The Cal-look Lounge

Why is it that the chrome 5 lug 5-1/2" wheel has lost popularity among hot rodded VW's today? To me they look bitchin on any 5 lug car, especially without caps.
I like the pics of Dave Rhoads green sedan with 5-1/2" 356-style wheels. And the pics of Sarge's '63 wearing the chrome 5 lugs too....simple, tasteful....a true part of Cal Look history, aren't they?

I need to take more pics of my car. I love the chromie look.

There used to be a green 66 (I think ) on this forum that ran chromies with no caps . The car looked so bad ass. I havent seen it in awhile.If you know which car it is post some pics ;D

Chromie fan, checking in.  If I had anything that wasn't Porsche pattern, I'd run them!

I like 'em with the old porsche nipple style hub caps!  That was cool.

These pictures are pretty played out but oh well.........
I like them with caps.
(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/378967.jpg)
(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/177468.jpg)

I agree with Jim,the chromie 5 lug wheel looks cool on a beetle and is for shure part of the old skool callook.
Going true some old pics i asume that that was the WHEEL before the BMR'S or am i wrong? ;D

Maybe because they suck  ;D :P

I probably dislike them ever more than stock steelies for which I can only think one use (besides the "for sale" wheels) which is tool like this for removing the rear axle nut. They look cheap and  they make the car look like the owner could not afford alloys. But this is just my opinion  ;)

(http://lh3.google.com/tero.virta/Rt5OqCkAzbI/AAAAAAAABAs/LhgftLKwit4/s800/fuckinSteelies.jpg)

Jim,  I had the chromies on my daily driver, but I went back to the centerlines
I think those wheels lost being proper with all the repro's of brm's, 5 spokes, and
porsche repro's available

Our club member Andi has them on his 64 beetle. He swaped to Enkei 5-Spokes in 2005 and now back to chromies. They give the car a more 70s look in my opinion. Try to find a picture with the Enkeis.

I like the look of them... old pic of my 66 with chrome outers and black painted insides.... (terrible quality pic I'm afraid)

(http://i9.tinypic.com/4uy7q1j.jpg)

Because he spent all his cash on a 2-liter?   ;)

Hey Jim,  I've been collecting the non-chromed 5x130 steels for a set of spares for a while.  I think I have a full set of 5-1/2", one 4-1/2", and one 6".  Honestly, I'm not sure I could get into those wheels for more than a backup set.  Maybe on the right car?  The 5x205 wheels just have a more "aggressive" look to me because of the large opening in the center.

Man I could not have said than any better myself. Fast first, looks and vanity second, has been my motto for a long time.

this is the car I was talking about earlier..... I like this car alot :o

Always depends for HOW LONG it Takes... ;) ;D ;D

Frank

I think it depends on the car and the style you are after. On the right car they look great. I prefer the Porsche chrome w/ Porsche cap myself.

--louis

Well said above.

I have grown fond of the chromies lately, but they must be on the right car. I like them with the nipple caps as well for that true cal-look. There was a guy at bugorama selling some mangles that were powdercoated a nice silver color. They looked great.

Bryan, what size tires were on your chromies?


Badass car vvvvv

Just good old 145`s and 165`s. Those are the wheels that were on the car when I bought it. I ran a set of restored chrome Sprintstars on it for awhile but put the chromies back on it when I sold it.

That pretty much says it all!  ;D  I've had more then my fair share of chromies and caps over the years while funneling all my cash into engines and transmissions...  I still like the look.  A couple of pics of the 67 before the BRM's (sorry for the crumby scans in advance!).

whos the hot babe in the bottom picture?????? wowzer

I don't know, but lets hope his wife doesn't find out.  ;D

--louis

I still have chromies on my car. Granted I havn't done anything to it in about seven years. I still drive it every once in a while. Still scares the crap out of the wife.


Bryan

Bryan you got married???? Shit I lost 5 bucks... You are straight.... hahahahahah
where are you living now???? lets get together for a beer or 12

I lost 5 bucks too. I had a bet he sold his car for beer money.  ;D

Post up some pics of your car Bryan.

Here's mine with 5.5 chromies and no caps. I have lowered it another inch up front and 2 inches out back. The positive camber was squirrelly in the snow and rain. 165s up front and 185s out back. I cant wait to put in my 10" narrowed beam and sand all my original paint off  ::)

Another

Temps up front and 135s out back, notched spring plates. It gonna be tight yo! I love it when people tell my back wheels are falling off.......Ha Ha ha.  ::)

Where did you find 185s at?

--louis

They were on the car when i got it. They are not hard to find. 185/65/15s.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?width=185%2F&ratio=65&diameter=15&startIndex=0&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&x=108&y=7&RunFlat=All

Here are some new pictures I just took 20 minutes ago. Jim, recognize the exhaust?

They fill really fill out the wheel well nicely without looking overstuffed like some of the 205s.

--louis

The car is still long axle so they do look full, but still kinda skinny. When I put in my built short axle gearbox I may go to 195s or 205s.

Thanks man. It not DKP quality yet but it's a good 20 footer with a lot of battle scars and character. It's got a bad spot of paint to the right of the back window that bothers me. I'm going to replace the interior with the original red stuff this winter.

Yeah now it looks great.  Love the merged QPs (I want my own  :'( ).

Maybe eventually swap out the 165s in front?  I know they're probably great for daily driving.

stealth67vw your car looks  right, congrats!

This is my daily driver, actually my only running car so the 165s are gonna stay. I have to drive it in the rain and snow so I need some meat, not pizza cutters. If I could find 155s I would swap them out in a heart beat, but they are unobtanium in the US. I thought about narrowing the beam about 2 inches but it works the way it is.

I was going to suggest 155s, actually.  I bought one of those Vredestine Sport Classics in a 155 for my spare.  Really nice looking tire—I'll probably run them in the future when my car is a little more finished.

There's also those MINI tires—165/75 I think?  They look like a 145 from the side but are wide.  Not to be mistaken for the Smart car tires...they look ghey.  Too low profile.

Hey John !!! Do you recognize the freak in my avatar?? hahahahahahah

I like how your roll bar is not obvious from most angles. Is that a RLR bolt in setup or one you had made?

--louis

It just some shitty bolt together thing I pulled out of my Baja. It's just sitting in there, I could bring myself to drill all the mounting holes in my absolutely beautiful floor pan. I'm not sure who made it. It probably wouldn't do squat in a roll over but it makes my g/f feel safer when I'm hauling ass down some backroad.

I know who it is, but I don't want to know the situation. I bet it involved Roofies and alcohol.  LOL

I had them on mine just like everybody else in the world at that time. Like most people, I used them as a stop gap until I could get what I wanted. Probably went through a million or so sets of nipple caps; they were a constant theft item, finally started pulling them off the car whenever I stopped any where. I had both Stuttgart and Wolfsberg versions, whatever was on the shelf at Autohaus that particular week of replacement. I even cabled them to the wheels at one point, came out, no hubcaps. Just cut cables.

Some chromies on a 53.  ;)

I know this is about the 5 lug chromie's but I really think the 4 lug 5-1/2" wheels in the rear look good as well.  But that is just me......

Jeff

I do eat raw mackerel, but I dont sell worms.That is a real asshole thing to say.  >:(

Stock wheels that have been widened a little bit look cool. Dave Mason has a set that he's run on the car slicked down, and nicely painted. A really neat look.

Not exactly Cal-Look, but its a set of 5 1/2 chromies with nipple hubcaps.  This is a shot of my '63 Single Cab taken a while back back when it ran a 1641 with 48 IDA's.   8)