Torq Thrust knock-off fitment
 

Hi there,
I am new to the site and wondered if anybody is manufacturing spline drive Torq Thrust wheels to replace wire wheels to fit a slabside Cobra? I believe these wheels were fitted to the Dragonsnake cars among others.

Many thanks
Ash

I wrote American Racing on this issue about five years ago. A second generation Torq Thrust was being manufactured. AR did not see a market for a similar design, fitted to a splined shaft. Restorers account for most of the demand for wire wheels. None are interested in fitting an MG or Triumph with wheels that owe their popularity to the muscle cars and hot rods of the sixties. Its a mix of expectations among owners who have nothing in common in their choice of cars.

I did not ask AR about a point that was made to me, back in the day that had Torq Thrust AR wheels an option on street and competition 289 Cobras, using the standard splined hub. Accepting a splined hub into the wheel called for manufacturing short-cuts on the part of AR that would be viewed as a liability today. The center of the wheel was identical to what you would find at the center of a wire wheel. Mating dissimilar surfaces - the wheel aluminum or magnesium, the center steel - was not accomplished with any reliability. It was more of a pressed fit. Add to this fragile interface the added traction of racing tires and the assembly was questionable, at best.

The team cars were fitted with pin-drive hubs early in the transition away from the design and materials of the street car. Photos of Bob Bondurant testing the first 289 chassis to be fitted with a 427 engine show the car at Riverside, leaning severly on wire wheels. The splined hubs resisted the tractive force that time. I have to guess that a close inspection of photos of the sixties drag cars would show the rear hubs were swapped for the familiar five-bolt Ford hubs of the day.

Although the Torq Thrust design is no longer manufactured to receive a splined hub and true knock-off, you can purchase a wheel that is largely faithful to the orginal pattern. Back when I looked into the option, AR stocked a fifteen-inch wheel that bolts to the hub, with a fake knock-off to cover the shaft. This gives you most of what you are looking for.

ash289

Steve has some good information above and I can add some info from a thread that I started a while ago ...

http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/era-speak-bob-putnam/101758-american-racing-torque-thrust-d-wheels-new-same-vintage.html

Starting on page 2, there is a CC member that has current generation Torque Thrust D wheels that were machined to mount on pin drive studs, see the entries by cobraviper_99.

Not sure if this is what you are after, but take a look.

tkb289

Thank you buddy that's realy helpful.

I will send an email to Phil Shmidt at PSE to see if he would make those wheels?

Cheers

Thanks Steve for such a comprehensive response. I do understand those wheels are only suitable for a small number of cars so it does not make commercial sense. If I want to persue the wheels further I will contact PSE to see if Phil would make them for me?

Cheers

I'm glad you reminded me... I left PS a voice mail last week about this very thing and he never got back to me. I'm so hurt. :mad:

Good luck with your project and let us know how things go.

Also, I forgot to say in my earlier post ... Welcome to Club Cobra :)