Stock vs Repro 21" Wheels

doug.nichols

doug.nichols

Senior Member
Can someone tell me how to identify a stock vs reproduction 21" spoke wheel? The welds on mine have sharp/pointy irregular shapes to them (ouch!). Is that normal?

Thanks
 
Original 21" wheels and probably 19" as well have sharp metal electro wells where the mushroom ends of the spokes are fastened. Just today I was sanding some 21" rims and I noticed a lot of sharp metal emanating where the spokes were welded to the hub and rim. I have many original rims, but have never seen a repro close up.

Rusty Nelson
 
ronn said:
at the cost of repro 21" wheels, I am guessing your odds to not even be 1% repro
Click to expand...

Ronn, the irony in this in that I find in my shop we are installing more and more reproduction wheels on restorations simply because of the cost. It is WAY cheaper to buy a reproduction wheel than it is to have an original wheel professionally restored to equal the quality of a repro wheel.

I find that many 21" wheels have been run flat, -or have hit something where the tubular rim must be repaired. Typically the original rim must have the rust removed either by chemical immersion or by media blasting. Most hobbyists do not have the means to do this operation. To have the spokes repaired and then straightened is another cost and most hobbyists do not have the tooling or skillset to handle this. Most hobbyists today who want a wheel that is slick cannot just have their original wheel powder-painted as-is due to rust pitting, so they must hire someone to bodywork the entire wheel. Due to the price of labor in this country, the price of restoring an original wheel often exceeds the costs of a repro wheel. That is why we are seeing more and more of the repro wheels being used, and only the people who can readily spot the difference between the two are choosing to restore original wheels.
 
If the picture on the Coker site is accurate then there is a bump in the rim where the spoke comes out. Looks like the price has gone up a lot. Like about 50%?
21inchmodela-v2.jpg
 
In your situation Brent- couldnt agree with you more.


Im speaking for the other 90% of us.............. carlisle and hershey are my friend.


and sometimes CL. Just bought a beautiful set of six 19" rims with good tires and tubes from the swap on the Barn, think I paid 150. total. Fella was also a Barner and great guy!
 
updraught said:
if the picture on the coker site is accurate then there is a bump in the rim where the spoke comes out. Looks like the price has gone up a lot. Like about 50%?
21inchmodela-v2.jpg
Click to expand...
with the bump it does not look right,screams repo! I thought i saw them not long ago for $250.00,$612.00 yikes! That gives you and idea of how much to charge for those 21 inch wheels hanging on the garage wall,i'm going to run out and get a lock and chain for my spares!lol.
 
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