Are all repop knockoffs made by one company? Or do most major suppliers do their own? If so, are some "more correct" than others?

 

There are two manufacturers, but the vast majority are made by Corvette America and retailed by dozens of Corvette parts houses. "America's Finest Corvettes" is the other manufacturer.

 

I realise this is a tough question. Still the question: would you recommend one or the other?

 

I like the Corvette America product.

 

I'm a little surprised by this response - I thought the America's Finest Corvette wheels were supposed to be a little more accurate in the fin and rim detailing (?). But, I have Corvette America wheels on mine.

 

I am not too concerned about the exactitude of the ultimate detail, much more about the overall quality. During my rebuild (and the build of my Cobra) I found that quality of some aftermarket items is only so&so...

By the time the wheels are shipped to Belgium and import duties are payed for, they turn out about 30-40% more expensive than in the US. So I want to be sure I get the best for my money...

With aluminium wheels, important is how well the surface stays clean of oxidation. We have quite a lot of rain here in Belgium, and salt on the roads in winter. For the 64 version this is even more important because the inside of the fins is bare metal too (and not painted as later on).

I have chrome items on my Cobra that rusted after 3 years, and I never drove in rain...

So are there any issues with the chrome and surface?

 

fyi

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ffs-repos.html

 

Yeah - if you drive on wet roads often over a period of time you will begin to see some oxidation and even some rust spots on the spinners if the chrome get's chipped or is thin on an edge. Anytime someone posts pictures of a set of 30-year old KO wheels that have some obvious road time on them you can see this.

The wheel lips and surfaces of the fins can be polished with any aluminum polish but it's hard to do anything inside the fin areas. An option would be to consider spraying the wheel centers with the light gray paint they sell to match the cast aluminum finish. It could then be wiped off of the wheel lips and fins with a rag and paint thinner.

Mine are 20 years old and they look pretty much like when they were installed other than a little dust - but I don't drive on wet roads.

 

Mine were made by Western Wheel. They were on the car when I bought it in 1983.

 

JohnZ's answer was for current day manufacturers.

"Back in the day" I think there were a few different KO wheel reproductions. Terry M of ProTeam I think did one. Western Wheel was another...........although I believe they were commissioned by Corvette America to make the wheels for them. Later Corvette America used other foundry/companies to make the wheels, and eventually went overseas. These "off shore" wheels were not pretty, and so they did a complete revamp of the manufacturing process to get a better product. That is where we are today.

Americas Finest also makes these wheels. Which one is better is open to some interpretation. JohnZ gave his opinion.

Larry

EDIT: For what it's worth, Western Wheel was an OEM supplier to GM for aluminum wheels in the late 1970's thru early 1980's period. Maybe later, but I don't have that info. Somewhere along the line they (Western Wheel ) also merged with Kelsey-Hayes. I have the entire story/history of all this in my paper files, but don't want to look thru it this morning. This is probably more than wanted.

 

I bought them at Virginia Vettes. Great service (almost instant email comms), great price. Shipping cost to europe reasonable too giving the volume&weight. They ship today (ordered yesterday). I believe these are CorvAmerica products.
Next step is the tires. I like the white walled Michelins from Diamond back. But they are expensive. By the time they land at my doorstep here in Belgium they may cost me 350$ a piece. While I can white wall 205/75/15 Maxxis locally at 100$, although they come with a slightly smaller white wall than original. People seems to feel fine with the Maxxis.