[FC] Documenting stock FC wheel changes

[Ken Hand]

The safety bead rims came in 1962 and the bumps on the rim for the hub cap were there in 1961. Again in 1962 they disappeared with the incoming safety bead.


Ken Hand
Handy Car Care
248-613-8586
www.corvairmechanic.com

For those that have fought for it, Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.




-----Original Message-----
From: Kent Sullivan via Corvanatics <corvanatics at corvair.org>
To: corvanatics <corvanatics at corvair.org>
Sent: Sun, Jul 1, 2018 7:23 pm
Subject: [FC] Documenting stock FC wheel changes

Hi,

Let's try a "wisdom of the crowds exercise": I'm trying to pinpoint when
stock FC steel wheel rims had the safety bead added. The bead is visible and
"feel able" as a narrow, shallow trough that goes around the entire rim
about one inch in from the edge, on the front face. If you have access to a
stock-appearing FC for which the modification history is known way back,
please respond...

If you have any Chevrolet documents that speak to the changeover, that would
be great, too. I went through several years of parts books and the
information was very sparse and inconclusive.

I have heard that this change was at the beginning of the '62 model year but
some field research has so far indicated that Chevy was still using the
non-bead type late into '63. Hence the need for data from untouched vehicles
and/or Chevrolet documents.

I was also told that the three "bumps" on the face of the wheel, for holding
a center cap in place, were not present on the '61 wheel. I am not
researching that particular item at the moment but it's all part of the FC
Wheel Evolution Saga. (Soon to be a major motion picture!) And, related,
there may be another running change -- appearance of bumps on the outer edge
for retaining full-wheel covers? Or perhaps Greenbrier only? Again, I'm not
researching that at the moment but it just adds to the fun.

Thanks!

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