Photographer to the Cars - Dan Knopp

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Knock it off, already!

     Knockoff wheels were used on race cars so that the wheel could be changed quickly. Forget lug nuts and wrenches - a heavy mallet was all that was needed to remove the wheel. The mallets have brass heads so as not to mar the knockoff. The safety wire is needed to keep the knockoff from unthreading by itself.

The Halibrand Style

     All Halibrand wheels have distinctive styling and they are popular not only on race cars, but also more and more on show cars and street rods.

Photographer to the wheels

     Photographing wheels is fun. The reflections can work for or against you, and it is sometimes hard to get the shot you want without having yourself or some other distracting reflection in the picture.

     The variety of wheel styles is endless, and these days some of it borders on the ridiculous with wheels so extreme that they look out of place on the car.

Halibrand alloy wheel with knockoff on 427 SC Cobra.

Halibrand Cobra Wheel

     The Halibrand wheel, like this design originally used on the 427 SC Cobra, was originally cast in magnesium from a wooden pattern.

     Good styling, light weight, and enough vents for brake cooling made Halibrands popular. This model is still popular for Cobra replicas, as it is really one of the few wheels that looks right on those cars. It's also available in aluminum for cost savings, and with adaptors to use real knockoffs on bolt-up hubs.