Since there has been an excellent thread about this buried in an other thread, I thought I should post this link so it can be found!
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...pare-look.html

 

Wmachine,

Thanks for setting up this separate thread. Great info there and glad it will not be lost to "search" efforts.

 

cool reading..here are pics of a ramrod I dragged home some years ago, car looked to be all original other than a warranty replacement shortblock. Car had a 4:33 anti spin rear, tic toc tach, wood wheel, etc..thought the wheels were original but maybe not?

Jan17_04.jpg
Jan17_12.jpg
Jan17_05.jpg

 

Nothing "unoriginal" about dealer installed wheels.........

 

Neat Ram Rod!

"W" have we even heard from any former Olds employees that they did "swap" wheels regularly?? Seems like a heck of alot of swapping was going on??? I know your position, "No evidence". But I'll be the contrary voice (keep this debate alive) that the SS1's were used in late 67 until "some switch over point" (that we've not found) to the SSll.

But I'm glad you like post sedans!!

 

Is PO5 SS1 or SS2?



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

Wow!

That looks just like the "evidence" I thought was the deal. Just too many 68's with known histories that had the SSls from day one. Squares with my car as well as mine is an early build.

Very cool Diego

 

When was your car built? The SSI wheel correction appears to have been done pretty late in the model year. That letter is dated 3/25/68

 

Last week of December 67. I agree, seems kind of late, but we don't know how "lickety split" Olds was back in the day getting communications out either?

 

From my experience, the date on the bulletins was more in line with when the factory would be offering/changing the options. Although, the bulletins didn't always reach the dealers in a timely manner.

So it would appear that generally speaking, that any 68 car ordered in late March or later with the sport wheel option would come with the "new" SSII wheels. In reality, that's what, about 2 months plus before the model year ended? It would be interesting to see the VIN breakpoint.

Note as well, the 68 Hurst/Olds all came "standard" with SSIIs, which comes right in line with the time frame when they started to build the H/Os in April.

 

I am gradually organizing my bulletins, which should hold the answers to lots of questions that have yet to be asked . . . and a few that have been already!

 

Great stuff Diego!

Eric

 

When would the being of a production year start and when would it end. I know the model years are really early now compared to the calendar.

I have a 1968 Cutlass S with a production date of June 28 1968 with a shipping date of July 3 1968. If March is "late" then June is really late.

Just curious.

Adam

 

Sounds like that memo may finally prove that "early" build '68s could be had with SS1s; I wonder if the date of the memo can be used to determine if any of the first W31s (like the one shown above) were built with them.

 

March is not "late." July is the end of the model year in the factories.

What wheels did Dave Heilala's car come with?

 

Pretty sure I remember Dave saying he had the SSII version with the painted trim inserts and brushed trim ring

 

That memo is available on the Wild About Cars website. I posted a reply to a similar thread about this topic a couple months ago. I wasn't able to resize the memo to post it though. I thought I was in this thread, but I know there are couple of them on here on this topic. Anyway, glad to see the copy of the memo posted up. Seems to answer the question.

 

Notices are not always sent out when there are replies - at least that's what happens to me. It's always a good thing to check in and see if there have been any updates, for what it's worth.

 

SSI wheels were available on early models. As the story was told to me by my father, the original owner of my 442, when he bought his car it originally came with hub caps but the only other 442 on the lot had SSI wheels on it. My Grandfather brokered a deal with the dealership for all five of the SSI's for $125. This was in november of 67.

 

why can't they be used on a vista Cruiser?

 

They can, but they were probably not rated for weight of the wagon. Might have had something to do with VC's wider brake drums too.