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Pics would be nice. As far as I know, magnesium wheels or "aftermarket" style wheels were not available on the Olds 98 until 1971 or 1972. There was a plastic molded wheel known as the SS IV. Check it out!
I have a set of those wheel covers with the rims that are required to use them. the wheel rims I am referring to are not covers but complete rims and have no 'spokes or design' they are smooth dish with Olds logo center cap. I will take some pictures when the rain here stops
RPO N93 Custom Wheel Discs used on 1964-65 Starfire and Jetstar I. These are not wheels, but cast aluminum wheel covers that require special steel wheels to fit them.
And to the OP, if you are talking about these wheels, they are neither magnesium nor original to a 1964 Olds. These are from the RPO N82 wheels used in the 1977-79 model years and they are steel wheels with stainless inserts.
thank you for the information, surprised that Ford wheels fit GM bolt pattern
Don't be. 5 x 5" is pretty common for all full size cars, and even half ton pickup trucks. The mid-size Fords and Chryslers share at 5 x 4.5" bolt pattern. My 62 F-85 has the same 4 x 4.5" pattern as six cylinder Mustangs and Falcons AND Honda Accords.
Jim, do you have the wheels that those N93 wheel covers fit on? If you have a full set those would look AWESOME if you polished them. Hopefully they don't have too much pitting.
Jim, do you have the wheels that those N93 wheel covers fit on? If you have a full set those would look AWESOME if you polished them. Hopefully they don't have too much pitting.
That's the real problem. The N93 covers are much easier to find than the special wheels that are needed to use them.
That's the real problem. The N93 covers are much easier to find than the special wheels that are needed to use them.
Is there a way to modify standard (or aftermarket) wheels to fit the N93s? It seems from the FSM pic you posted that the N93s are secured to the wheel using bolts from the inside of the wheel.
Is there a way to modify standard (or aftermarket) wheels to fit the N93s? It seems from the FSM pic you posted that the N93s are secured to the wheel using bolts from the inside of the wheel.
The special wheels are completely different from regular wheels. You'd need a custom center disc stamping. The cast aluminum cover is held to the wheel with three of the five lug nuts. I'm not sure what those bolts on the back of the wheel are doing. but it appears to have something to do with the balance weights. You can't use conventional weights on the front side of the wheel under the cover.
Those N93 wheel discs do look like a puzzle. It looks to me like the 3 bolts on the left, snap nuts and special lock nuts hold the disc to the wheel. The lug nuts would hold the wheel/disc on the car.
I am definitely gonna keep an eye open at swap meets for everything.
.........Just my two cents worth.
Those N93 wheel discs do look like a puzzle. It looks to me like the 3 bolts on the left, snap nuts and special lock nuts hold the disc to the wheel. The lug nuts would hold the wheel/disc on the car.
I am definitely gonna keep an eye open at swap meets for everything.
.........Just my two cents worth.
The drawing is not well detailed and is misleading. The cast covers are attached just like the retainers for the wire wheel covers on the 1980s cars. On the assembly line, two lug nuts hold the wheel to the hub initially, then the cover is installed and the other three lug nuts retain both the cover and the wheel.
The special wheels are completely different from regular wheels. You'd need a custom center disc stamping. The cast aluminum cover is held to the wheel with three of the five lug nuts. I'm not sure what those bolts on the back of the wheel are doing. but it appears to have something to do with the balance weights. You can't use conventional weights on the front side of the wheel under the cover.
Those wheels use three separate bolts along with a spring clip and a separate lug nut to hold on the aluminum caps. The five wheel studs only secure the wheel to the drum. When you remove the wheel from the car the aluminum cap stays attached to the wheel.They are different from the cars of the eighties that used three lugs to secure the piece that the hubcap locked to.
Those wheels are hard to find as is the attaching hardware.
This is an old thread, but if the those who participated are still out there, I have a question.
