arodenhiser

Hi!

I have tracked down a set of 4 "80 something" SSIII 15 inch, snap on, rims. They are from the seller's Dad's Cutlass Supreme that had been junked years ago.
I am an '68 guy. Are G - Body rims still the 4.75 bolt pattern. Can I say for certain that they are 15x7's? And finally, is the back spacing the same between A Body and G Body Cutlii?

I hijacked this photo from another thread. This makes me think that all 15" SSIII were 15x7's. Thanks.



I am waiting for the seller to e-mail me the stampings. If they check out I will be blasting and powder coating them for my springtime relaunching. Thanks to Lady and Rob's thread for convincing me that PCing was the way to go.

Adam

joe_padavano

The SSII/III wheels were only made in three sizes from the factory, 14x6, 14x7, and 15x7.

arodenhiser

Thanks Joe! That is what I thought from searching various threads here.

How is the snow in NOVA. A friend of ours told us that during the bad storm, a week or so ago, it took him from 4pm to 1am to get home from work. Left work in Fairfax and drove, crawled, home to Dulles by the Sully Site. That sounds crazy.

Thanks again.

Adam

joe_padavano

Yup. I saw that coming and left work at 2:30 in the afternoon, missing all that nonsense. Snow started coming down hard right at the start of rush hour. I guess no one checks weather.com.

1968ragtop

I have a set of 15x7 rally wheels from a late 70s cutlass. I'm sure the bolt pattern is the same, is the backspace of the rim the same as the 14x7s on my 68 cutlass? Wonder what they would look like if they were chromed??

starfire

I have the 15x7 chrome SSIII's from my '87 442 on my '68 Cutlass S. They fit perfect and look sweet with the Jade Gold paint and Willow Gold interior... I need to find a good picture of it.

arodenhiser

The rims I have now are 15x7 SSIII from '75. They are fit fine and are in good shape, except the paint. I have found a set of 15x7 80's G-body locally for $40 cdn. I figured if they are solid it is worth buying, blasting and coating instead of my rims. It would save me the hassel of having mar car on jack stands for several days while everything was done. Once they rims are done I can break down my tires and swap them over in just one afternoon.

Thanks for the input, I thought they should be fine, good to hear from others it is.

Adam

starfire

Found one (please ignore the ugly azz exhaust pipe extenders. They are going away. Far, far away...)

DSC02257.jpg

arodenhiser

Hey Starfire, those '87 rims look really sharp on the '68. I will have to keep my eyes open for some for sale locally. Shipping to the east coast of Canada is a killer. I have always loved those rims. Another rim I love, people think I am crazy, but I really like the '96-'97 FWD Cutlass 16" alloys. I have one that I am going to turn into a hose reel. they look like this.




If I had a nice clean full set of these I would condsider getting the adapters/spacers to let me bolt them on.

Adam

arodenhiser

What do you think of these? It a bit of old meets new(er). This is a quick photoshop-ing. They are still Olds OEM parts .



I may be crazy, but I do still like them.

Adam

joe_padavano

Those are FWD Supreme wheels, right? I've always liked them, but bolt pattern and offset are both incorrect for an A-body, unfortunately.

arodenhiser

I have two unfortunate things about this thread. Yes those are FWD wheels. I am sure one could rtrack down or machine spacers and adapters to fit. The second is....

The rims I wanted to buy turned out to be FOURTEEN's. The guy, who worked in a GM body shop couldn't tell the difference. He assumed that an Olds would have 15's. He did find out they were off a '79, and his story changed about being dad's. If anyone is interested...

http://halifax.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ258595220



He is asking $100 cdn but will take $40 since he has no center caps or rings.

Adam

starfire

Adam, I like those '97 wheels also, but in my opinion 16's are too big for a '68. You are not the only one that likes odd Olds wheels though. One of my favorites were the ones I had on my '87 Salon (these are not my actual car or wheels, I just had one that looked like this, mine was Dark Teal Metallic):

1987Salon.jpg

87SalonWheels.jpg

They were a pain to keep clean, but they sure looked nice when they were.

arodenhiser

Hey Joe,

this is the kind of spacer I could use to fit FWD rims on mine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/WHEEL...item56428011e8



If had tons of cash and a nice set rims I would be inclined to give it a try. I would have to put 255's with a 55 or 50 profile to keep the ~27 inch diameter that looks good on the A bodys. I am running 245-60-15 now that are about 26.6. I had 255-60-15 when I bought it, dropped down one size with this set due to timing and "in stock" issuses. Next set may be 255 again.

