68 trim rings

[jims427400]

I bought a set of SS trims rings from ecklers for the 68. The catalog said they were good for 68 thru 82.. I thought I've read somewhere that 68 had 1yr only size for 7 inch wheels.
I cant seem to get them to attach to my original AG rims..
Will they fit or do I need to return these to ecklers and order from another vendor ??
Jim

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

As far as I know they are all the same size '68 and up. Why won't they fit?

 

[6880 Mike]

I'm thinking the '68 rings are one year only and a tad different from the '69 and later rings. I checked C-Central and ZIP; neither lists rings for 68; both have 69 and up.

Check some of the Camaro parts suppliers for 15 x 7 rings.

 

[gmjunkie]

I'm thinking the '68 rings are one year only and a tad different from the '69 and later rings. I checked C-Central and ZIP; neither lists rings for 68; both have 69 and up.

Check some of the Camaro parts suppliers for 15 x 7 rings.

I'm purdy sure your right!!

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Zip has them:

68-82 RALLY WHEEL TRIM RING - ORIGINAL DESIGN Corvette Parts and Accessories - Zip Corvette

The gap between the edge of the trim ring and the wheel hub surface on a '68 is 1/2" less than on '69 and up.

 

[73shark]

Does that mean that the '68s had 7" wheels?

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Yup- one year only.

 

[73shark]

That's what I thought and the '67s also had 7" wheels. So when I saw in Mike Yager's Corvette Bible that the '68 had wider wheels. thought that must mean 8". Not the first mistake I've found tho.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

That's what I thought and the '67s also had 7" wheels.

'67 Corvettes had 6" wheels, also one year only. Earlier C2s had 5" wheels IIRC.

 

[JohnZ]

'53-'62 had 5" rims, with 5-1/2" optional (RPO 276)

'63-'66 had 5-1/2" steel rims, optional KO's were 6"

'67 had 6" rims (both steel and aluminum bolt-ons)

'68 had 7" rims

'69-'82 had 8" rims

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

And pre-'53 Corvettes had no wheels at all.

 

[jims427400]

so to get back to my question.. who has trim rings that will fit my 68.. I'm sending back my ecklers rings that they say fit the 68s. Clearly they dont.
ps
I'm not interested in the exact replicas.. looking for a set of 4 for like $90.00

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

You have yet to answer the question as to why won't they fit. I've also provided a link to a vendor that has rings that do fit.

 

[jims427400]

Sorry,
When I attempt to impact them onto the rim, the rings are too deep and hit the inner wheel before the locking tabs engage. Clearly too deep for my car. The link to Zips I'm afraid may be the same part as I have now.
If I pursue camaro rings, any recommendations on sites.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Just to make sure that I haven't lost all my marbles, I just measured the gap on my '73, equipped with original, correct rims and trim rings. There is an easy 1" gap from the inner edge of the trim ring to the wheel face.

I'm going to guess that you might not have '68 wheels on your '68.

 

[streeter]

I have restored many sets of original 1968-75 rings over the years and sold many sets to 1968 owners. No one has ever returned a ring because it did not fit on their '68.

On the repro rings, there used to be an importer of inexpensive rings whose rings I handled at POMONA and I sold a lot of repro's to '68 owners and no one ever brought them back because of incorrect fit.

The AG code 68 wheel ---I think---accepts the oem ring that fits on 69-75 AZ wheels.

One thing that I have noticed is that the DERBY cap base is slightly different in 1968. The base has a more 'rounded' lip about 1/2" from the edge. In 1969 and newer the chrome plated stainless base seems to have a crisper lip about 1/2" from the edge.

 

[jims427400]

I thought I shared the result of my problem. To all who thought I may be crazy, your partially right. As I restored the wheels that came off my 68 "previous owner said they were original" turns out that they are coded for a 67 ( 6inch) consiquently that is why I couldn't get the trim rings to fit. Sorry that I hadn't figured that out sooner. Anyway, they are going on my 67 now and baught an original set of rallies from a 71 to put on the 68..

I have restored many sets of original 1968-75 rings over the years and sold many sets to 1968 owners. No one has ever returned a ring because it did not fit on their '68.

On the repro rings, there used to be an importer of inexpensive rings whose rings I handled at POMONA and I sold a lot of repro's to '68 owners and no one ever brought them back because of incorrect fit.

The AG code 68 wheel ---I think---accepts the oem ring that fits on 69-75 AZ wheels.

One thing that I have noticed is that the DERBY cap base is slightly different in 1968. The base has a more 'rounded' lip about 1/2" from the edge. In 1969 and newer the chrome plated stainless base seems to have a crisper lip about 1/2" from the edge.

 

[streeter]

Jim,

To the best of my knowledge, 1968 wheels-code AG --are 7" wide with the ability to take the 8 inch trim ring used on 1969 and newer cars.

1971 wheels-code AZ-- are 8" and the flares on your 1968 car may not like them. I think the reason GM went with the 8" wheel in 1969 and newer vehicles is that the car has wider wheel houses to accept a wider wheel.

You may not want to put new tires on those 8" wheels until you check things out.

good luck

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

You sure about the wider flares on '69 and up?

 

[6880 Mike]

...baught an original set of rallies from a 71 to put on the 68...

Are the 71 wheels stamped AZ? If so, they are 8s.

If you want the original 7s for your 68, you need four AG rally wheels.