54 Riveted and Welded Wheels on the same Car?

[Eric F.]

I have three wheels with rivets and two welded wheels without rivets. Has anyone encountered a similar situation on their car? Would having mixed wheels types would meet the judging standards? I have the newest edition of the judging manual which states the wheels changed from riveted to welded mid-production but it doesn't mention if the two types were installed on the same car at the factory.

[Dan D.]

Re: 54 Riveted and Welded Wheels on the same Car?

Eric, others may know more, but I don't think welded wheels came out until tubeless tires were used, I think 1955. The problem with the riveted wheels is they leaked air around the rivets.

-Dan-

[Chris S.]

Re: 54 Riveted and Welded Wheels on the same Car?

It is very possible to have both
Judge I spoke with - stated either is correct.
I have not seen judges - judge the wheels rivets - but ......I have correct riveted wheels - large head rivet
You have to crawl under the car to look deep in the wheel to see the rivets
There are two different type of riveted wheels - Large head and flattened head
Hope this helps
There are some good photos in Nolan's book......

[John S.]

Re: 54 Riveted and Welded Wheels on the same Car?

the new judging manual states that there were possibly welded wheels. in making such a statement a footnote should be included which includes what car or cars this statement is based on. late in the 55 run I have only seen the riveted rims. as for late 55, my cars have the flattened rivets.

[Eric F.]

Re: 54 Riveted and Welded Wheels on the same Car?

Interesting.... I have both types of rivets (flat & round head) and welded. If they'll pass the judging then I will get them painted, mounted and on the chassis; as it awaits the body.Thanks to everyone for the input.

[David L.]

Re: 54 Riveted and Welded Wheels on the same Car?

The wheels have date codes but the tire has to be removed. Years ago I had a 15" X 5" wheel with a stamped date of "8" and "54" (August 1954). It was a riveted type wheel with 4 hand holes and a "GM" stamping. The wheel also has 3 hub cap "bumps". The hub hole measured about 2 7/8" in diameter and the offset measured about 5/8". According to my notes I did some research on it and found that the 1954 wheel (GM # 3707031) has a 5/8" offset while the 1955 wheel (GM # 3714202) has a 9/16" offset. At first I assumed that my Aug. 1954 wheel was from an "early" 1955 Chevrolet but because the offset measured 5/8" I concluded that it might be an over the counter wheel 1954 wheel.

According to my notes the gross width of the wheel measured about 6 1/32" (6.03"+/-) wide. The backspacing measured about 3 5/8" (3.63"+/-). The offset would then be about 5/8" (3.63" - 3.015" = 0.62"+/-, say 0.625"). Based on this I would say it was the 3707031 wheel.

Dave

[Gary C.]

Re: 54 Riveted and Welded Wheels on the same Car?

Erik,

Questions for you on the welded wheel:
1) what's the date code?
2) what type of weld?

The late "Rev" Dale Pearman's wheel information that's in the Technical Forum Archives Forum is attached. I've added some part numbers to what Dale had posted years ago.

1955 Corvette owners manual does not reference tubeless tires on page 15. The 1956 1st edition owner's on page 19 does reference tubeless tires.

Also, Chris Henige posted wheel information and a chart in the Technical Forum a couple of years ago.

Gary
....

[David L.]

Re: 54 Riveted and Welded Wheels on the same Car?

A couple of years ago I bought a set of four very nice (with original paint) 15" X 5" (with 5/8" offset) 1952 Chevrolet wheels (3 have a "12 51" date stampings and one has an "10 51" date stamping) at a swap meet (photos in the link below). According to my research these 1949-1953 Chevrolet wheels (GM # 3687980) are exactly the same as the 1953 Corvette wheels (GM #3699828) except that the 3687980 wheels have 5 hubcap clips riveted to them. The 3699828 wheels only have the 5 small rivet holes. I sold my Aug. 1954 wheel back in the late 1980's so I can not compare it to my 1952 wheels.
Question: Are the 1954 riveted wheels the same as my 1949-1953 riveted wheels except that the 1954 wheels do not have the 5 rivet holes for the hub cap clips or are there other differences as well?

Dave

http://imgur.com/a/7zkqS#0

[Eric F.]

Re: 54 Riveted and Welded Wheels on the same Car?

Dave, Sometime in mid production 54 wheels had 4 small nubs added to the outer rim to assist wheel cover retention. I've included a photo of a 54 riveted wheel with nubs (see arrows).Gary, I don't know the dates of my wheels because the tires are mounted. The only markings on the wheel exterior are "GM" on the hub face.I have one wheel that I sent out for sand blasting. It was so rusty that I couldn't see any markings on it. It will be done next week so I will inspect it then and report back.Thanks to everyone for your input.