above, the Olds style, the space between the bead and the openings was very different from the far flatter rims sold on the aftermarket
Below, the Turbine that was on the IH Scout
Below, Polycast on the 78 Thunderbird (very similar to the 78 Cougar)
Motor Wheel Corporation of Lansing, Michigan. The long-time OE supplier (formerly owned by Goodyear Tire and Rubber) sought to split the difference between steel-wheel costs and aluminum-wheel style, and finally hit on something with their Polycast wheels.
The patent keeps referring to the face of the wheel as an ornamental overlay, and while that makes it sound dangerously like a hubcap, in some ways it is: Its soft, pliable face is purely ornamental. However, unlike hubcaps and wheel covers, that face is not removable–it is part of the wheel. The face of the wheel is injection-molded with an elastomeric material and could be highly styled; the material reacts with the metal of the wheel and bonds directly to it.
In theory, the factory could tool up an endless array of wheel styles, as the tooling to make it was far less expensive than dedicated steel tooling. An additional benefit was the material’s impact resistance: It did not scratch or chip
Oldsmobile had them stock on the 1971-’72 Delta 88 lineup, known as the Super Stock IV wheel, or by their ordering-sheet option code PE2, or simply as polycast.
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Motor Wheel is best known for making the well-known Pontiac honeycomb wheel, and the Spyder, as well as the Magnum 500
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