I own a set of 1973 yj8 wheels. They were manufactured by American Racing for GM. the Part Number 329381, the letters xm and the date of manufacture ( In my case all dates are in October 1972) are cast in the reverse side of the wheels. I believe that there are only two sets in existence at this time. The set of three on Duntov's 1974 Corvette at the Corvette Museum and the set of four on my car.

I would like very much to chat with any other 1973 yj8 owners. I doubt any exist.

 

Is this you on another forum??? Post up some pics man..... we'd like to see them!!

 

Does your build sheet or window sticker show that they were an option on your car? GMs documentation shows four were delivered with this option before they stopped manufacturing due to defective wheels, I would think that these would have been early production cars built and delivered in August or September 1972. I would also suspect that the NCRS and museum have documented those four cars delivered with those wheels so any others wheels might be suspect. Maybe our resident 73 expert (Toms73)can add some insight. Rod

 

If the car was purchased in March 1973, the YJ8 wheels were probably obtained via the Chevy Parts Dept at Matt Slapp Chevrolet where the car was purchased, or another Chev Parts Dept that had the wheels in inventory. During that time period no YJ8's were being produced or available through GM production lines at St Louis. I would be very surprised if the build sheet or window sticker list the wheels as being a 73 installed factory option.

The GM part numbers, dates, letters and codes cast on the wheels would be the most important documentation.

Early 73 model brochures, GM photos and dealer showroom posters do show the 73 with the new style alum wheel.

Forum Member "Lyle" (Lyle Chamberlin) is the best 73 model authority to my knowledge. He is the owner of the white 73 (depicted on the GM assembly line) that is on display at the NCM in Bowling Green.

 

posted from another forum by 1973 yj8 wheels:

Here we go, again. I have a set of the wheels. See the previous discussion. I believe that there are only two sets in existence. The three on Duntov's car at the Corvette Museum and the complete set of four on my 1973. They came over the counter of the parts department of the Chevrolet Dealer that sponsors the Corvette Club that I have been a member for the last 35 years. My wheels have production dates in October of 1972.

I will be at Corvettes Carlisle Saturday August 25, 2007. I plan to have a T-Shirt made with 1973yj8owner and photos of the wheels on it. I will bring photos of the wheels with 329381, xm and date of manufacture cast in the reverse side and a photo of the box with the GM part number. Ed and Marvin at NCRS have copies of these photos.

I will not bring my car. I live in Pennsylvania 2 1/4 hours away from Carlisle.

I believe that I own a very rare piece of Corvette history. I would love to have my car and wheels in a Corvette publication. It is a garage queen.

I would appreciate chatting with anybody who owns a set of the wheels. In 34 years no such person has ever surfaced.

I would even be open to chat with somebody from American Racing in Torrance CA. I will be in Newport Beach Ca, soon. I love the Balboa Peninsula area. My wheels have had no porosity problem. American Racing did a good job with the wheels.

Where are the build sheets, and the four cars mentioned in the Black Book. I am sure Chevrolet removed the wheels and sold the cars with rally wheels or hubcaps. I do not think they gave the cars new build sheets. I am sure somebody from the factory remembers these cars.

The real porosity problem was with the original equipment Firestone Steel Radial 500's. Original 1973 Corvette owners were given an opportunity to swap the OE tires for a new set. The tires were recalled and deemed unsafe. Anybody recall this?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and more from that post:

My 1973 was ordered with the cast aluminum wheels on 10/15/72 at Matt Slap Chevrolet in Philadelphia Pa. The car was built in February 1973. I was advised the car would not be delivered with the wheels. I took delivery 3/7/73.

