Ron Miller

I'm considering ordering a set of 4 rallye style steel wheels for my daily driver to run with hubcaps installed. I'm looking at a set of four from Summit with the following specs:

Wheel, Rally, Steel, Silver, 15 in. x 6 in., 5 x 4.75 in. Bolt Circle, 4 in. Backspace

Part Number: SUM-55-5661

Almost forgot to mention, I typically run P205-75R-15 tires on my cars.

Whadda ya think about these as a replacement for the original steel wheels, close? Is there a better alternative? Lemme hear some opinions, please.

66since71

Too much backspace for a 6" wide, 15" wheel. Should be around 3 5/8".

Consider 15x7" with 4" backspace. They will fit, and without too big a tire, should clear the fenders, parking brake cable and bracket and spring end.

Of course 17" wheels open up a new list of options!

Harry

66jack

I was going to run these in a STEEL wheel, BUT after they were balanced the weights would hit the spring end, so i didn't run them....

It didn't occur to me at the time to have them try and put the weights "if it would clear" on the inside next to the calipers.

I wish i would have tried it.

Ron Miller

Thanks guys, that's the information I was looking for. I know the replacement rally wheel sold for 1963-1967 by Mid America is 15x6" with a 4 3/4" bolt circle and a 3 1/2" backspacing. But, they're also $119.99 each with an $8.00 shipping surcharge each, not to mention that they're out of stock.

The closest thing I see from Summit Racing measures as follows:

Wheel, Rally, Steel, Silver, 15 in. x 7 in., 5 x 4.75 in. Bolt Circle, 4.25 in. Backspace

Do you think that will work? Or, do you know who handles a similar wheel in a 15X7 4 3/4" bolt circle with a 4" backspacing?

Jack, I'm not sure I understand the problem with the wheel weights, don't they fit just inside the rim edge and would clear both the spring end and the brake caliper?

Thanks!

bobsor

I'm using the following from Summit;

Wheel Vintiques 30-5634032 - Wheel Vintiques 30 Series Corvette Rallye Silver Wheels

Wheel, Corvette Rallye, Steel, Silver, 15 in. x 6 in., 5 x 4.75 in. Bolt Circle, 3.50 in. Backspace, Each $72.95

Ron Miller

Those look like an excellent choice as well!

Procrastination Racing

Here is some info you guys really need.

Stock Corvette Rally wheels had this backspacing.

Corvette Rally Wheels Backspacing

15x6 (DC) had 3.06 inch.
15x7 (Corvette AG) had 3.22 inch.
15x8 (Corvette AZ) had 3.50 inch.

All fit and worked with the stock springs for clearance.

15x7 (Monte Carlo FW) had 3.80 inch. They will barely clear the spring on a '68 rear without spacers. They will not clear the spring on a '63 (drums) without a 1/4 inch spacer.

Basically, if you are shopping for wheels, a steel wheel needs 3.75 on a disk rear and 3.50 on a drum rear to clear.

Remember that aluminum wheels have thicker rim lips than stamped steel so your clearance is less. You probably need to reduce the backspacing .125 at least. When in doubt, try the wheels on before mounting tires and you suddenly own them.


Many places try to make "one size fits all" Rally wheels for all Chevrolet like trucks, Chevelles, and so on. On most Chevies, there is no issue. But on Corvette, you have to clear the rear spring. So be sure to measure, not just accept that they are "Chevrolet Rally Wheels".

larrywalk

I never liked the skinny steel wheels for my '65, and when I wanted to return to the nice set of '66 hubcaps I had saved which were on the car when I bought it (in '67), I looked at a wheel wholesale outlet in St Louis.

What I found was a steel wheel, 15 x7, with the 4 3/4" bolt circle and a back spacing of 4 1/4". IIRC, they may have been used on Chevy wagons in the mid '70s.

Anyway, when fitted with 215-70-R15 whitewall tires, they look and fit even better than stock size tires on skinny rims.

vt65

larrywalk, you have taken good care of that Vet, she looks great! I like the side mirrors, what are they off?

tjstarduster

I have 15x7 rally wheels on my '66 big block and I like the ride. No fitment problems. I don't recall the code but I believe they are fairly common Monte Carlo wheels.TJS

vt65

that's what I ran before i got my TT2's, best thing about that is you can buy 4 rims for the price of 1 original one..

Ron Miller

Larry,

Do you have the name of the wheel outlet place in St. Louis you bought your wheels from? I might check with them & see what they have available, not too far from me & I get to St. L now and then.

Ron

larrywalk

Try Midway Wheel & Equipment at 2525 Natural Bridge (314-652-1835) - Note: Company is no longer in business - no more rims!
The wheel rim part number is X40392, and were used on many GM cars, such as the Impala, Caprice, Camaro, and Firebirds from late '70 through the early '90s.

larrywalk

Thanks for the compliment!

The mirrors I added in late '76 or early '77. IIRC, the C3 Corvette sport mirrors had the wrong mounting angle on the base, so these may be sport mirrors for a Camaro which more closely matched the mid-year's doors. I may have also trimmed the base a bit to get it right. Also, when mounting, the stock location didn't work due to interference with the wind wings, so they are shifted slightly to clear.

66since71

Agree, except those numbers are back spacing to the tire bead mounting surface, not the inboard most surface of the wheel. you need to add 1/2" to each to get actual back spacing:

DC 3.56
AG 3.72
AZ 4.00

I should have mentioned that you may need to run the C3 strut rod bracket for the spring end to clear at 4.00" BS.

Harry

Ron Miller

OK, that's making a little better sense to me.

Ron Miller

First, does anybody have the factory specs regarding the rim width and backspacing for the 1965 and 1966 factory steel wheels?

And second, assuming you purchase a set of steel wheels with the proper backspacing for a 1965/1966, is there any advantage/disadvantage in going to a 7" rim width vs the 6" rims?

Thanks again,

JohnZ

'65-'66 steel wheels are 15" x 5-1/2" with +0.44" offset.

toddalin

Yes. A wider rim will make the car handle better in the turns as it creates less roll-over onto the sidewalls.