63 -4 wheels

[Robert B.]

Just looked some wheels that the owner said he had on his car that he bought back in the sixties.1964

The wheels have stamped on the inside 5 x 15 1/2 K along with the # 3 just below the size stamping.

Does the k the mean the month, and I would say the 3 is the year ?? Thanks

[Edward J.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

Bob, If you look closely at the wheels you may find another digit, generally there is a month and year along with the Kelsey Hayes logo . and the 15 by 5 1/2. the back of the wheel is slopped or tapered o 63/64 wheels.

[Loren L.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

Kelsey-Hayes logo in a circle.

[Timothy B.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

I think the K that's part of the (15 x 5 1/2 K) stamping has something to do with the safety bead style. I know the 1965-66 wheels are stamped 15 x 5 1/2 JK.

[David L.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

Pictured below are pencil tracings done by me in the 1980's (before digital cameras) on a 64 Corvette wheel dated Jan. 1964 as well as a 63 Corvette wheel dated Jan. 1963 just before I sold the wheels. I also included a drawing made by me of the cross section of a Feb. 1963 Corvette wheel.

I have had many 63-64 and 65-66 Corvette wheels over the past 30+ years and a few of these wheels did not have a 2-digit year stamping. The worker who stamped the wheels must have been on a coffee break at the time or temporarily misplaced one of the stamping devices.

The "K" and "JK" have something to do with the cross sectional shape of the rim. The "JK" stamped wheels seem to be used with disk brakes.

Dave

[Dan A.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

The wheels have stamped on the inside 5 x 15 1/2 K along with the # 3 just below the size stamping.

Does the k the mean the month, and I would say the 3 is the year ?? Thanks

The number 3 is likely part of the date based on your description of its location. The dates are sometimes poorly stamped and can be illegible to partially legible. Sometimes some cleaning and magnification can be helpful. Without a picture or more detailed information the 3 could be the month or part of the year.

The K is an SAE descriptor for the configuration of the rim. In this case the "slope" others have described.

[Robert B.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

very familiar with other year date codes and placement of the stamps.this one is very clear and all there is for the date is a 3 under the size of the wheel. This confirms what david has stated that he has had wheels with just one # for a date code Thanks Dave.

[David L.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

Just to confuse the issue a bit pictured below is the stamping on a 63-64 Corvette. The stamped code is a "6" (June) and a "59" (the year 1959). Back in 1990 I sold 3 original Corvette wheels dated in 1963 as well as the wheel stamped "6" & "59" to a 1963 Corvette owner who lived in NJ. I delivered the 4 identical wheels (expect for the stampings) to his house in NJ while I was working in MD, commuting from NH on weekends. The wheel stamped "6" & "59" was definitely a 63-64 Corvette wheel that was obviously stamped incorrectly and not a 57-62 Corvette 15" X 5 1/2" K wheel (GM # 3748348). I believe that 3748348 57-62 wheel has a 2 29/32" (2.91") diameter hub hole and I believe it is also the riveted type wheel. The 63-64 Corvettes wheel have a 2 25/32" (2.78") diameter hub hole and are the welded type wheels.

Also, at the 2004 Fall Carlisle Swap Meet I saw another 63-64 Corvette wheel for sale stamped "6" and "59".

Dave

[Timothy B.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

Just to add, I have two 63 wheels the I can't even find a date stamp, all other stampings are in tact.

[Harry S.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

Out of the 5 I have 4 I can read 8 62, 1 63, 3 63, 3 63 and one I can possibly/maybe make out the 3.

[Doug L.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

It has been my understanding that the "K" is for Kelsey, the manufacturer. Some of my wheels (1964) have numbers stamped and others have nothing, but all are "15 x 5-1/2K". The wheel in the attached photo has the size and "K". Also the numeral "1" and "64" but stamped in different locations and at different angles.

The 1965 wheels (GM 3838080) that were on the car when I bought it were stamped "JK".

There are other identifying features such as the 2 dimples at the valve stem hole, stampings on the nubs for the dog dish hubcaps on the 8080 wheel, and the profile of the center section as mentioned above.

[David L.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

Doug,

Enclosed are two scans (drawn to full scale by me in the late 1980's).

Scan #1 is of a 65-66 Corvette wheel cross section.

Scan #2 compares a 65-66 Corvette wheel cross section to a replacement 63-64 Corvette wheel cross section. The 3838080 wheel cross section is in purple and the 3869156 wheel (65-66 Corvette) is a red dashed line.

Both wheels have a similar cross section but the 3838080 wheel (dated Dec. 20, 1985; Jan. 6, 1986; and Jan. 7, 1986) has a 15 X 5 1/2 K stamping while the 3869156 wheel has a 15 X 5 1/2 JK stamping.

It appears to me that the 3838080 wheel could be used with disk brakes but I never physically tried one on my 1966. I bought the 3838080 from my local Chevrolet dealership back in 1987 for my "early" 1963 SWC (VIN 1450) which I sold in 1990. The "K" in "K1 85" and "K1 86" is for Kelsey. The "K" after "5 X 5 1/2" is not for Kelsey, it has something to do with the shape of the rim.

Dave

[Doug L.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

HI David,
Good data but I haven't figured it out yet. Here are photos of a 63-64 wheel and a 65-66 wheel. To me this tells the difference and seems to be the best way to recognize one verses the other, especially if tires are mounted.

Doug

[David L.]

Re: 63 -4 wheels

Doug,

I don't need any photos to determine the difference between the 63-64 wheels and the 65-66 wheels. The wheel images have been stored in my brain since the early 1980's. My drawings (drawn to full scale, 1" = 1") were done to show the comparison of the wheel cross sections. It's obvious that the cross section was changed to accommodate disc brakes on the 65 and 66 Corvettes.

Dave