Marlin
Most of the popular sizes(14x6, 14x7, 15x6 etc) of Cragars available today are about the same as the old ones other than major changes in cap and lug nut area. Where you see the major diff are the 15x4, 15x8,15x10 and the reverse(deep dish) ones. The old Cragars where either direct bolt pattern or used a varifit plate that is similar to the unlilug design today but incorporated a recessed washer area. Early caps are quite a bit different than the new ones. The new ones have a much more of a rounded edge, letttering is slightly different, has a large registration symbol on the face and the blue paint is much darker and more candy than the originals turquiose. Most people would not know the difference anyhow. If you put a new one up against an early cap they are like night and day though.
Notice on the 15x4's the "fat" area at the edge of the spokes, where it connects to the rim. The old style used a "wider" steel rim while it is reversed on the new kind and the aluminum spoke is now wider and stubbier and the steel rim is not as wide.It is just reversed(see pics) The spoke on a new 15x4 is not as long as than early 15x4. I talked with a person at Cragar some years ago and the reason they beefed up this area was the early ones would crack in this area. All Cragars have a date code stamped on the inside of the rim. My Mustang was built in '74 and it was kinda neat to see the date codes of Feb and March '74 when I took off the tires. I will post in the near future the rims and the job Stockton did restoring them. (GREAT A++)
Dave
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?...268&p=54474537
[Edited by whitetop (09-24-2001 at 02:50 PM).]