The Cal-look Lounge

Well its been 50 years since these goofy old wheels have been wearing out our fingertips.  DKP is putting together a gathering of OG BRM's for Classic Sunday. So if you have a car with a set on it , or a loose set or single , or even a lugnut, bring it on out & lets get them all in 1 place again. If you know the history of your wheels go ahead & write it down on something so we can figure out where they have been.  I will bring the Mothers & steel wool & hope to see you there. Any ?? you can pm through the Lounge.   Thanks Bill

Hi Bill,  BRM's 50 years old...doesn't that seem to place our Cal Look  interests into perspective!  It'll be quite a feat, but extremely interesting to see how this plan turns out.  Check your PM for a note from me concerning my wheels.
Steve

Sounds great, sorry I can't be there, but i expect to see plenty of pics on here !! :)

Wow, that's some dedication, offering to polish other guy's wheels!  I suspect Bill's generosity will wear off mid way through the first wheel.

Uhhh no, the supplies will be present.

It would be great if a list of all the BRMs both present and not could be compiled, with all known history. Russell owns a few sets, and we know the set on Tar Babe also spent some time on Bad Company, Ernie Mohlman's and Dave Rhoads' cars wear the same ones that they always have, but it would be great to work out where the other wheels have been. Did the wheels that Andy Marriott had, that he said he found some metallic blue paint on, once see service on the second Underdog?

That's the idea, most of the wheels in So Cal have been on a famous car at 1 point in time, it would be cool to try to figure it out.

I'm taking donations for anyone who can't make classic. :D you're not getting them back though. :o

Great job to do a 60th anniversary BRM Gathering...unfortunately I won't be there. Lots of pics please.

I know a little about the provenance of my set, & former owners include Cursley, Fleet, Bliven, & Palmer. Would be good to see a rough 'BRM Tree' sketched out!

I will be there....

My neighbor is a VW guy from the '60s and '70s, and one of his pals had BRMs, here in central Pennsylvania. More than a full set, of course, since at least one of them broke ... anyhow ... he remembers when his pal sold them to someone nearby, but they were never seen again. I often wonder if they're still around, hiding in a basement or garage.

You never know.... Thats the fun part. The nos wheel I had about 20 yrs ago came out of Hershey or Carlisle Pa.

I live in Hershey and would love to hear this story. Coming out for the Classics, maybe I'll wait to hear it in person ... if I can stand to wait!

2 Blue ones[discovered by Marc Bhueler when starting to restore some he bought for his split if I remember correct] are with UD2 now, Dave's car has 6 inc the 2 with slicks, Lee Leighton car has 4 and there might be a couple of extras up their but the real stash of them is with Ghia Steff

cheers Richie

My Brm display at home
Bill i need one dkp t-shirt Brm édition

Damn Fred, you're sick!  ;D

I have a picture of the old red 67 with 21 inside, I cannot get it to post.

Thanks zach

This guy has you beat Fred

(http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss306/Fiatdude/brms_zpsilvto6ms.jpg) (http://s586.photobucket.com/user/Fiatdude/media/brms_zpsilvto6ms.jpg.html)

Tried to upload a picture and system crashed -- had to dump to photobucket to get it here

working now?

That might look cheap in 40 years ;)

otherside was all D spokes, very nice.  8)

Because of my involvement with the car and the  money I invested in the Underdog, I ended up with 2 of the blue wheels when the car was retired.  I don't remember what happened to the other 2. I traded Richie the wheels for a couple of other BRMs restored by Schwimmer. I feel I made out on that trade because the 'dog' wheels were in poor condition, being on a race car and all. Besides the 2 Schwimmer wheels, I have 5 other BRMs I bought or traded for in the early Seventies.  I had 2 more that I sold to a friend in the late Seventies for $50 each, which is the price they sold for new and was the going price for used ones for years.


Marc

 ;)

out of interest does any one know how many were made? or sold vis Empi? i had friends who worked for speedwell in London but none remember selling the wheels. the guages were the favourite back in the day.

Not sure how i missed this but never mind, decided to check and i have them on the following cars;

Arnies 4 plus 1 spare
Dave R 4 plus 2 with slicks
Tarbabe 4
My cal look 57 4
UD2 blue 2
Lee leighton 4
not fitted 4
and 2 NOS

Grand total of 30 !!!

Whaou !
Nice list

Nice list

I thought there are more than that, unless you actually counted them all?
From memory UD1 had a set, and UD2 had 4 plus the 2 blue ones from Marc, thought Tar babe had 9[ 4 we shipped it with, 4 originals from Roger and the 1 that split when we had slick put on it over in USA and 57 had 5, the really dark looking NOS one as spare?

cheers Richie

1 that split?  Bet that was not a good day!

It wasn't that bad, it split down just to one side of middle around circumference for couple of inches, at least that's all we could see with naked eye, I am sure it can be welded up and used again as a spare

cheers Richie

Does anyone know when empi/speedwell stopped selling the mighty BRM?

I think 67-68?? VW went 4 lug and EMPI considered them obsolete (or so I've heard).

Thanks Zach. I was considering them for my 1970 panel van as a faux speedwell shop van. If production had stopped before my bus was made I will rule them out. I know speedwell was selling sprint stars in 70 but not what I want.

My good friend Flying Frankie Freeman out here in the high desert returned all the BRM's he had in his shop here in apple valley in the 70's to Joe Vittone back in 1971 so I know they were still being sold. Frankie returned them all because he couldn't sell a single one out here in the High desert  :'(

I Have 5 of them...;-)))

Frank