And speaking of spinners, (we were?) I know most of us have seen the 2nd design Ralph Nader revised earless safety replacement spinners for 62, 65 and 66 hub caps but have you ever seen or heard of the same earless spinners for knock off wheels? It's real. GM actually offered these for a short time in 1973-74 to replace the much more dangerous three bar spinner. The new spinner was earless and the end was machined into a hex. There was a new part number for a wrench that fit over the hex with one ear for installation of the nut. I ordered two sets in early 74 but they never came in to the parts dept. I've seen one car with the new design, in about 1974 in the Corvette corrall at Road America. I have the original print and also a page from a 74 parts book with a drawing if anyone is interested in seeing it. Can post or send.
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Re: KO wheel Ralph Nader Spinner
Michael,
They are so ugly that no body wants to see them. Real ugly.
Sorta like us old farts.
Regards,
JR -
Re: KO wheel Ralph Nader Spinner
I agree. The spinner was the best looking part of the KO wheel and after that was changed to the new safety design, the whole package was ugly. I think the new design was only available for a few months, then discontinued.Comment
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Re: KO wheel Ralph Nader Spinner
Yep,
I have it in my 73 parts book. Have seen a few at swap meets but never on a Vette.
Talked to Marty Fowler the other day and he is married again. Good for old Marty. Right.
JRComment
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Re: KO wheel Ralph Nader Spinner
I only show them in a 74 printing but I suppose my 73 is too early to show the change to the new ugly design. I've never seen any for sale, just the set on a 66 coupe in Wisconsin. Bet the wrench would be tough to find also.
Yea, good to hear about Marty, I guess. I dunno, I hear marriage is the #1 cause of divorce?Comment
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Re: KO wheel Ralph Nader Spinner
Speak fer yerself on ugly ole phartsDick WhittingtonComment
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Re: KO wheel Ralph Nader Spinner
If you can dig up a pic can you post it? I would love to see what they look like, and know if I ever see any for sale.
TomComment
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Re: The Ralph Nader Spinner scan *NM*
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Re: KO wheel Ralph Nader Spinner
Yeah but divorce is the number 1 cause for more Corvettes being restoredComment
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Re: The Chicken or the Egg
I have to wonder what came first, the restoration or the divorce. Could be either way I guess. One of my X-Wives once told me she was quite content with me spending all that time in the garage. At least she knew where I was. She wasn't at all impressed with all the money that I spent for cars and parts tho.Comment
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Re: The Chicken or the Egg
Thanks for the pic, wow and some people still want him for President.
TomComment
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Re: The Chicken or the Egg
If what I've heard over the years is true, you can thank him for saving us from all sorts of very dangerous things on cars. I'm told he was the man that nixed teakwood steering wheels, Knock Off Wheels, Spinners of any type and a host of other items including, of coarse, the entire Corvair, which, by 1969, was a decent car. I heard he did most of this just to make a name for himself and it really had nothing to do with weather these items were indeed dangerous.
Type "anti Nader" into yahoo search or "Nader Corvair" and 90% of the results are discussions about how he intentionally pick Corvair just because it was new and GM made it. Supposedly, it was all BS from the start but he accomplished what he set out to do. He bacame famous for it.Comment
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Re: The Ralph Nader Spinner scan
Mike,
--------Did the earless nuts still have the correct stainless center-caps? Did the left and right read red,white,blue going forward? Gee, wonder where I learned that bit of trivia.
--------Hey, are you coming up to BG this year. If so, please stop by the booth early on. Would like to catch up some............Bill SComment
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Re: The Ralph Nader Spinner scan
Hey Billy, yer are a gonna git to look at my uuuuugly mug at BG this year.Dick WhittingtonComment
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Re: The Ralph Nader Spinner scan
Bill,
I've only seen one set of Nader spinners in all these years but as I remember, they were exactly the same as the eared spinners, just without the ears and a hex machined in instead. They had the stainless center cap but I don't remember if the colors were in symetrically opposite, side to side. In fact, I think by 1965 or 66, the left/right center cap thing ended and only one cap was used but I'm not 100% sure on that. I should remember more but I don't. It was only about 30 years ago at Road America. I know I took several pic's of the car and spinners so I'll try to dig them out.
I'm hoping to make it to BG this year. I have a 63 coupe stored in Illinois that I'd like to get down here to Florida and I'm thinking possibly I may find someone that is headed back here with an empty truck to haul it for me. I was going to attempt to drive it down but I keep thinking about that 40 year old original radiator and all the other 40 year old items and I'm pretty sure I want to have it delivered instead. Sure would be great to get the old gang together again. I mentioned it to Jorjorian but I don't think there's much chance of getting him up there. Helene called a few times trying to get me involved in the show but I really have no interest now. I just like to watch all that's going on now instead of being in the middle of it. Much more relaxing for an old guy.
I should send you the picture of you with the Krughoff car. I have it somewhere in all this rubble. I'm trying to go through 40 years of Corvette pictures and I know I saw it just a few days ago...
MichaelComment
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