The wheels are correct for the car. They were not purchased at a parts store. They were purchased through the parts department of an authorized Chevrolet Dealer during the 1973 model year. This Chevrolet Dealer is still in business. It was and still is the sponsor of the Corvette Club that I have been a member for 35 years. All four of my wheels were manufactured by American Racing in October 1972, the dates are cast in the reverse side of the wheels. My wheels are identical to the wheels on the yellow Corvette in the photos preceding this post. If you take a magnifying glass you can see the lug nuts have the black center inserts, the same as my wheels and the same as the 1975 Cosworth Vega.

I believe that the only other set in existence is the set of three on Duntov's 1974 at the Corvette Museum. Chevrolet probably owned the white Corvette's used in the TV show The Magician (actor Bill Bixby drove the car). I believe a white 73 than a white 74 had the wheels in early episodes. A national magazine in December 1972 featured four Corvettes with the wheels. Is it possible these were the four cars that left the factory with the wheels, then later were switched over to Rally Wheels before GM sold the cars. I doubt GM destroyed the cars, possibly the wheels.

The wheel is GM part number 329381, the center cap is 329382 and the lug nut is 329383. I have an original General Motors Box for the wheel and a lug nut. The wheel box has a black stamp shipped from American Racing to General Motors. This is a big deal because nobody else has a set of the wheels or the box. I guess the point is that if you want something be persistant. If you cannot get it delivered on the car step over to the parts department and order what you want. The wheels came did not come from the Chevrolet dealer where I ordered my car. They came from the dealer that sponsored the Corvette Club that I joined after ordering my car. This Chevrolet dealer employed many Corvette Club members who were really into Corvettes and rare and difficult parts etc. At the time, I was 21 years old They were in their 30's and 40's. One of these fellows told me the wheels were going to be rare and to keep one of the boxes as documentation.


http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...ad.php?t=97340

 

I've read accounts where the '73 big wheels could be purchased over the counter at Chevy dealers until the recall was well under way.

 

What is your goal with this topic? Are you looking just to validate that "you have some rare corvette history" or a wheel "that's worth more than the car"? If they are indeed original and rolled out of a dealer in 73 with those wheels (and you have documentation) then you can throw them on your car and have it judged without a deduction. If that is not what you are looking for then slap a rediculous price on them and try to sell them.

 

So our 73s are simular, your vette came from the factory with rally wheels and so did mine. You purchased aftermarket American Racing wheels and so did I. How cool is that?

 

Not so, refer to page 53 of NCRS 1973-74 Corvette Technical Information Manual & Judging Guide. The wheels are the real thing part number 329381. Do your Wheels have the castings 329381, xm and date of manufacture in a circular boss on the reverse side?

The wheels are a part of Corvette History, extremely rare.

The thing that further distinguishes my wheels from your wheels is that they are the same as the wheels on Duntov's 1974 Corvette at the Corvette Museum.

I was surprised to discover that Greg P from Baltimore Md and others had so many posts on the NCRS site about the wheels and then to see posts at another site about the wheels. I am the same 1973yj8owner on this site as the other site. Greg and I spoke about the wheels last fall.

 

Like another poster alluded to..."extremely rare", so what?

It's been established through this thread that the wheels are aftermarket to your car.

It's the old question of "rare" vs. desirable...for a '69 the question could be framed for the base 3-speed trans (rare, not particularly desirable) compared to an L71 with automatic (rare, highly desirable).

Just because they seem extremely rare today doesn't change the fact that they were bought over the counter, along with a reported 800 other sets.

Try and sell them if you want to determine market value, else donate them to a corvette museum for a tax writeoff.

It seems that you are saying "my car is rarer than anyone else's" the way you presented it...

Just my take,

Steve

 

They would only be the real thing if your car was delivered from the factory with them on, if I remember correctly your car was delivered with rally wheels. So when you tried selling your car with them on you were actually mis-representing your vette to potential buyers as unique and rare because of the wheels. That's no different than people restamping engine blocks, getting fake window stickers and build sheets and selling their vettes as number matching and correct.

IMHO, these wheels would be extremely rare if and only if they were delivered on a vette that was factory delivered. Remember, your vette was delivered from the factory with rally wheels!