Adam

joe_padavano

I would not use that one. I got the spacers for my dually from Fred Goeskey at www.wheeladapter.com. His are machined aluminum and are hub-centric for proper wheel centering and support.

arodenhiser

Thanks, i have no plans to try it right now. I'd look Fred G up when/if I was to do it. I don't have the cash to buy rims, spaces, and tires right now.

Adam

arodenhiser

What is a reasonable price for 15x7 SSIII rims? I am having a heck of a time sourcing some locally. The best price I have tracked down here in Nova Scotia is about $250 for 5 rims and no trim or caps. Add in a 9 hour round trip that will burn $100 in gas. Then comes the refinishing cost of about $400 to blast and coat and plus more for the tire swap over and balance. My little wheel refreshing is now up to $1,000. Now thinking that a hand sanding and respray with the tires still on will be my choice.

14" rims sell for about $10 each. Grrrrrr.

Adam

442much

Wow. I like them! I guess you have to see them on the car. They look pretty cool.

arodenhiser

Hey Ken, you might know......

I have spoken to guy who just bought a pair of 1975's, one Cutlass and one 442 for parts. He knows the 442 has SSIII's on it. They are supposed to be black too. One of my refinished colour choices. Do you think it would have come with 15's or 14's? I hope they are 15's. He bought the cars for the engines, so he says, for his '77.

Adam

BlackGold

About 15 years ago, the scrap yards around here were charging $25/wheel for the '75-77 SS-IIIs. Most of these did come with the 5 trim inserts, but most of those inserts were in only fair condition. Likewise, the wheels needed a blast and paint. None of them included the outer trim ring.

So, 15 years later, $50/wheel sounds reasonable to me. And $100 in gas isn't a whole lot more than the cost of shipping. But keep looking around. Maybe you'll find something cheaper and closer.

arodenhiser

That's what it was like here too. 13 years ago I got a rim, two different center caps, ring and the 5 inserts for $20 for my spare. Called arounfd to all the wreckers near by and no has them anymore. Anything older than the 90's is gone, due lack of demand. One yard said they could find some this spring because they have dig some of the scrap metal cars out of the ground. They would want $100 each for the hassel. There are no walk and browse yards around either.

The guy getting the pair of '75's is going to hopefuly have 15's and not 14's. He gets the cars this weekend. Wish me luck.

Adam

Aceshigh

IMHO......absolutely not.
SSIII styling looks way better then that. Mine are still looking for a new car
to go on. I haven't even bothered advertising em. If you were closer I'd sell
em to ya cheap.


BTW , nice find on the graphic showing all the different styles.
I saved it.

arodenhiser

I love the SSIII looks. They are my favourite. The FWD Supreme rims are just a thought. I don't have the cash to have both, the SSIII win, hands down.

Yeah, s/h from IL and duty and taxes would not be nice. I would happily take them off your hands.

If I can't find a set locally and inexpensivly I will redo my peeling blue ones. If I had a second set, it would be easier to redo them and then swap over my tires (5000 miles on the front and under 500 on the rear.) That means my car wouldn't be setting on axle stands for a week while the rims and tires are being done, and I would have more parts in my colllection.

I found that image of the different types of OEM wheels in another thread here. I to copied it for the reference file. It was someone else's hard work.

Adam

Jesse

Hey Guys ,

Excuse me if I am on the wrong thread , can never seem to get that right !:-)

Quick question on the D shaped wheel bezel inserts On the SS II rims ( 5 per rim ) Do the 14 in & 15 in use the same size inserts or are they different ?

Also is there a place to buy these new repos without going crazy in price !

Seems everytime I want to do something on these cars I am shocked at pricing. Oh well no one said cars are cheap to restore :-)

Thanks for any input !

Jesse

stevengerard

yes same size, they are 5 bucks each at some places which is pretty darn cheap but at 4 or 5 sets depending on whether you want to do the spare it adds up.

Hint. I have found them for a buck each at swap meets. If they are not dented, including the ones you have now, they polish up real easy. I wet sand them - start with 300 - go to 600 or 800 then to 1000, 1500 and then to 2000 or 3000 finish off with a rag with polishing compound. Got some great polish at the Harley store

Jesse

Thank You,

I have been online looking & with the exception of some used dinged up one on ebay & I think the Parts Find had new repos but their price was waaaay to high.

Thanks for the tip !!!

Jesse

BlackGold

The trim inserts are the same size for 14" and 15", but beware that they changed design maybe in 1979 or the early '80s. The later pieces have sharper corners. The earlier ones are more rounded and look better, in my opinion.

dster69442

Can someone identify the rims I have? I measured them on the outside rim to rim 15" and the width outside to outside 8". I am going to try and post a picture as well.

arodenhiser

Don't worry about adding another question to a thread. That's how we all learn something new. I had no idea that different years ahd different wheel opening "D" trims. When I redo my rims, whichever set, I will double check to make sure the "D" trims are all the same.

