Rims, anyone have info on them? Options

[SUNAB914]

I don't know if they are special or not? They are 5x15.

[willamp]

I don't know if they are special or not? They are 5x15.

They look like 'Western' wheels to me. My first 914 had them. I don't think they're very special or rare.

They don't look bad polished up though.

[zymurgist]

Those are Dan Gurney wheels, and they look awesome when polished.

[SUNAB914]

So $150.00 for a full set would be ok, if they aren't damaged?
Thanks

[edrotol]

So $150.00 for a full set would be ok, if they aren't damaged?
Thanks

PM SENT

[SUNAB914]

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I'm not selling, I found them and was interested in what they were before I thought about buying them.

[zymurgist]

$150 sounds pretty good... here's a set that went for twice that on ebay.

Gurney wheels

Mounting them is going to be your challenge, since the shouldered lug bolts (as opposed to stock conical seats) are no longer made.

[injunmort]

i have a set on my recently purchased barn find. they say western wheel on the inside. i am told lug bolts are hard to come by. i am sure there is an alternative solution if the lugs are not included.

[ConeDodger]

A little history as provided to me by Harvey Weidman a few years back;

When I got my 914, it had Western Wheels. I thought this odd as it was an appearance group 2.0. It should have come with 2 liter Fuchs. My car was originally sold through a dealership in Southern California called Sierra Porsche Audi. Harvey just happened to be the parts manager there at the time my car was sold. Harvey says it was common practice to remove the 2 liter Fuchs, dismount the tires and put on a set of aftermarket alloys to pump up the invoice. They are neither lighter or better looking in particular. They just allowed the dealership to get a bigger margin on the sale. They could also sell the 'take-off' 2 liter Fuchs to someone else, maybe even you later on even though you had already paid for them on the invoice under 'Appearance Group' option.

They have one advantage to autocrossers. I believe the offset on most of the Western/Dan Gurney wheels was about 1/2" to the outside. This gives you a wider track and perhaps a bit better handling though I doubt most could tell...

[orange914]

Make sure you get the lug nuts with them!!! They are special hard to find shouldered ones.

They seem to have been very common on 73' so. cal sold cars and w/ appearance group option, both 1.7 and 2.0

[Tom_T]

I don't know if they are special or not? They are 5x15.

They'll look like my buddy's 71 which had the same dealer swap Rob/Conedodger mentioned above, and are known as both Dan Gurney/Western wheels.

As Rob said, they have a wider offset than stock 914 wheels - being the VW offset for Bugs. So you'll either be pretty much stuck with 165R15 tires - or will need to roll the wells/fenders to get space, cuz they only leave about 1/4-1/2" space between the tire sidewall & wheel well's inner lip. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Ditto the comment on correct lug bolts (there may be one of the current suppliers who have them repro/aftermarket), but the center cap can use aftermarket ones out there today.

Once polished with a little elbow grease, they should look like this.....

[malaga_red75]

Yea, the lug bolts are the trick. I picked up my western / dan gurney wheels and luckily found a few lug bolts in the classified section here.

The rest I had to get from Rich at HPH, and they were (I hope you are sitting down for this) $10 per bolt. A full set is almost worth as much as the wheels themselves. I believe he still has some left, but not a full set.

On a side note, I will be getting rid of my gurney / western wheels and bolts in about a month as I just bought 16x7 fuchs, and will be doing the 5 lug conversion soon.

-Peter

[Drums66]

Those are Dan Gurney wheels, and they look awesome when polished.

I 2nd the Dan Gurney's (IMG:style_emoticons/default/flag.gif)
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)(I used to have a set)

[Rob-O]

Great information. I just did what Rob said. I bought a set of Fuchs to replace the DanGurney/Westerns. I'm actually selling my Gurneys (centr caps and lug bolts included) in the classifieds. I was working on the post in the classifieds just before I saw this.

[euro911]

My first 914 (a '71 I purchased in 1973) had them too. I liked them, as they looked like the lightweight racing wheels that Jack McAfee developed for 356/912 track cars in the early '60's (prior to Fuchs becoming available)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/www.jackmcafee.com-7300-1324085299.1.jpg)

http://www.jackmcafee.com/7.html

[SUNAB914]

They look great when all polished up! Thanks for all the info. If anyone is interested here is the craiglist ad, its on the 2nd page of the Washington DC area under PORSCHE. I don't know if they are still available but here you go.
Vintage VW Porsche Mag Wheels(Odenton MD)
For sale is a set of vintage wheels size - 15" X 5.5" - 130MM bolt. Fit some VW - Porsche 914 . They are in good condition - just need clean/polish - NO cracks or major damage - stud holes look good. I can't tell if they are magnesium or aluminum. They all look the same but three are identical and one is just slightly different. Three are marked "SPORTS MAG 15 5.5" on back and the last one has "WHEEL DISTRIBUTOR INC Ontario CA". Some people call them Jack McAfee clones or Dan Gurney Western wheels - I don't know. I've had them for over 20 years and its time to move them. $150
There was no phone number so you will have to get the contact info from the ad.
Good luck.