I don't think you can compare your vette or wheels to the Duntov's 74 vette or wheels. He is a major part of our cars history, you purchased your vette from a dealer just like 1,000s of others and then you purchased after market wheels from a Chevy dealer, no comparison.

I have never tried to pass my vette off as something that it is not. It is NOT factory correct, the block numbers don't match, wrong tranny, rearend gearing is not factory shipped, it was green with tan interior, it actually, and maybe I shouldn't admit this, has after market wheels, American Racing made them the same as yours! Nope, they don't have the same numbers that you quoted from your NCRS manual, but after market wheels just the same. Vette on!

[IMG][/IMG]

 

On March 6, 1973 my Corvette came off the truck and was delivered to Matt Slap Chevrolet at Grant and Academy Roads, Philadelphia Pa. The car had some white material sprayed over the Medium Blue paint, it did not have a center grille, it had a front license bracket (as did each of the Corvettes in the row where it was parked), it had rally wheels (the trim rings and hubcaps where in boxes in the luggage area).

The above was the way it was delivered from the factory. Perhaps all 1973 Corvettes should be presented this way in addtion to duplicated overspray.

At time of purchase, I was told the car did not come with the cast aluminum wheels. The items that came from Chevrolet dealers parts departments 1) Front center grill 2) Black Corvette Floor Mats, 3) Right Hand Outside Mirror 4) Corvette Locking Gas Cap 5) a set of cast aluminum Yj8 wheels.

1973 Corvettes were not delivered from the factory with front center grills, Black Corvette Floor Mats, Right Hand Outside Mirrors, Locking Gas Caps or yj8 wheels.

I have a set of the wheels, it has been said that the wheels were destroyed because of porosity problems. Where are the other 798 sets? If nobody has a set, then they must have been destroyed. The 2 sets that escaped destruction are rare.

It is the wheels that are rare not the car, you missed the point.

 

You don't have one of 4 sets of RPO YJ8 wheels. Those would be delivered from the factory and documented on the build sheet. You have one of 800 sets of produced YJ8 wheels.

You admit that your car was delivered with Ralley Wheels and that the dealer installed a set of OTC (Over The Counter) YJ8 wheels made by American Racing. From http://www.stlc3sharks.com/specs/73.html:
IMHO, that just makes them old custom wheels like the Western Wheels and wire rims that dealers offered. Rarer, but not 1 of 4.

I have 1 of 279 Corvettes built in 1975 with a vinyl covered hardtop. That is documented on my build sheet. By my estimation, that could make my car rarer than your 1 in 800 set of 1973 vintage YJ8 wheels.

 

The box the wheels came in says Genuine GM Parts, Western wheels were not Genuine Gm Parts.

 

Not documented on the build sheet, delivered with Ralleys, and installed by the dealer means that you do NOT have one of the 4 YJ8 cars.

 

The only thing I see happening here is that you are being self promoting to either get youself in a Corvette publication or inflat the price of an aftermarket set of wheels. If you were a true vette owner and these were a rare piece of corvette history, you would donate them to the museum and be proud that you did.

 

I agree with this right here. What I look forward to is the t-shirt this guy is gonna have made -(I will be at Corvettes Carlisle Saturday August 25, 2007. I plan to have a T-Shirt made with 1973yj8owner and photos of the wheels on it.)
What a crack up! If this isn't self promoting I don't know what is! Those wheels were pulled by GM because of porosity problems and this "promoter" does NOT have documentation indicating that his "super rare" car came with those wheels. Jeez, his posts come off like he's the only kid on the block that got an ice cream off the truck when it passed by and he gets a kick out of waving it infront of all the other kids faces. Go ahead and put them on your car. Go have it judged and take the point deduction because they didn't come with your car.

 

You just don't get it.

 

My request was to chat with others who have a set of 1973 yj8 wheels.

 

According to you, you're not going to find that right?