DansYellow66

I noticed an advertisement in Chevy/Corvette Trader by Accurate Restoration Parts for supposedly "accurate aluminum wheels" that in comparison to the "competitor" knock off have narrower fins, wider slot openings between the fins, and a rib on the backside between the slots. It refers to the "competitor" wheel as looking like it's "off of a late 80's Lincoln Town Car".

My car has 13 year old Corvette America (Western?) replica knock offs that seem to have some traits of both the accurate and competitor wheels. The rib width looks in between but maybe closer to the competitor wheel. The slots are wider, but there aren't any ribs on the back side. The rim configuration looks more like the accurate wheel. I had a set of original K&H wheels on my previous 66 Coupe, but only have one picture of the wheels close up. It's not real sharp but the fins don't look to be as narrow as the ones on the accurate wheel (?). But back to my current ones - I hate to think I'm driving around with Lincoln Town Car appearing wheels on my BB.

Can anyone shed any light on all of this? I thought there was only one reproduction in manufacture right now.

Dan

MikeM

I believe you've made a valid observation about three different widths of fins.

gonefishn

Here is the claim by Corvette USA of a more correct reproduction knock off then what is currently available. The price is higher (by ~$500-$700) from what I see the current ones going for.

http://www.corvetteusa.com/

There are pictures there that may help.

John

DansYellow66

Yeah - that's them. I would say my Corvette America replicas are about in between the two. But those fins on the Corvette USA repros look too thin to me. I don't remember the original K&H wheels I had years ago looking like that (?).

Dan

stingrayl76

Dan,
I have same Western wheel from Corvette America purchased in 1992 and I have to agree with you on the width of the ribs.

Dave

knight37128

66BlkBB

Evidently the guy that owns this outfit has to find a way to pay for the designing and casting of these wheels and in order to do that he has to let all of us who have the Corvette America wheels know that they are incorrect, according to him. He is simply trying to promote a product that he has no chance to pay for itself unless he can get you to believe that your wheels are so incorrect that they would fail the eye test. I don't know of anyone who came up to my car yet and said, "Hey, those wheels aren't correct!" Even NCRS hasn't gotten that bad yet.

If nothing else, you guys who own the original Western Wheel repo's are better off. He has increased the value of yours simply by implying that the new ones sold by Corvette America are really bad representations of the originals.

Lastly, is it possible that there are 4 widths of the ribs. I look at mine in photo's and they don't seem to be as wide as the one they show in the above photo. They are not as thin as the Western Wheel ribs, that's for sure.

Steve

lemish

I think this is a welcome improvement to the mid-year owners looking for this wheel - and maybe justification in the price too when comparing to the Corvette America Wheel.

The advertisment for the new wheels says it has the "correct fin thickness" - I have asked them if they can tell me what the thickness is of the fin and how they are measuring it.

In the meantime, if JohnZ, or someone can tell us what the thickness is of the fin on a original KH made wheel and a Western Wheel repro (and how measuring it)?

And, if anyone happens to have a set of the Western Wheel repro bolt-ons you want to sell me for my '67BB, send me an email or PM

--mick

66BlkBB

http://www.allmusclecars.com/corvette/gr65vetpasf.jpg

******************************

Here's a link to a 65 that the owner says are original KH Knock Off's. If you look at the fins on these wheels they are "not" as thin as the ones that CorvetteUSA says are correct. I think he is feeding someone a line of BS, unless he is simply talking about the 67 bolt on's only. I did not look for those. But it appears that the Western Wheel ribs are closer to original than these with respect to the Knock Off's.

Steve

lemish

From the rsponse I got from them, they used original 67 KH wheels to measure from.

The response I got was as follows:

I took a caliper and cut off the last 2.5 inches of it to enable me to measure the ribs to the base , not just the tops of the ribs. Our new wheel is .15-.16 inches at the top face of each rib. Our base measured at .30 inches for each rib. Auto Accessories of America ribs measured .30 inches at the top and .60 inches at the base of each rib. The original G.M. 1967 n.o.s. wheel we went off of measures .15 inches at the top of each rib and .30 inches or a hair less then this at the base of each rib.

I think I will order a set and see for myself!!!

Lee H

I bought my set from Auto Accessories of America aka Corvette America in 1988. The outer edge of the ridge is .24. OBTW my receipt shows $844.45 including hammer, tax, insurance, and shipping.

lemish

JohnZ just emailed me and said "my CA (AAA) repros from five years ago measure 0.26" at the top and 0.35" at the bottom of the rib" - he also says this guys measurements sound right on. I think I am getting a set and see how they look!

DansYellow66

Hmm - anyone on here have an original set of knockoffs still, that they can measure and post a close up picture of? I can believe my 13-14 year old repro's fins are a little wider than the originals, but these Acurate AA wheel fins sure look thin.

Dan

DansYellow66

I measured the ribs on my repros at the machined edge with calipers and came up with .23 inches - about the same as Lee H.

Dan

SILENT BOB

This is a link to an ebay auction for what was proported to be a set of original 67 bolt-ons. You be the judge.

http://cgi.ebay.com:80/ebaymotors/19...QQcmdZViewItem

Critter1

I'm sure glad someone finally decided to make a KO/bolt on look similar to a real KH wheel. I've NEVER liked the look of any reproductions, especially the latest with the extra fat finns. I can spot repro wheels from 50 feet away.

Wonder if the newest wheels have the outer lip correct also? Was always to short.

Looks like the outer machined edge of the fin is also much more correct than other repo's. Originals didn't have the "phonograph record" look.

62Jeff

Here are 2 high resolution pictures of original, date-coded, worn, knockoffs from my 65. I do not have a caliper to measure the ribs.



And

58636566

I took pictures today from cars of a longtime NCRS member.
1. Restored set on a 64

2. NOS set on a 65

3. Unrestored set on a 65

4. Original set on a 67


America's Finest Corvette's wheel



Although the pictures are from different distances, the AFC wheel looks to be right on. Even looking at my Fact Book of the 1963-1967 Stingray by M.F. Dobbins(Sixth Edition) p. 186, verifies the thinner fins.

DansYellow66

The originals do look pretty close to the Accurate reproductions (except for the machined fin surface). However I think the reproduction fins are still very slightly narrower. I thought I remembered the set of originals I had many years ago as being unmachined on the fin surface. They were light colored like those from 62Jeff. Was that just the 64 - 65 model style (unmachined)? I guess it makes sense that when they went to the darker paint in the later years they machined the fins then for some contrast.

Seaside63

The new wheels from China look like junk.

Why spend $1500 for junk wheels that don't look close to original/period?

Better to put some American Racing wheels on that look cool than those new made in China wheels with the thick fins.

If you want period looking knock offs get the new ones with the thin fins.