Choose your 1965 Car

[Rob M.]

See video via attached link...




1965 Chevrolets

[Art A.]

Re: Choose your 1965 Car

Cool!

[Rich G.]

Re: Choose your 1965 Car

Love it. I guess I am old!

Rich G

[Michael H.]

Re: Choose your 1965 Car

I noticed something interesting on the close up shot of the LF wheel. Looks as if the valve stems were of the short variety. Almost looks like you would have to remove the hubcap to check/adjust tire pressure. There was a discussuin on this a few months back. Roll the clip and stop when the wheel appears.

[Wayne M.]

Length of valve stem -- last June post

I was part of that thread. 1965 TIM&JG says 1-3/8" stem length, whether black steel rims and knock-offs.

Picture below is of stock '65 rim with 2.0" stem, measured from outside edge of rim to tip of brass threads. As you've said, the wheelcover would have to come off to check the air.

[Michael H.]

Re: Length of valve stem -- last June post

Weird that GM sent these cars out with valve stems that were too short. Guess the guy that designed the hubcaps didn't know the guy that spec'd the short valves.

I tried to find the original part number for the 65-66 valve stems but it wasn't ever shown in the AIM. The 66 parts book just listed one that "fit all tubeless tire" applications.

[Mike McKown]

I'm sure it's old news

My '65 original spare (used) had a valve extension screwed on it. Were extensions part of a glove box package?

[Michael H.]

Re: I'm sure it's old news

I don't remember seeing valve extensions listed as IP compt items for 65 but I suppose it's possible. I don't have a 65 AIM here. I do have a 66 which should require the same stems. I'll look.

[Mike McKown]

Re: I'm sure it's old news

Were the Corvette wheels/tires mounted on Corvette dedicated equipment or were they run on the pass car line and ferried over? If run on the pass car equipment, it'd be likely they'd use whatever pass car used.

Just a wild guess.

[Wayne M.]

'65-66 Kelsey Hayes 15x5_1/2JK were Corvette only

And Michael H. -- just checked my '65 AIM (UPC10) and it just calls the wheel an "assembly" without any references to the valve or extension (if any) or cap. The Knock-off option (P48) does have a note at the valve location, refering (back)to production tire unit (UPC10).

I don't ever remember this being resolved 6 months ago, but it sure looks stupid on the judging field.

[Michael H.]

Re: I'm sure it's old news

Mike,

That's a good question. I don't know for sure if the pass line next door used the same building behind the Corvette assy plant for their wheel/tires. I sure don't remember load after load of wheel/tires being carted over to the pass building but I suppose it's possible. There was an overhead conveyor to the Corv building but none to the pass car building.

Just looked in the 66 AIM. There's no mention of valve extensions anywhere.

[Michael H.]

Re: '65-66 Kelsey Hayes 15x5_1/2JK were Corvette o

Thanks Wayne, same for the 66 AIM. No mention of, or part number for, the valve stem. Wheels were painted and tires installed/balanced in a separate building behing the main corvette assy building. The valve stem must have been a NPN item, especially since all were the same.

[Mike McKown]

The reason I mentioned it is because

automatic tire stemming/mounting/balancing equipment is not cheap so they may have had some extra capacity on the pass car line to cut in sets of Corvette wheels/tires or they mounted them up by hand.

Where I worked back close to that era, the wheels came out of a storage rack and hung on a line. Into a wheel spray booth and the rims were body or special color painted, only if the small poverty hub caps were scheduled on the unit. They continued down the line and and the stems were shot with a hand held penumatic valve stemmer. All stems were the same length (the short ones).
The tires were then mounted/inflated/balanced and a conveyor carried them to the line to be placed on the scheduled unit. If the unit schedule called for full wheel covers, four valve extensions were placed in the customer baggie that went in the glove box.

I mention this only because at that time, maybe 10% of total production were color sprayed wheels and they didn't require the long stems whereas maybe 90% of our production required the longer stems due to having full wheels covers.

Where was the savings or cost avoidance? I have no idea. It did save having to schedule the wheels for long/short valve stems which would have had an adverse impact.

Following that line of thinking, if the wheels/tires came from the pass car equipment, they may have followed the same process for exactly the same reasons as Chevrolet painted pass car wheels body or other special colors during that period.

[Michael H.]

Re: The reason I mentioned it is because

The tire/wheel building was a completely separate building that was about 100' behind the Corvette building. It's possible that pass car wheels came from there also but I sure don't remember it. With the incredible quantity of pass units built per hour compared to Corvette, there would have been a conveyor or several trucks transfering wheel/tires to the pass building, but I've never seen that. Quite possible that this was the case though.

If I remember the story correctly, in about 1962, the tire building didn't exist and all Corv wheel/tires were assembled in the Corv building, somewhere near the body drop area. In early/mid 63, the new tire building was built right behind the Corv assy building. The trestle ran to the Corv building only.

I would guess the pass line building had it's own wheel/tire area.

Just think about all those new gold and red line tires sitting around back there. And all the KO and AL wheels! What a sight that must have been.