Cragar Mach 8 Spacers

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rosspulliam

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So, I decided to just start here, though I'm not sure where I need to go or how I'm gonna track this down sort of having this part made, but let's try!

Recently got my Dad's Dart fired up again after a 30+ year snooze, and in that time he bought a set of 14x6 Mach 8s to go on the front to match the 14x7s he had on the back. Well, when we were digging through is parts buckets, we found one of the skinny spacers broke, and there was not any more to be found. Below are a couple pictures of the spacer I'm hunting for in order to replace the much wider spacers currently on the front wheels. A pic of the car shows why I'm trying to bring the front wheels in some. Apologies for the poor pic of the car, it's a video capture because apparently we didn't take any stills of the side of the car.

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Dude, those look sketchy to start! Looks like they were cast in someone's sand box. How do they work, is the OD of the casting the ID of the lug hole or are they just spacers held in a circle? back look like these? just a normal spacer but it looks like they are unilug so the crescent spacer may locate the lugs...?

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Dude, those look sketchy to start! Looks like they were cast in someone's sand box. How do they work, is the OD of the casting the ID of the lug hole or are they just spacers held in a circle? back look like these? just a normal spacer but it looks like they are unilug so the crescent spacer may locate the lugs...?

View attachment 1715452114

I think they press into the back of the wheel. I know they said you can't mount the wheels without one of the spacers in there. Dad had 4 wider spaces that they used and that located the rear wheels fine but the fronts look stupid. I don't have a picture of the back of the wheel, but my brother is going down there this weekend to visit and take Dad to a car show. I'll have him zip a wheel off and snap a pic of what the back looks like so I can post it.
 
How's the spacer ever going to go anywhere when it's installed and tightened down? Even broken? It's trapped. It cannot break anymore and cannot move. While I do agree they are chinsey at best, Normal people would double check the wheel torque about once a month, so I don't really see a problem.

Nevermind. I'm stupid. I went back and re-read. You're actually totally missing one. That's gonna be tough at best. Someone with a water jet could do it.
 
Like Rusty said, buy some billet hubcentric spacers of the thickness desired and take them to someone with a mill.
 
I googled Cragar mach 8, and found an old Ford truck forum that gave some information about the spacers and a possible solution. Sounds like you probably need to get them made. At least the offset washers. Would it be possible to get the thick spacers machined thinner?
From what I read, the wheel is a vari-lug, and you bought what bolt pattern spacer you needed with it.
I'm sorry I'm not smart enough to post a link on here, but you could probably find it the way I did.
 
I've thought about it and I cannot figure out why in THE WORLD Cragar would make a wheel like that. It had to be more expensive to make than a wheel that was flat on the mounting face. That's just crazy.
 
I've thought about it and I cannot figure out why in THE WORLD Cragar would make a wheel like that. It had to be more expensive to make than a wheel that was flat on the mounting face. That's just crazy.
Yeah, the ford guys were saying that people ran them without the spacer, but they always came loose. Apparently the ring is just to hold the washers in the correct position. They were saying that people ran the washers without the ring, but ruined alot of them because they rotated too easily. They recommend gluing the washers in place if you don't use the ring.
Seems pretty cheap to me. Cragar should have just made the wheel for individual applications.
 
Yeah, the ford guys were saying that people ran them without the spacer, but they always came loose. Apparently the ring is just to hold the washers in the correct position. They were saying that people ran the washers without the ring, but ruined alot of them because they rotated too easily. They recommend gluing the washers in place if you don't use the ring.
Seems pretty cheap to me. Cragar should have just made the wheel for individual applications.

Exactly. You cannot run without the ring washers......even if the wheel fit the lug pattern. Look how the recessed area would not be flat against the wheel. As you tighten down the lug nuts, that recessed area would crush and break, since it has no support from behind there. Disaster.
 
Seems to me like the best option would be to get the spacers that are on there now cut down to the desired thickness.
Or new ones made.
Or get different wheels!
 
