[QUOTE='63split]My point is, the wheels that are on my currently on my car are the original knock offs that were offered over the counter from the dealers. I'm well aware of the problems that Chevrolet had with the porosity of the KO wheels unable to hold air pressure at the factory, but as you should know they were later available from the dealer which many of the '63s later had. This is the type of design I'm refering to as opposed to a newer type of KO wheel. Are you at all familiar with the locking pins that my original post was refering to?[/QUOTE]ok, we all should agree that the 63 was never delivered with KOs (aside from some unverified claims, and hell, who really knows but NCRS won't accept it anyway); but that it is quite possible that a 63 can be wearing true KH otc knock offs that were purchased after the fact from a Chevy parts man.
Such wheels (the oem Kelsey Hayes) did not use the retaining / lock pin that you have been hearing about, but no doubt some of these have been drilled for the pins. Aftermarket KOs often include the retaining pins, we are talking here about a pin that inserts into a "hole" that is created when one of the six slots running accross the threaded KO "spindle" attached to the brake rotor lines up (after beating with the lead hammer, no it won't marr the chrome, it's lead for a reason, a softer metal than chrome) with similar, but staggered, half-round slots cut into and accross the threads of the spinner itself - thus (hopefully) "locking" the spinner into place and not allowing it to turn in either direction - here we care most about it turning OFF, of course. IF the pin won't budge, I suggest you look at it closely, the spinner may have rotated one direction and caused it to "lock" the pin in there, nothing a blow from the aforementioned lead hammer won't fix. Nonetheless, my vette has a needle nose pliers in with the jack and hammer, as well as a little flat head screw driver to pry the cap off.
Absolutely other variants of the above-described locking pin exist too.
Finally, it is critical to KO operation that an anti-sieze lube be applied to the threads and possibly the mating surfaces - might sound at odds with the "I don't want it to ever come off" mentality but using it helps you crank the spinners down as much as possible, meaning they wil lbe tight and not be likely to work loose, even if you don't have locking pins. Some other trick you might consider, if you do not have locking pins, it so mark the spinner and KO wheel with two ends of a little strip of white tape accross the side of the fully installed spinner, so a quick visual inspection during your "pre-flight" will put your mind at ease as to the "still tight" question.
Even though I have pins, I well recall driving 30 miles home one night after one of my first Vette shows after acquiring my 65, where two different guys both told me horrifying stories about having their KO's come off while driving causing great damage, etc. - I soon began to imagine a slight wobble, had to pull over twice just to check . . .
We just bought a 66 Vette and can't get the knockoffs off to adjust them. The cover over the pins won't pry off with a screwdriver without scratching the chrome. How do you get the cover off! These are new knock offs and we were told not to drive them over 50 miles without adjusting them.
After the pin is pushed in, Hit the spinner one more time to "lock" the pin in place. I add a dab of clear silicone on the pin for security. FYI, silicone works great for holding the chrome spinner shields to the rims too, and can be removed easily if desired. Drive the car around the block and do a check on the pins. Then drive about a mile or so and check the pins again. If all is fine, you should be good to go. Always check the wheels before driving, and pull over at the first sign of a wobble. Bodywork is mighty expensive these days.
