Well here we are, the New Year. I hope that ever one had a happy and safe holiday season. Enough with the holiday talk, its time to get down to cars. As I talked about in our last issue we were going to talk about wheel selection and what pit falls you might run into when choosing the wheel for your ride.

First off before you go and buy just what ever wheel catches your eye you need to think about the theme of your ride. We talked about this in the January 2007 issue. If you are going to build an exact restoration then your choices are very limited. You are going to buy exact wheel and hub cab to put on your car or truck. Now if you are going with a custom ride then your choices now become unlimited. The limit is only your imagination and the size of your check book.

Well this article we are keeping short this month. In closing Herman and I would just like to thank all of our customers over this year and then many more that have bought parts from us over the past twenty years a big thank you. You are what makes this job fun and exciting for us. Please keep the questions coming and we hope that you have happy holiday season and try to remember this time of year is about giving and helping those that are less fortunate ourselves. Tray

Custom wheels come in all shapes and sizes and finishes. The major thing you should keep in mind is what the wheel choice is going to do to your suspension and handling. You should always keep in mind what back spacing you need and how will this spacing relate to you brake system. If you chose the wrong back spacing then you can run into fit problems in relationship to your brake calipers. To make sure that you will not run into problems. Make sure you deal with a wheel shop or supplier that will take the time to research what the proper back spacing will be with the brake and suspension choices you have made. Also do not go out and buy wheels until you have made the brake and suspension choice. If you do then who knows what problems you will run into. One last thing when dealing with a wheel supplier is if you hear the words they are all the same, run the other way.

Now when dealing with hybrid cars or trucks (those that look original from the outside but have undated running gears and frames) it can get real tricky. For example if you are building a 1957 Chevy car and what to add disc brakes and keep the original hub caps then you can run into some real problems. All 1957 Chevy cars came out with 14 inch wheels (except for the black widow) and this wheel will not work with disc brakes. The wheel will rub the caliper. You will then need to find a different later model wheel that will work with disc brakes. Also keep in mind if you hub caps will work with later model wheel you have decided to use. Now if your car has 15 inch wheels then you should not have a problem with disc brakes, but keep in mind you need to double check you wheel fit with what ever brake and suspension modifications you make to your ride.

Original cars and trucks are very easy to decide on wheel and hub caps. The choice is already made for you. You will use what ever your car manufacture had in mind. The only problem you can run into is finding them. If have the original hub cabs and wheels than this is not a big problem for you. Now if you do not have them, then it is time to start reading Hemmings motor news, searching the internet, calling suppliers like ourselves and hope they are reproduced, or when left with no other choice search a swap meet or junk yard.

Well that's all for this month. Next month we are going to talk about choosing your exhaust system (type, brand, and material). That's all for know, remember keep it safe and always remember to have fun when building your ride and driving it, after all that's what is all about.