I've thought about it and I cannot figure out why in THE WORLD Cragar would make a wheel like that. It had to be more expensive to make than a wheel that was flat on the mounting face. That's just crazy.
I agree Rusty. Mickey Mouse and what a pain at the parts store. You had to handle a whole other assortment of washer adapters. :BangHead::BangHead:

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I agree Rusty. Mickey Mouse and what a pain at the parts store. You had to handle a whole other assortment of washer adapters. :BangHead::BangHead:

View attachment 1715452161
Those ford guys said when you bought a set of wheels, you got 4 of the spacers (hopefully the correct bolt pattern and thickness) and 20 washers.
Like Rob, I also used to sell auto parts, and seems like a pain in the *** to me.
 
Those ford guys said when you bought a set of wheels, you got 4 of the spacers (hopefully the correct bolt pattern and thickness) and 20 washers.
Like Rob, I also used to sell auto parts, and seems like a pain in the *** to me.
Ya, I did too. This was the store I managed. Sorry to sidetrack. I wish I had taken more wall display photos. I have a few of the other stores.

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Ladies night at the ol ESCO! Even granny got in on it..." Sonny, I got a 64 Dodge 330...I need another exhaust gasket...darn things keep blowing out on me....." What motor ma'am..." Listen here whipper-snapper, you know its got the Hemi, I was in here last week!"
 
Ladies night at the ol ESCO! Even granny got in on it..." Sonny, I got a 64 Dodge 330...I need another exhaust gasket...darn things keep blowing out on me....." What motor ma'am..." Listen here whipper-snapper, you know its got the Hemi, I was in here last week!"
:rofl:
 
Seems to me like the best option would be to get the spacers that are on there now cut down to the desired thickness.
Or new ones made.
Or get different wheels!

I'm not sure they'd survive getting cut down, as someone else said, they aren't the best castings. They appear to be pretty brittle. And you also haven't met my Dad, not running Mach 8s is complete heresy lol.

I'm guessing my best option is to get some made. I'll talk to some guys with access to the machine shop at school and see who wants to get them made as a class project. I think I can get the done that way. The thread was worth it for those sweet old parts store pictures!
 
I'm not sure they'd survive getting cut down, as someone else said, they aren't the best castings. They appear to be pretty brittle. And you also haven't met my Dad, not running Mach 8s is complete heresy lol.

I'm guessing my best option is to get some made. I'll talk to some guys with access to the machine shop at school and see who wants to get them made as a class project. I think I can get the done that way. The thread was worth it for those sweet old parts store pictures!
Look for the ford forum I mentioned earlier. I think if you had the correct offset washers, you could "glue" them in with silicone and do the job.
From what I read, the ring doesn't do anything but align the washers.
Good luck! Murph
 
Look for the ford forum I mentioned earlier. I think if you had the correct offset washers, you could "glue" them in with silicone and do the job.
From what I read, the ring doesn't do anything but align the washers.
Good luck! Murph

Thanks! I'll ask, I thin there were plenty of washers for the front side under the lugs. I texted my brother and he said they had the other ring, it was just in pieces and missing one of the oval parts for the backside of the wheel. They have 4/5ths of the other ring. I'll get a look at it when I'm up visiting and I'm sure there is a solution. Dad is in love with these wheels so we'll make them work and get them repolished.
 
Please do. You've posted more than one now I haven't seen before. Brings back good memories. Pity things will never be like that again, isn't it?
No doubt. What a great era to grow up in. We had a state liquor store next door. Even a better time. LOL
 
Please do. You've posted more than one now I haven't seen before. Brings back good memories. Pity things will never be like that again, isn't it?
When you get together at a car show with a bunch of the local guys and they bring up the old parts store and how much she helped him build the car way back when it really means a lot.
 
When you get together at a car show with a bunch of the local guys and they bring up the old parts store and how much she helped him build the car way back when it really means a lot.

It really does. I remember those little stores well. You could just walk in and point to the headers on the wall. "I need THOSE!" No shipping, no handling, just go home with um.
 
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