To fellow 68 owners.

I have a 1968 BB coupe that I purchased in 1974. It had the rally wheels, with the wire wheel covers, on it when I purchased it. I still have them in the garage so I took a picture of them. In 1978 I put Cragger SS mags and BF Goodrich T/A,s on the car and they have been on it ever since. I would like to go back to the original rally wheels with trim rings and center caps this summer. So here are some questions I have for you experts, your opinions are always welcome..

1. Even though the car came with the wire wheel covers from the factory are the rally rims that were under the wheel covers the same as the rally wheels on any other 68?
By the VIN number the car was a very late 68,born in July of 1968.

2. I read that the 68's rallies are 7" wide. Is that measurement from outside to outside of rim or from inside to inside of the rim bead? (pictures below)

3. Are the chrome trim rings different on the 68's as opposed to the 69 to 72's?

4. Are the chrome center caps different on the 68's as opposed to the 69 to 72's?

5. Will the sets of rings and caps that all the corvette suppliers sell and are advertised as 68 to 72 fit theses rims?

6. Why do the suppliers sell one set for low cost and another set for 4 times the cost? is this a quality issue.

7. I will be purchasing (4) new B.F. Goodrich T/A's for the rally rims because I like the look. Not to worried about the ride due to the fact that I drive less the 500 miles a year in the car and never in the rain. My question is size. I would like to go with the 245/60-15 in the front and the 255/60-15 in the rear. I like the wide tire look.
A. Do you think the tires will rub on the front?
B. Will the tires look good on the 7" rims?

8. It seems as if the Goodrich T/A's in the 245/60-15 are out of stock everywhere. Do they still make theses tires?

Thanks in advance and I appreciate any help on these issues.

Mike






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The wheels you show look correct for a '68. The '68 wheels will have an AG code stamped in them near the hole for the air stem.

I've seen many different repro trim rings but the original style rings mount to the wheels with 4 attaching clips fastened to the outer perimeter of the trim ring. These are generally much more expensive than the style you will commonly find that have raised tabs around the entire circumference of the ring. You will also notice that the cheaper rings have a yellowish appearance while the more expensive rings will be very bright. That's because the better rings are stainless with a flash chrome plating applied to them. The cheaper, yellowish rings are simply polished stainless.

I've seen many different style center caps sold sold as well, including some cheap plastic wonders that makes me wonder who would possibly consider putting them on their Corvette. The original caps had chrome plated die cast centers that are attached to a stainless trim ring with screws. The correct caps have "Chevrolet Motor Division" written around the outer circumference on the end of the cap. The correct caps also DON'T have the Chevy bow-tie on the end as I've seen on many repro caps.

The differences I've noted in the caps and rings I've seen available probably amount to the price differences you've seen. The more correct the rings and caps, the more expensive I'd expect them to be.

You can expect to pay some pretty heavy bread for a set of NOS rings and caps. This is the route I took. I found that by scouring swap meets I could find onezie and twozie rings and centers that the owners would sell much cheaper than the guys that had complete sets. After a couple of years and patience I was able to put together a complete set.

The trim rings sold for Corvette will fit any '68 or later, but the '69 and later Corvettes with the 8" wheels will have a gap of about 1" between the inner edge of the trim ring and the wheel with the ring installed. The '68's don't have this gap because of the narrower wheel.

I am running 60 series BFG radial TA's on my '68 with 7" wheels and it looks fine with no rubbing. I haven't heard that P245's are hard to find but your tire dealer could probably confirm this for you.

 

Hi, fellow 68 owner.......I'm a new guy to this forum, but have had my 68 for 22 yrs...the rallye wheels are the same with the PO1 (2) covers or caps and rings. The wheels are 15x7, but will accept the 69 and up trim rings (they are all the same)....your wheels should have an "AG" stamped near the valve stem...that is "68 only".....Enjoy!, John (new guy)

 

Thanks for all the info guy's. I realy appreciate it.

Now if only I can find somebody that has the tires in stock.

Blue: What size tires are you running ? 245/60-15 on front?

 

What does the POI (2) mean? Where there 2 different styles


Thanks

 

Yes. Ralley wheels were standard, but for 68-72 you could order optional P01/P02 wheel covers.

The P01s are '68 only (maybe early '69). The center ornament caps are essentially straight-sided, for lack of a better way to explain it. The P02 wheel covers look almost identical to the P01s, but the center ornament is different. The repro ornament caps currently available from the aftermarket providers are the P02 style.

CAREFUL: The same 15" turbine style hubcab was used on other Chevrolet models with 15" wheels (i.e., Impala, Caprice). These have flat ornament caps. You'll find 19 sets of these on ebay right now being passed off as Corvette wheels. Look before you click on the bid button.

Take off the flat caps; add new repro P02 caps, and you're in business.

 

I've only heard rumors of the PO-1. The flat center ones are not Corvette, but rather Monte Carlos. All the research I've done indicates the PO-1 are identical to the PO-2's. Some VERY early promo shots of 68's have a slightly different raised center on them. It's very pronounced, quite different than the flat capped Monte's. I've never seen these anywhere. If you have a July car, you're 100% safe with the PO2's.

 

[QUOTE=Tracker;1559517141]To fellow 68 owners.

5. Will the sets of rings and caps that all the corvette suppliers sell and are advertised as 68 to 72 fit these rims?

6. Why do the suppliers sell one set for low cost and another set for 4 times the cost? is this a quality issue.

Mike

Original trim rings have 4 clips around the perimeter. They do not have the multiple "fingers" to retain them to the wheel. The "finger types" are the cheapos. They look OK, but they're not factory correct for your car.

In addition, "original original" trim rings used in your era have the 4 clips oriented at 90 degree increments, with one clip ALWAYS at the valve stem hole.

Chuck

 

Thanks for the info Chuck.

I think I made my decision. I am going with the Zip products H-637 set of 4 replacement cap set. Mostly for cost savings and the Zip H-386 trim rings. If I do not like the look I will send them back. The original style are just way to expensive.

Thanks again