Rally Wheels for '65

[MikeD]

I'm thinking about putting a set of rally wheels on my '65. I've noticed that 15x6's are pretty scarce, unless new. Do 15x7's fit without a problem? There's a swap meet here this weekend, and I know I'll have no problem finding a set. I was thinking of running 215/65-15's on them. Will this work?


Thanks in advance.

Mike

 

[67HEAVEN]

Welcome to CAC, Mike.

You'll get some answers soon.

 

[WayneC]

You may find the 15x7 rally's harder to find than 15x6. I think they only came on 68 Corvettes and early Monte Carlos; later Vette rally's are 8". Either 15x6 or 15x7 will probably work with the 215/65-15 tires, although a more common choice is 215/70-15 because they are said to be closer to the working diameter of the original 7.75x15 tires.

I've heard some of those 7" rally's have a center hole a bit too small for a C2. Also, backspacing may be an issue, as some have reported that a 4" backspace is too much, and even 3 3/4" is "iffy" with wide tires (original 5.5" wheels have a bit over 3" backspace).

Be careful about hitting bumps while turning, like making sharp turns into driveways. You may find you have to "shave" the inner lip on the front wheel openings to avoid interference (something I'd rather not do, myself).

 

[MikeD]

Thanks for the welcome 67HEAVEN!! Your website is great! I have two C2's that have been in storage since the mid 70's. I started them and drove them a few times about ten years ago. My father bought them from the original owners, put them into storage, and never had the time to drive them.

I now have a place to store them and work on them. I'm going get one roadworthy this summer, and then tackle the other one next summer. I'll probably be around here a lot. I love the search feature. This is really a great forum!


Mike

 

[67HEAVEN]

Thanks for the welcome 67HEAVEN!! Your website is great! I have two C2's that have been in storage since the mid 70's. I started them and drove them a few times about ten years ago. My father bought them from the original owners, put them into storage, and never had the time to drive them.

I now have a place to store them and work on them. I'm going get one roadworthy this summer, and then tackle the other one next summer. I'll probably be around here a lot. I love the search feature. This is really a great forum!


Mike

Mike,

That's a great story. Now you owe us some photos.

Everyone lives for photos around here.

 

[dennisinmaryland]

As long as we're talking 67 wheels here, I found a set of ralley's for sale with an FW code on them.....I knnow it's not DC code, but were FW's ever on the 67?

 

[WayneC]

I don't think FW was used on 67 Corvettes, but I'm not sure what they WERE used on. From info I've gleaned from forums in the past, it has at least a quarter inch more backspace than the DC (although less than 15x5.5 steel wheels) and has been reported to cause interference between an inside wheel weight and the parking brake bracket... one fella reported that he moved the PB brackets to the top of the trailing arms to get around that problem.

 

[Grizzly]

A friend told me when they autocrossed his C2 when it was new they used 68 ralleys because they were 7" and gave better handling. Don't know what size tires. My 67 has 6" and I have 225/70/15 Goodyear GT+4 and they only rub if I crank the steering over hard. They are close in back but they clear. Makes for a nice look. Still has the proportions of the orginal design from the side, but maybe 2" more tread and from the front and back makes it look more muscular.

 

[67HEAVEN]

 

[WayneC]

Interestingly, the chart shows the "FW" wheel as 7", whereas all the prior references I've seen list it as 6"... so it has either one quarter inch or three quarter inch less clearance to the trailing arm than a "DC", depending on which references are correct! I tried a google search to try to resolve it, but no luck.

 

[MikeD]

Thanks for posting that data! I thought maybe I'd be better off using the the 15x7's. If anyone has a set of 15x7's with positive offset they'd like to trade, I have a brand new pair of Kelsey-Hayes 15x8's I bought a long time ago. They're still all black and have never been mounted. They have a brand new set of trim rings with them too. I'd trade them for four 15x7's that need blasting and painting. I don't mind if they're generic repros, as long as they have only the GM bolt pattern.


Mike

 

[IH2LOSE]

Thanks for posting that data! I thought maybe I'd be better off using the the 15x7's. If anyone has a set of 15x7's with positive offset they'd like to trade, I have a brand new pair of Kelsey-Hayes 15x8's I bought a long time ago. They're still all black and have never been mounted. They have a brand new set of trim rings with them too. I'd trade them for four 15x7's that need blasting and painting. I don't mind if they're generic repros, as long as they have only the GM bolt pattern.


Mike

Welcome to the forum mike.