1966 Knock off Wheels

[Timothy B.]

There are many manufactures of the orginal type wheels.
I am only interested in the ones that will pass NCRS judging with no deductions.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

[Don H.]

Tim
If you are asking which RPO P48 wheels are most likely to receive no Originality deductions in Regional and National judging, that would be the Original Kelsey Hayes KO wheels.. All others have from minor to significant Configuration differences from the original. There are also differences in markings on the back of spinners easily spotted in judging. It is possible that most any KO wheel could survive Chapter judging with no Originality deductions.
If you are asking to buy a set of wheels, please post a Want ad in the Classifieds Forum.. Ads are free to members.

[Timothy B.]

Tags,

It is ashame that the repoduction mfg can not get it right.

[Gary C.]

Timothy,

If you can find a set of Western Wheels which was the after market arm of Kelsey Hayes it might be same as original KH knock off wheels that came on the Corvettes. After Kelsey Hayes stopped making production wheels for Corvette, all the tooling was transfer to Western Wheels.

The '64 I owned for 30 years had a set of 'Western Wheels with a K-H stamped part number on them.

Hopefully the Western Wheel Knock Off Wheel techies can provide more info.

Gary
....

[James W.]

Timothy,

Western wheels will take an approximately 9 point deduction for a correct appearing reproduction Western wheel with the K-H cast into the back side of the wheel, incorrect wheel weights, and 6 points for the aftermarket spinners since the information on the back is not typical of original wheels. The knock-adapters and lug nuts are not a judged item. These were the deductions I received at the 2014 National Convention in Kansas City when my '64 convertible was judged. I took a similar deduction at a regional meet for originality, 8 for the wheels/weights, and 4 for the spinners. I also have an original '64 K-H knock-off and spare tire as my spare when the car was judged. The original wheel and spare tire came with the car when I bought it in 1980.

I spent hours sanding and polishing my reproduction wheels to make them appear as original as I could on my 1964, even a correct ink date stamp on the back of each wheel. The most noticeable difference is the wheel lip on the original wheels is deeper than on a reproduction wheel. My reproduction wheels were bought in 1981 and do look very close to an original with a little work.

Your comment on not taking any deductions for the wheels is a tall order. I seriously doubt you will find the correct wheel weights that are correct for a K-H knock-off wheel. Since it is a "judged" item it warrants a deduction if not typical to factory production.

You might take a look at the Drive Line for sale ads and the NCRS on-line for sale ads to see what may be for sale. Also there might be a complete set of correctly dated, 1965/1966, original K-H knock-off wheels and hardware up for auction at this moment that are just what you need???


Best regards,

James

[Timothy B.]

Thank you.

I guess that I will stick with the correct rims and hub caps.

[Larry E.]

If the Western Wheel that was made with the K.H. molds are prepped correct no
judge can detect the difference. JMHO Larry P.S. Do a search on this board to find
out more. Picture below.

[James W.]

If the Western Wheel that was made with the K.H. molds are prepped correct no
judge can detect the difference. JMHO Larry P.S. Do a search on this board to find
out more. Picture below.

Larry,

If a judge looks at the back side of a Western Wheel / K-H and see the Western Wheel / K-H cast into the back of the wheel they will take a deduction. That is why I received the deduction for my wheels and weights at the regional and national meets.

James

[Larry E.]

Larry,

If a judge looks at the back side of a Western Wheel / K-H and see the Western Wheel / K-H cast into the back of the wheel they will take a deduction. That is why I received the deduction for my wheels and weights at the regional and national meets.

James

Of course: but if on the car he will not see that marking. Larry

[Timothy B.]

I would like to thank everone that contributed to my post, I learned alot.

Thank you again

[Chris L.]

Hi Guys...I am new to these knock offs. Have had a few C2's but none with KO's. I just bought this car and took one of the front wheels off. I was toldthey were "{direct bolt on") with the knock off for "looks" !! There are no bolts holding the wheel on...are there supposed to be ?? Tey are Western Wheels with the K-H on them. I am confused !! What would I have to do if I wanted to put a regular set of wheels on it?

[Leif A.]

Hi Guys...I am new to these knock offs. Have had a few C2's but none with KO's. I just bought this car and took one of the front wheels off. I was toldthey were "{direct bolt on") with the knock off for "looks" !! There are no bolts holding the wheel on...are there supposed to be ?? Tey are Western Wheels with the K-H on them. I am confused !! What would I have to do if I wanted to put a regular set of wheels on it?

A picture of what you have would be definitively helpful in getting you a correct response.

[Chris L.]

A picture of what you have would be definitively helpful in getting you a correct response.

This is the right front. I assume the threads on the bolts are left hand threads. Also assume they are holding the hub on. Would I remove these bolts and the hub to put regular wheels on and would I have to put new studs in with LH thread? Sorry for all the questions but I have zero experience with these wheels. I also assume these are repro wheels. Thanks for your expertise !

[Leif A.]

Those are reproduction knock off wheels. If you're wanting to replace them with stock style steel wheels and hubcaps, the process is quite simple. Remove the knock-off adapter and install steel wheels. The studs need not be replaced...they should be standard studs and the steelies will bolt right up.