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The wheels that I got with my vintage Arizona are very cheap and they’re not even completely chromed they miss spots. It doesn’t surprise me because everything else has been El cheapo

I’m looking for some wheels and I see the name MOBELWAGON They seem to specialize in Volkswagon wheels does anybody know anything about them



Is it proper here to ask if anybody has a set of four

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There are a lot of YouTube videos on removing chrome plating at home.  You can then sand, prime and spray paint them for an authentic look.  That is if the wheels are straight and balance ok.  Many change wheels to go to a different format - like VW 4 bolt to wide five or Porsche 5 lug.  This gets costly as new rotors/drums are needed drilled to proper pattern. Adapters might fit on front but aren't really recommended.

Many go from heavy steel rims to lighter alloy wheels (for less unsprung weight for better handling).  There are many options depending on your lug format.  Alloy wheels often are same price as steel wheels.  You just need to be aware of different offsets (and wheel width).  CIP1 has a good selection of wheels.  Faux Fuchs, Empi 8 spoke, ya-da-ya-da.  Going to alloy wheels will require longer studs or lug bolts!

Greg at Vintage Motorcars Inc(the REAL Vintage for all of us here) sells the aluminum wide5s. As far as I know, he is the one that put that all together, in other words made it happen. I've no idea who Mobelwagen is or where they source their wheels.

Greg can recommend 4.5 or 5.5 for you, he knows what fits what.

For zero maintenance I recommend the powdercoat version, the polished aluminum requires some upkeep.

And for the record, almost everything for these cars is made in China and cheap junk. It wouldn't matter which brand of car you bought as to the quality of chrome steel wheels today.

Your incessant whining about Vintage AZ is quite frankly OLD and BORING. It makes me not want to help you. It is NOBODY'S fault on this site that you bought a car from them. It is NOBODY'S fault but your own that you didn't research builders before you placed your order.

It is YOUR FAULT @JPC. Own it and shut up about it.

@imperial posted:

How wide of a wheel will fit under the back fender ?

I have heard that 4 1/2 was about it  if you do not have flares,

You can make a 5½ or 6" rim with a 185 (or possibly even 195)  tire fit, but how it's done will depend on the rear track (width between the wheel mounting surfaces).  Early swingaxles (to 1966) are the narrowest with the most fender clearance and some people have fitted wider rims and tires with no troubles.  '67 axles/tubes are 1¹/8" wider (per side) and '68/newer swingaxle and all Type 1 irs, being another ¾" wider (again, per side) will present different challenges.  If there is very little room between the outside of the tire and the fender edge, look underneath your car (with it's wheels on the ground), paying attention to the distance between the inner tire sidewall and the spring plate.  You'll probably find more than 1" of free space, which means that a wider rim with the right offset (extra width added to the inside) can fit.  Finding wider wheels with that right offset may be tough, so the answer is finding a shop that can cut your wheels apart and make them wider to your specs.  It's not cheap, but if you want it...

Note- adjustable spring plates are not your friend here- as well as being substantially heavier, they take up a LOT of room!

Hope this helps.  Al

PS- I forgot to add- pre '67 axles and tubes will fit a later swingaxle car, aren't that hard to find or install (have some paper gaskets handy to get the crush on the plastic 'thingy' correct) and are a solution as well.

Last edited by ALB
@MusbJim posted:

"It is YOUR FAULT @JPC. Own it and shut up about it." - @DannyP

  @JPC - Dude, can be a tough crowd here on SOC! You should see what happens to someone trying to sell their car on here.  

Hope you are able to get your wheel issues sorted out.

While I understand how JPC feels- it's never great when you realize you didn't do as well as you thought you had (especially when the information is out there to steer you in the right direction), I also agree with Danny- it's time to let it go and get on with enjoying his Speedster (although Danny could have softened the delivery a little bit, but such is life I guess when you're a New Yorker and forget about the filter switch).

There is no filter. Perhaps I'm too harsh. Agreed.

I debated deleting my comments.

Then I thought that everything I wrote is truth.

Enjoy it, modify it, make it your own. That's what these cars are for.

Or sell it.

As a consolation, JPC at least GOT a car. Not like all the poor souls who got taken by the Tennessee grifter....

@JPC posted:

The wheels that I got with my vintage Arizona are very cheap and they’re not even completely chromed they miss spots. It doesn’t surprise me because everything else has been El cheapo

I’m looking for some wheels and I see the name MOBELWAGON They seem to specialize in Volkswagon wheels does anybody know anything about them



Is it proper here to ask if anybody has a set of four

I doubt much has changed since you started this thread.

https://www.speedsterowners.co.../cheap-chrome-wheels

Or this one.

https://www.speedsterowners.co...5#691929105389611995

And, as @Jon pointed out in one of those threads, MOBELWAGON is the manufacturer of Greg’s Vintage 190 wheels.

Last edited by dlearl476

FWIW -  In 1998 the Internet was still evolving so not as ubiquitous as it is today. So my search for a used Speedster, back then, involved buying an AutoTrader magazine every Wednesday (when new issues would be on the newsstand) and perused through them looking for a used Speedster. After 7 months of searching (in which time I found and looked at two Speedsters that were in less than desirable condition) I finally found mine.

So in 1999, I bought my 1st Speedster. It was a 1995 VS built by Kirk Duncan. 'The Madness' seed had been implanted and resistance was futile. I used my VS as a daily  driver, and I had been driving it for 5 years when one day, as I was driving through Laguna Beach (circa 2004), another Speedster pulled up (remember David Salvato?) and hollered out to me "Nice car, check out SpeedsterOwners.com".

Wait...what? There's a community of like-minded gear heads who own Speedsters on the inter-web? I checked it out, enjoyed the camaraderie, the tremendous amount of Speedster wisdom and technical advice, and joined SOC. To this day, I consider many of those SOCers as good friends.

Sure wish I had the collective wisdom of the SOC available back when I was initially looking for Speedster advice.

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