I have, what I believe to be, an all original 1970 LS-5 with a build date of July 1970. The car has 59,000 miles (that part has been verified). My question has to do with the rally wheels. The date on the wheels is July 18, 1969 (matching set of 4) and the spare tire date is September 1968. Could these wheels be correct or are the dates too early for the car? Thanks for your help.
-
-
Re: 1970 Correct Rally Wheels?
Testing new email address. -
Re: 1970 Correct Rally Wheels?
John
I would say that the rims and certainly the spare is out of date by NCRS Standards. The Judging Manual generally states that the date codes have to be within 6 months of the build date to be acceptable. Someone more educated than me might know of a specific reason that the rims might work, but I would say definitely not the spare. Most date codes are within three months. Certainly, I wouldn't think its unusual to have an original car with the wrong wheels, many people back then ordered Vettes with basic wheels and changed them upon delivery..
Lots of luck
Rich GrantComment
-
Re: 1970 Correct Rally Wheels?
Rich, you are on target...Monkey business has transpired with John's rally wheels, and at this point, it is difficult to say how and why it happened. Finding the previous owners could be a big help for answering questions like this one, but remember that they may not have the answer (pre-delivery swaperoni?), or they may have forgotten everything.Comment
-
Re: 1970 Correct Rally Wheels?
Thanks guys - I had a sneaky suspicion. I knew there were production issues in early 1970, but couldn't justify this much of a gap in wheel production to car build date. Any ideas of a good vendor where I can find the correct date coded ones. I can always sell these ones on e-bay.
Appreciate your help.Comment
-
Re: 1970 Correct Rally Wheels?
John, the large, well-known vendors do not even attempt to stock dated parts. There are some specialty vendors that stock "vintage" parts, and these are usually limited to one type of part. I don't know that dated rally wheels are likely to be in any vendor's inventory...if they are, you can expect them to be expensive just like other dated parts. Your best bet is probably going to be either the Driveline, ebay, or the Carlisle swap meet.
One thing to keep in mind is that the dates of the wheels mounted on the car are not judged; the trim rings cover the date codes, and the rules do not require the trim rings be removed for judging. Only the date code on the spare wheel is judged. Unless you are just inclined to date-match the wheels to the car, you don't need but ONE appropriately dated wheel for judging.Comment
-
Re: 1970 Correct Rally Wheels?
I have bought several sets of correct rims on e-bay with good luck for about $200 per set of 4 or 5 rims (plus shipping - about $50). Make sure you review the articles in the recent Corvette Restorer so you can properly identify the rims you need (look at the welded dot on the rim that marks the harmonic location and the Kelsey Hayes stamping inside the rim and the date codes on the center disc of the rim.Comment
Comment