12x7 cart Cragar SS wheels ... On a car.

[cixpack]

Hi Everyone !

I'm Greg, I live near Paris, France.

This thread is all about cragar SS, i love that wheel. Such a classic, and a great addition to the (cart) world.



I need plenty of infos about that wheel and how to deal with it because I had a weird idea, i am planning to put those wheels on a car :



that one ... A 1963 Opel kadett.

This is quite an unusual project that don't really fit the cart world !
But only you guys can help me with this one... I want the car to go like this :

[cixpack]

So on this photoshop image, you can see that the wheels are original 13" 4 lug cragars, I just changed the size to look like 12" inches. But 12" cragars do not exist !

Well, in fact they do, but not in the automotive world.

Looking around the web I found this offer:

http://www.everythingcarts.com/p-344...me-wheels.aspx

This is a steel 12" cart wheel that might fit but some problems remain:

- The wheels are 7" wide, that is around 2 or 3" more that what I need.
- Considering I can get those narrowed would I be able to fit a regular 12" car tire on it ?
- My car appears to be on a 4x100 mm bolt pattern. But I am quite not sure as I didn't found that info anywhere. I'll get the car delivered tomorrow and will try to measure and take some pics of it all.

Here in france we do not have that much carts, no community either. So before to buy a set of brand new cart wheels, I have to gather a maximum amount of infos to be sure I could use it. If I buy the set and do not find a way to mount it, I'll never find anybody to sell it to ... haha

[mjjust]

I can think of a few issues you would need to consider.
1. Weight rating - I have no idea what your Opel weighs, but I suspect it is quite a bit more than a cart and it may exceed the safe limits of the wheels.
2. Most carts (in the US anyways) use a 4 inch x 4 inch bolt pattern. I think a 4x100mm may be off by 2-3mm, but it may not make a difference.
3. Speed - Carts are designed to operate at 15-20mph. Wheels designed for carts may not be designed for the speeds seen in an automotive application, and may not be safe.
4. Width - I don't think I am too crazy about narrowing wheels. I've seen some disastrous results when doing that to motorcycle wheels. I don't think I can trust them.
5. Cost - If 13 inch wheels are available, why go to a 12"? By the time you buy the 12"and have them modified for your application, you have probably spent more than buying a set of 13" wheels, tires, and probably lunch. I would think that it you would have more choices of tires in a 13 inch as well.

I like out of the box ideas, but some times they are more hassle than they are worth. Cool little car, looks like an early Nova.

[Dave in VA]

Hope this works out for, cix. That's a nice looking Opel, and the photoshop image is a winner. Great combination

[cixpack]

thanks dave! This will work out, I really want so !

[cixpack]

mjjust > Thanks for that answer !

The Cost part is a very interesting point.

Let's say that I do not want many modifications done to that car, appart from drop, but I need the right wheels.
I am still thinking about a 4 lug 13" automotive cragar, but that wheel is not produced anymore, and not that easy to find! Plus the 1" difference makes a big difference visually.
I have been looking everywhere for the right wheel, but could not find anything good with the desired 12" size, just minilites and trailer wheels...
I am ready to sweat blood and spend the needed money if this plan is possible. Just because it would look way better.

So first thing would be to check for the safety of that cragar cart steel wheel :

- My old car is not really quick, but that's 70 mph max. Way more than an average cart.
Looks like the strenght of that wheel is a top priority issue. Is the wheel a two piece welded on the rim. A one piece? I'll try to find out. Who knows, I might have a good surprise.

- The weight of my car is 1400 lbs . What is the weight of a big golf cart?

- narrowing the wheel. Let's consider I can find someone making good work with it!

Out of the box ideas like that are really appealing and having your advices helps a lot to get back on earth, thank you!

[cixpack]

This cart has the same weight that my car. I have send a mail to try to find out the specs of that cragar wheel.

[mjjust]

Originally Posted by cixpack

mjjust > Thanks for that answer !

The Cost part is a very interesting point.

Let's say that I do not want many modifications done to that car, appart from drop, but I need the right wheels.
I am still thinking about a 4 lug 13" automotive cragar, but that wheel is not produced anymore, and not that easy to find! Plus the 1" difference makes a big difference visually.
I have been looking everywhere for the right wheel, but could not find anything good with the desired 12" size, just minilites and trailer wheels...
I am ready to sweat blood and spend the needed money if this plan is possible. Just because it would look way better.

So first thing would be to check for the safety of that cragar cart steel wheel :

- My old car is not really quick, but that's 70 mph max. Way more than an average cart.
Looks like the strenght of that wheel is a top priority issue. Is the wheel a two piece welded on the rim. A one piece? I'll try to find out. Who knows, I might have a good surprise.

- The weight of my car is 1400 lbs . What is the weight of a big golf cart?

- narrowing the wheel. Let's consider I can find someone making good work with it!

Out of the box ideas like that are really appealing and having your advices helps a lot to get back on earth, thank you!

It's funny in a way to see someone actually wanting to use a smaller wheel on a car. Over here, it seems like everyone is trying to put the largest wheel possible on just about everything, even at the expense of handling, performance, and IMO, looks.

I would think that the wheel is at least a 2 piece, but I don't know off hand. The last thing I had the SS rims on was a 68 El Camino, but that was 15" wheels.

Wow, 1400 lbs is light for any car. Most electric carts come in at around 800-1000lbs I think, so you might not be too far off there.

As far as modifying the wheel, I'm not saying that it can't be done. Just make sure that who ever does it knows what they are doing. I've seen a modified alloy wheel fail on a motorcycle at speed, and it's not pretty. Granted, the margin of error is a lot smaller on a bike.

Sometimes when doing a project like this, the little details make or break it. Sometimes those little details come at a cost that doesn't make a lot of sense to others. If what you are wanting to do can be done safely, and you are willing to pay what it costs, then go for it. Give us some pics to drool over when your done.

[mjjust]

Originally Posted by cixpack

This cart has the same weight that my car. I have send a mail to try to find out the specs of that cragar wheel.

It sounds like weight won't be much of an issue. At this point, my concern would be if it can handle the speed of a car. For all we know, this could be the exact same wheel that is used for auto applications, just marketed for carts. Then again, maybe not. I'm curious to see how Cragar responds to your question. I'd be willing to bet that they won't give a straight answer due to liability issues.

[Gonkulor]

Hi Greg.

Good luck getting cart wheels to safely work on your project. Maybe if you spoke with some of this sites sponsors who sell the wheels they could directly answer some of your questions? I'd sure be concerned with safety.

I found 13's locally and the bolt pattern is generic as you can see in this picture.
The holes are oval and fit multiple 4 bolt spaces.

Before I put mine on the cart I was online searching for low profile tires. All I could find shorter then 24" high were either out of the UK, or a local junk yard. You might try going with 13" rims if you can find a European MFG of low pros? I think I saw 155/50R13 maybe it was 165/50R13? I ended up with 155/80R13 from the local yard.

I'm finding it funny how you want to put cart wheels on a car, and I put car wheels on a cart.


What is this world coming too!

Shon