Corvette Parts Blog

In 1968 the Corvette Rally Wheel changed from 15″ x 6″ to 15″ x 7″. Other than the size there were no appearance changes from the 1967 Corvette Rally Wheel, which you can read more about here. Once again in 1969 Chevrolet changed the wheel size, this time to 15″ x 8″, which it would remain at for the rest of the ‘68-82 generation.

1968-1982 Corvette Rally Wheel

With the largest selection of Corvette Wheels you know that Zip has the popular rally wheels available in both sizes for all 1968-1982 Corvettes. The steel rally wheels can be ordered separately or you can purchase the ‘69-82 wheels in a full car set, which includes the wheels, center caps, lug nuts, and original or replacement style trim rings. If you have decided that your rally wheels are in good condition but would like to add new center caps and trim rings, Zip has options there as well. Original style rally wheel center caps are available individually or you can order a replacement set at a much lower cost. A popular update when adding new center caps is a fresh set of trim rings. Zip also has these in both original and replacement styles.

1980-82 Corvette Aluminum Wheels

Starting in 1976 Chevrolet added aluminum wheels to the Corvette. By the late 1970s these wheels were installed on well over half of all Corvettes produced. With the aluminum wheels becoming such a popular option it only makes since for Zip to carry all available 1976-1982 Corvette Aluminum Wheels. Whether you are looking for the ‘76-79 style with a black center, ‘78 pace car style with a red stripe, or ‘80-82 style with a polished center, Zip has it. All 1976-1982 Corvette Aluminum Wheels are sold individually or in full car sets; correct center caps and lug nuts are sold separately.

Corvette Aluminum Wheels, Corvette Center Caps, Corvette Lug Nuts, Corvette Rally Wheels, Corvette Tires, Corvette Trim Rings, Corvette Wheels

In case you missed it, our last post titled 1953-1962 Corvette Wheels briefly talked about steel wheels and hubcaps for early Corvettes. Jumping ahead to the mid-60s we will now talk about all that Zip has to offer including: Direct Bolt-On Knock-Off Wheels, ‘63-67 Steel Wheels, Corvette hubcaps and more.

C2 Corvette Direct Bolt-On Knock-Off Wheels

For the 1963-1964 Corvette Zip has replacement steel wheels that measure 15″ x 6″. New Hubcap bars and spinners with necessary attaching hardware are available to add a new original look to an older hubcap. Zip also has Direct Bolt-On Knock Off Wheels that are identical to the original knock-offs only they attach with a special lug nut instead of the spinner. Our full car sets include all wheels, adapters, spinners, cones, center caps, anti-theft pins, lug nuts, and instructions needed to mount the wheels to your Corvette.

In 1965-1966 the Corvette had 15″ x 5 1/2″ steel wheels as the standard option. Zip has these reproduction wheels available as well as the necessary wheel studs and lug nuts to mount them to the car. 1965 Corvette Hubcaps were some of the best looking hubcaps Chevrolet ever used and we have a full reproduction set including new spinners and hardware here at Zip. For the 1966 hubcaps Zip has a full car spinner set that includes all Corvette Emblems and hardware to make your used hubcaps shine like new. You can also choose to refinish your used hubcaps with our Dark Gray Wheel Paint as this color was original for all ‘65-66 Corvettes. Knock-Off Wheels continued into 1965 and 1966. The finish on these changed from “raw cast” to the same dark gray mentioned above. We have these available in a safer more reliable direct bolt-on set that includes all components to mount them to your Corvette.

1967 Corvette Rally Wheel

1967 marked the last year of the Midyear era and the beginning of the Rally Wheel. Zip has the 1967 Corvette Rally Wheels available individually and as a full car set with original style center caps, lug nuts, and replacement trim rings. The Rally Wheel Center Caps can be purchased separate without the ornament or as a full car set that comes with installed “Disc Brake” ornaments fully licensed by GM. Also available are Bolt-On Aluminum Wheels. You can get these wheels bare or complete in a full car set that includes wheels, lug nuts, center starburst with cap, mounting clips, and retainers.

A new set of reproduction tires will always go great with new Corvette Wheels; Zip has a full selection of those for 1963-1967 Corvettes. With original style brands like: U.S. Royal, Firestone, Goodyear, B.F. Goodrich, and performance oriented Classic Radials; matching your Corvette with the right set of tires will not be a problem. All of our Midyear Corvette Tires are cosmetically correct in every detail.

Corvette Emblems, Corvette Hubcaps, Corvette Knock-Off Wheels, Corvette Rally Wheels, Corvette Tires, Corvette Wheels, Spinners

This Corvette Restoration Tip is brought to you by Zip Corvette and can be found in Zip’s free Corvette Parts & Accessories Catalogs – Request one online today.

All 1953-1962 Corvettes came with 15”x 5” wheels and full wheel covers as standard equipment. Beginning in 1957 and continuing through 1962 buyers could substitute optional “wide wheels” that were 15”x 5 1/2”. Instead of the standard full cover, wide wheels got a small “dog dish” hubcap that covered only a portion of the wheel.

C1 Corvette

In 1953 and 1954 all Corvettes came with red painted wheels. These were dip painted so they should be red everywhere. Beginning in 1955 wheels were dipped in black primer and then sprayed their final color on the front face. Aside from some color overspray the backs of the wheels were therefore black regardless of wheel color. Also beginning in 1955, wheel color was determined by the car’s exterior color. Polo White, Gypsy Red, and Pennant Blue exteriors came with red wheels, Corvette Copper got bronze, and Harvest Gold got yellow. In 1956 and 1957 wheel color matched the exterior color with the exception of Polo White cars, the wheels of which were keyed to interior color. If the interior was red the wheels were red and if the interior was beige the wheels were silver.

In 1958 all Corvettes came with silver painted wheels regardless of exterior color. The only possible exception is cars equipped with RPO 276 wide wheels, which may have been painted black. In 1959 all Corvette wheels, including the optional wide wheels, were black.

In 1960-1961 Chevrolet once again painted Corvette wheels to match exterior color. In 1962 cars equipped with optional whitewall tires came with black wheels while cars with standard blackwall tires came with wheels painted to match body color. Optional wide wheels were also painted the same color as the car’s exterior in 1962.

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