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Kobe Seiko Wheels (Works Rally Rims And More)


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16 minutes ago, cracker said:

Yep - also on their way. Hilariously - I don't they'll fit over my brakes - so they may end up for sale :(

If you do sell, I'm keen. Even if reproductions are the work of heathens lol...

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10 minutes ago, OdinZ said:

:o What size did you get? 

14 x 7 works rally wheel (as opposed to the stock 432 style wheel which was 14x5.5).

It wasn't stupidity on my part - I bought a new/different zed between ordering the wheels and them arriving, so the bigger brakes were an unexpected issue to overcome!

Gav - no probs - will keep you posted. Fingers crossed they clear but I don't like my chances...

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I wanted to add some more information on correct identification of these wheels.

This set here are what I will call the 4 Cylinder version of the Kobe Seiko Rally Mag.

These differ from the Z432 mag, in the hub area you can see no cap/holes for a cap. It's just a plain open hub. Also you can see various casting marks that may be manufacture dates (as far as I can tell).

These are often 5.5j wide and 14" obviously PCD is 114.3 like most Datsun's of the period.

They use the same rare as hens teeth rotating wheel nuts.

These were often found on the Datsun Violet 160J SSS rally cars (pictured).

However and @HS30-H can correct me if I'm wrong, they may have also been used in certain rally events on 240z's where a more narrow wheel was required, such as the Monte Carlo rally.

They obviously don't have the cut outs like the wider 7J versions.

These are also made of Magnesium.

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This next wheel was a bit of an anomaly. But there are a lot of small variations in these wheels over the years it can be hard to keep track of all the differences.

This was another wheel that I saw recently. It looks like a Z432 style wheel, it has the RMW-9L331 casting mark which is consistent with Z432 mags, but it doesn't have the center cap / hub feature.

Also note how the spokes are "sharper" than the ones above (4 cylinder rally version has more beveled edges) on the spokes. It's a very subtle difference but you can see it once you compare them and this would make them an odd pairing, given the differences.

According to the weight tests Alan did (previously in this thread) this wheel is likely to have slightly more weight to it than the other 5.5j 4 cylinder competition version.

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On 3/1/2019 at 11:15 PM, 1600dave said:

Anyone know of a source for the rotating wheels nuts (genuine or repro) ? 

I think Kats on Classiczcars.com was looking at how to reproduce them. But I don't know of any source.

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11 minutes ago, gav240z said:

I think Kats on Classiczcars.com was looking at how to reproduce them. But I don't know of any source.

I looked into getting some reproductions made here in the UK, but price was prohibitive with a huge minimum ( thousands...).

All they are is a straight-shanked nut with a tapered collar - retained by a pressed flange - free to rotate on the outside of it. Not a unique design by any means. I was using Ford wheel nuts for a while and they were very similar and even the likes of Watanabe use the same principle today.

These are some of the original 1970 type works version that I've got. On one of them the pressed lip has been overcome and the collar is free to come off, showing more detail:

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Useless Trivia Dept: The above have a domed head. The Nissan works rally team soon switched to open-ended versions, as - apparently - there were occasions where debris/mud/small stones could get into a nut during rally service wheel changes in the field, stopping them from being tightened properly...

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Thanks for the replies guys, so apart from originality and ease of use in rally / race situations,  an acceptable alternative would probably be to get some straight shanked nuts, turn up some tapered collars and just assemble them as you put them on the car (not have the collars retained by a pressed flange).

I'm just looking for something to use on a set of Enkei mags I have that were used on a lot of the works 4 cylinder rally cars (Stanza / Violet). These also used the fancy rotating nuts. I'll also have a look at various Ford / Watanabe to see what may be of use.

 

EDIT : So the "flange" / "lip" is just a small section at the end of the shank that is a slightly larger diameter, so the collar is an interference fit over it ? Nothing more complicated ? Just wondering if the nut was manufactured with a flange, then the collar was pressed over the flange, or whether the flanged was formed after the collar was installed on the nut ? Wouldn't be too hard to reproduce at home in small numbers either way...

Edited by 1600dave
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You can get nuts and bolts for Wheels called 'wobble nuts' or wobbly bolts'

Punch that one into google and check the images. 

These are used for example running a 4x100 wheel on and Alfa romeo with 4x98 stud pattern. The taper piece has enough slop around the head to allow for the. 1mm diffence of radius. 

These bolts might suit what you want 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I received mine on Friday. They look great.

I'm not an expert on wheel manufacturing but the quality seems very high also.

By some stroke of luck, they clear my brakes, so at this stage it's unlikely I'll sell them (sorry Gav!).

I'll unpack properly and get some better pics when I have some time.

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  • 2 months later...

Hey FYI 

Performance wheels here in OZ offer custom one off wheels and machining. They are actually building lots of wheels in small batches for overseas wheel brands to. If you can get a wheel they can 3D scan to. The cost is high but for oz made I thought it was very reasonable. Could be an option?

 

cheers dan 

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3 hours ago, s13drifter said:

Hey FYI 

Performance wheels here in OZ offer custom one off wheels and machining. They are actually building lots of wheels in small batches for overseas wheel brands to. If you can get a wheel they can 3D scan to. The cost is high but for oz made I thought it was very reasonable. Could be an option?

 

cheers dan 

Hey Dan,

Any idea what sort of costs are involved? I have a Kobe Seiko rally mag that could be scanned.

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8 hours ago, s13drifter said:

I don’t know but I could find out! 

 

They are are the company actually making the speed hero wheels and they are reasonably priced for a three piece low volume wheel. 

Is head office / 3d scanning facility in Adelaide where the factory used to be? 

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