I will agree with 442much on this thread.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums/general-discussion/32135-measuring-rim-size.html#post253893

I think by your measurements you have 14x7's. The stampings on the rim could even give you a year (I think) I don't know the meanings of the codes, but you post them here someone will.

Adam

arodenhiser

Does anyone know a DuPont or PPG code for the argent paint used on SSII wheels? I have seen a lot of discussions on what is correct. I like the "browner" looking paint over the more "grey" look. This is the colour I prefer.






Adam

arodenhiser

Sooo I finally got 4 rims($120cdn). They were on a 1975 442. Maybe not originally, but that where they were. They have been repainted black at some point. I hope to salvage the paint, but I may need a redo.

Here are the numbers off the stamps.



Here's a clearer home copy



One thing I found diferent is the D shaped inner rings. The 4 other sets of SSIII rims I have have over the years ('78 Omega 14's, '84 Firenza 13's, '86 Cutlass Ceira 14"'s and "70's 15's on my '68) have had smooth D rings. These one's have a ripple in the middle that circles the hole in the rim.



Does anyone have any info on the stamping or the rippled D ring?

Thanks

Adam

arodenhiser

I picked up another set of 15x7's to make the rim repaint easier. I had them blasted and painted with the same ebony black paint as the stripe. I do think they look quite nice with all the stainless trim put back on.

Here is what they looked like after hitting them with the pressure washer. Since the old paint was peeling off easily the choice to blast them was simple.



After blasting and paint. Freshly polished trim back in and a fresh coat of wax makes them look nice and shiny.



.... how do they look on the car?







My now "spare set" will wait until my second paint choice is needed. Right now it feels like it will be argent. I will wait until tires are needed, next fall.

I also need to paint my drums and get some new lugs.


Adam
__________________

Jesse

Very nice job !!! They look Great !!!

Yeah the painted drums & new nuts will complete a nice looking set of wheels !

I finally took the (5 )15x7 & had them powder coated ! Couldn`t figure out what color Arent actually is since there are & were so many variations so I just got them powder coated in gunmetal ! Very happy with the way they look since wanted a darker gray anyway. Painted drums , new center caps, trim rings & nuts. Wasn`t sure how they would look on car but very happy with the way they look with the Cameo White . Added the BF Goodrich 245x60x15 tires all around & wow not only do the look 100% better big difference in road feel & cornering.

Found that the 245x60x15 are pretty much the same height as the 225x70x14 size that were on the car

Shout out to Joe P & all who helped with tire size suggestions , IMO that`s the perfect size tire to go with the 15 inch rims to keep the stock look!

I will post some pics when I get a chance.

arodenhiser

Thanks!

I have the lugs, I will be putting them on once I am certain any work that has to be done by others is done. I am not having a hack mess up my new ones. I need to have a government inspection before I can get my new plates. I will put them on after that.

If you look closely, 245x60x15's are what I have too. I have been using BF G's on this car since 1998 when I bought it. At the time it had a pair of BF G's on back and Goodyear Eagles on front. When one of the Eagles split the sidewall out while driving I put the BF G's all around. I have not looked at others since. My last set was 255x60x15. I can't say I can notice any difference. I got the 245's because on "in a hurry" and what was in stock at the time. My spare is a 255 that has never touched the road.

Joe P is an Olds knowledge God. He should be worshipped the same . I had the luck to meet him briefly while I lived in Virginia. He seems as friendly in person as on-line.

I need to get some tire shine too .

Adam

Jesse

Hey Adam,

Where did you get your trim rings from ? I had to send a set back that I bought from Ebay, not deep enough. The set I have now sits ok but it`s a repo & man are they flimsy ! I guess finding oem rings for this wheel would be a very difficult task !

71 Cutlass

Jesse,

I got trim rings for my 15x7 SSIII wheels with the bolt on center caps from Specialty Wheels, and they are the best looking trim rings I have ever seen. I have suggested these to others before, and always receive emails from them stating how blown away they are by the look and fit of these trim rings. Part # is: TR157C Phone # for SW is: 503-491-8848.
Best ever.

stevengerard

great looking rims, look fantastic on your car.

Now for a detail question, the acorn lug nuts come in two styles flat top and rounded top which is correct for the SSIIs.

Lalo442

Has anyone tried these...??

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/WV...4044/?rtype=10

mv213

Adam, those rims came out FANTASTIC! Nice job, you should be proud. I like the black color, it makes the trim ring and D-rings stand out even more.

nj_cutlass72

would you post pics? I just bought some 15s and considering how to paint them since I have a white convertible w black top.. thx