Tires for 67 327/300 power glide convertible

[Zachary C.]

Just purchased the above car. My father was the 2nd owner and remember going together to get the car from the original owner. Fond memories! My father sold the car in 1987 and he passed away in 1989. I just purchased the car from the widow of the man who purchased it from my father. Frame off restoration was performed in 1992. The tires from 1989. I want to get a set of the correct factory tires that will conform to NCRS judging. The factory original spare is a BFG. Does this mean I need BFG whitewalls? Please help! I'm new to the classic corvette game as an owner. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Michelin 1 inch whitewalls are currently on the car. Thanks in advance.

Zac

[Zachary C.]

Re: Tires for 67 327/300 power glide convertible

Don, would the fact that the factory original spare being a bfg suggest that the rest of the car was originally equipped with bfg, or could the spare have been a totally different brand? I am interested in having the car judged eventually. Thanks for your quick response earlier. I'm very excited about getting involved with NCRS. Thanks again.

Zac

[Joe L.]

Re: Tires for 67 327/300 power glide convertible

Don, would the fact that the factory original spare being a bfg suggest that the rest of the car was originally equipped with bfg, or could the spare have been a totally different brand? I am interested in having the car judged eventually. Thanks for your quick response earlier. I'm very excited about getting involved with NCRS. Thanks again.

Zac

Zac-----

The vast majority of the time, if not all the time, the original spare was the same make and model as the 4 original road tires. So, if the spare you have is original to the car, the overwhelming liklihood is that the 4 road tires originally installed were B. F. Goodrich.

Some B. F. Goodrich reproductions are available from Coker Tire in size 7.75-15.

Also, I believe that full judging credit can be achieved even if the spare is not the same make as the road tires. I'm not 100% sure about that, though.

[Russ S.]

Re: Tires for 67 327/300 power glide convertible

Zac-----

The vast majority of the time, if not all the time, the original spare was the same make and model as the 4 original road tires. So, if the spare you have is original to the car, the overwhelming liklihood is that the 4 road tires originally installed were B. F. Goodrich.

Some B. F. Goodrich reproductions are available from Coker Tire. However, I don't think they're available in the 6.70-15 original tire size.

Also, I believe that full judging credit can be achieved even if the spare is not the same make as the road tires. I'm not 100% sure about that, though.

Joe, Aren't the original tire size on a 67 775-15 not 6.70-15? Correct me if I am wrong. Russ

[Joe L.]

Re: Tires for 67 327/300 power glide convertible

Joe, Aren't the original tire size on a 67 775-15 not 6.70-15? Correct me if I am wrong. Russ

Russ-----


Yes, they are. For some strange reason I was thinking the car was a 1964. I don't know what made me think that because the title clearly mentions 67. I'll correct my original post.

[Joe R.]

Re: Tires for 67 327/300 power glide convertible

Just purchased the above car.....I want to get a set of the correct factory tires that will conform to NCRS judging. The factory original spare is a BFG. Does this mean I need BFG whitewalls? Please help! I'm new to the classic corvette game as an owner. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Michelin 1 inch whitewalls are currently on the car. Thanks in advance.

Zac

Hi Zac:

Congratulations on your purchase. I have a similarly equipped 67 convertible that I have restored and taken through the NCRS judging process.

My basic advice for you is to GO SLOW here. Do not spend money on things to be "NCRS correct" until you have fully researched the topic and discussed it with experienced NCRS members.

You are off to an excellent start by posting your question here. The community here on the TDB patiently answered hundreds of questions from me over a four year period that culminated in a National Top Flight.

Tires are a complicated topic because they are expensive, and the tires that judge the best are typically the worst for driving. For judging, I bought a specific brand of reproduction bias ply red lines that the folks here on the TDB told me would get full credit (except for the trivial 3-point deduction for DOT markings). That is exactly how they judged.

They look great and judge well, but the car is no fun to drive with them. Besides, after spending all that money on expensive reproductions, I don't want to wear them out and lose condition points in judging.

Soooooooo, they now reside in the attic of my garage, mounted on the restored original Ralley wheels with restored original trim rings and restored original wheel weights, collecting dust. For driving, I use modern radials mounted on reproduction aluminum wheels.

The judging guidelines for tires are complicated, but you can read them in the NCRS Judging Manual under the section on "standard deductions." With some careful selection, you might be able to settle on a single set of modern radials that get only a modest deduction in judging, allowing you to use one set of tires for both driving and judging.

Regarding your original spare, the NCRS judges the spare completely separately from the four road tires, so there is no need for them to match. A mis-match in brand or style will have no effect whatsoever on how the car judges.

Good luck with your restoration work, and I hope to see more questions from you here on the TDB!