'66 ORIGINAL HUB CAP IDENTIFICATION

[Rob A.]

Are there any obvious ways to determine if stock '66 hub caps are original or repro, preferably without removing them?

[John L.]

Re: '66 ORIGINAL HUB CAP IDENTIFICATION

I dont know of anyone offering or manufacturing reproduction 66 hub caps.

[Dick W.]

Re: '66 ORIGINAL HUB CAP IDENTIFICATION

Somewhere I heard or read the Brian at Corvette Specialities of Md was/is going to repro them. If they are done as his repro's have been done in the past, they will be an exact repro.

[Rich G.]

Re: '66 ORIGINAL HUB CAP IDENTIFICATION

The spinners have been repro'd for a while. The center emblem, also. CS of MD was/is doing the entire 65 hub cap, but I don't think they are doing the 66 yet. I couldn't tell you how to tell the re-pro spinners from original.

Most likely, yours are original. If the emblems are not faded, they probably have been replaced.

Rich Giannotti

[Rich G.]

Addendum

I took one apart that I have been "getting around to" Restoring. The spinner has the following cast on the inside of one ear. "ASSY. 3876544" Under that it says 3876545. Under that in VERY TINY letters in a box, it says "GENERAL DETROIT" with one word above the other.

The spacer between the main cap and the spinner has the number 3876548. I could find no number on the cap itself. I have no idea if these are original or service replacements. They look old.

Rich Giannotti

[Rich G.]

Re: Addendum

One more thing. The spacer also has the words "General Detroit" on it and just to the right the number "1"

Rich Giannotti

[Dick W.]

Re: Addendum

General Detroit was a supplier to GM during that era

[Rob A.]

Re: '66 ORIGINAL HUB CAP IDENTIFICATION

Rich,

The spinners are a bit faded. The painted areas on them seem a lighter shade than others I've seen. I don't whether or not they are faded also, but I thought they should be a darker grey, almost black.

[Rich G.]

Re: '66 ORIGINAL HUB CAP IDENTIFICATION

Rob

The grey (not black) paint is sold by Long Island Corvette and maybe others. Over the years, these things have been painted by previous owners. I have stripped and re-painted mine. The masking is a small PIA, but not hard. I've been told that at the factory they had a rubber boot that went over the hub cap and then they sprayed the exposed areas. That's why originals, or ones restored by people with great attention to detail (not me) sometimes have the edges of the grey not exactly lined up with the ridges on the cap.

Rich Giannotti

[Rob A.]

THANKS RICH *NM*