer is
a traditional looking rod necessary to
make proper use of such wheel designs,
as they are being incorporated in a variety
of styles, as opposed to well-used billet
designs. This includes the high-tech oldschool look that is the result of blending
what seems at first glance to be old style
but with the latest in style and with sleeker proportions.
Smooth is a look that complements
wires, and now that wire wheels can be
considered "customizable," especially with
the Triple Laced designs, that too fits the
challenge of creating that one-off look for
a modern-looking street rod. There's no
better time to let your imagination create
something unique, and new-style wires
may just change your present look into
something altogether new. SRB
Product Profile
Dayton Wire Wheels Dept. SRB,
115 Compark Rd., Dayton, OH 45459,
888/559-2880, www.streetwheel.com,
www.daytonwirewheels.com