original factory available wheels, tires & hub caps for 1963 Corvette

[Kenneth M.]

what were the available choices for wheels, hub caps and tires when ordering a 1963 split window? I know that there were steel wheels & full spinner type hub caps & white wall or black tires.
Did GM ever offer steel wheels with beauty ring and small dog dish hub caps & red line tires as an opition for 1963.

[Harry S.]

Re: original factory available wheels, tires & hub caps for 1963 Corvette

Steel wheels was the only wheels delivered. Only hubcaps with the spinners, very early cars had some frosting on the hubcaps. Knock off wheels were an option but there is no evidence any 63's were delivered with them.

So, your choice is steel wheels (black if you had white walls) or (body color if you had black walls) and hubcaps. Nothing else will pass judging.

[Philip C.]

Re: original factory available wheels, tires & hub caps for 1963 Corvette

NO written evidence NOT ONE WORD WRITTEN IN BLACK AND WHITE that Knock off wheels were not available at all. BUT PLENTY that they were available, 12 cars as per the new 2014 corvette black book and GM's own production records. Yes NCRS does not accept them YET only because someone just can't let it go. Phil 8063

[Michael G.]

Re: original factory available wheels, tires & hub caps for 1963 Corvette

Ken, unfortunately, at this point, nothing less convincing than a dated photo of the original owner and his salesman, standing next to the transport, with the car still on it, wheels clearly visible on the car, is likely to be sufficient proof that your car had aluminum wheels when initially delivered. So, unless you can provide such proof, don't try to get it judged with anything but steel wheels and hubcaps.

[Michael J.]

Re: original factory available wheels, tires & hub caps for 1963 Corvette

As they say in another of my judged car organizations, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

[Philip C.]

Re: original factory available wheels, tires & hub caps for 1963 Corvette

As they say in another of my judged car organizations, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

What is extraordinary is the amount of people that believe that myth. No one still has stepped up to back up that myth with any kind of written proof, they just parrot a story and have no idea why. The world was flat for a long time. Phil 8063

[Steven B.]

Re: original factory available wheels, tires & hub caps for 1963 Corvette

what were the available choices for wheels, hub caps and tires when ordering a 1963 split window? I know that there were steel wheels & full spinner type hub caps & white wall or black tires.
Did GM ever offer steel wheels with beauty ring and small dog dish hub caps & red line tires as an opition for 1963.

Ken, no beauty rings and small hubcaps for '63. Only "beauty rings" were on later rally wheels, only small hubcaps were on '57-'62 5.5" wide wheels, red lines first available on MY 1967. Steve

[Michael J.]

Re: original factory available wheels, tires & hub caps for 1963 Corvette

We have had the same problem at the Shelby American Auto Club judging. In 1968, only 6 cars came with aluminum 10 spoke wheels, all the rest were hubcaps, and that is well documented. But, most every '68 you see has those ten spokes. We have to require the documentation (Marti reports are simple to get) to not deduct. Of course, after many decades we have not seen even one that actually left the factory with 10 spokes.