If a 1965 Starfire has the N95 Wire Wheel option, which I also believe to be a cover (not a complete wheel), is the wheel behind an N95 Wire Wheel identical to the wheel behind an N93 Custom Deluxe Wheel Disc?
Reason I'm asking is, if someone has the disc assemblies and I have the N95 Wire Wheel on steel wheels, can I swap discs on the same wheels?
This is an old thread, but if the those who participated are still out there, I have a question.
If a 1965 Starfire has the N95 Wire Wheel option, which I also believe to be a cover (not a complete wheel), is the wheel behind an N95 Wire Wheel identical to the wheel behind an N93 Custom Deluxe Wheel Disc?
Reason I'm asking is, if someone has the disc assemblies and I have the N95 Wire Wheel on steel wheels, can I swap discs on the same wheels?
Go back and read post #18. The wheels are unique to the RPO N93 covers. Part number for those wheels is 383981, only used on the 1964-65 cars with N93 covers.
Slimjim72, do you still have the special wheels and discs for the RPO N93 Custom Deluxe Wheel Discs for a 1965 Starfire? Are the wheels straight (not bent, never been in an accident)? Can the be refurbished yet?
Any wheelcover can be mounted to the N93 wheel as outer edge is made like any other wheel. An N93 cap will work only with an N93 wheel.
I looked for those wheels unsuccessfully for my first 64 Starfire for years. I finally concluded they weren't worth the effort because the 1964 wire caps it came with looked just as good and you didn't have the installation and balancing hassles associated with N93. Yes those caps have to be balanced.
Add in tire jockeys that didn't know how they attached and would break a chunk out of the edge trying to pry it off, and again, more trouble than they're worth unless the car came with them.
There are three different center caps. 1964 Starfire/Jetstar I with spinner, 1964 88/Ninety Eight without spinner (wouldn't clear 64 Ninety Eight skirts) and 64 had a horizontal oriented Rocket, and 1965 all with spinner and vertical oriented Rocket.
They're gorgeous, especially on a Ninety Eight or Super 88 Holiday Sedan. Just aggravating as hell.
You'll also see their 8 vent design on a lot of Olds wheel styling treatments thru the years, notably 1968 Cutlass optional full wheelcover and the 71-72 Delta 88 Super Stock IV Polycast.
Last edited by rocketraider; October 9th, 2020 at 07:41 AM.
Good point there, rocketraider. I found the wire wheel covers on the one that is for sale are not original at all. They are either from a different car altogether or aftermarket. So the car doesn't have the actual wheels available for that model when new. I suppose if I got the N93 setup, I would have to prep the car before taking it in for new tires and the like. What is the process for wheel removal on those with the N93 Custom Deluxe Wheel Disc setup (what & how do you take things apart to get to the 5 wheel lug nuts to get the wheel off)?
Pry the center cap off to get to the lug nuts. They're retained by spring loaded teeth. The N93 cover doesn't have to be removed to change a tire; the option included the spare tire.
If you're mounting new tires simply remove the three nuts that hold the cover on the wheel and you can then demount/remount tires same as any other steel wheel. I wouldn't leave them out of my sight at a tire shop without explaining to the tire changer how they work.
65 SF wires are 14", 2-bar spinner with a vertical Rocket in the spinner. 64 are identical except the Rocket is horizontal. 66 uses a 3-bar spinner. Post pic of what you have and we'll try to ID them.
Post pic of what you have and we'll try to ID them.
Thanks, rocketraider. That helps me understand if I ever come across a set and get a 65 Starfire, what I need to do to protect those unique wheel/cover combinations from being damaged. Has anyone ever restored a set of N93 covers? Just wondering if there is a person or place that specializes in that, assuming they can be found. Assume the wheels, if not bent, can be blasted and repainted easy enough. But the discs and caps likely require a good knowledge of proper colors and replating.
The picture here shows what wire covers the 65 Starfire I'm considering has on it now. This is on a 15" wheel. They don't have the spinner bars. And the emblem is wrong. This also has criss-cross spokes while I think the original Olds wire spoke wheel covers had parallel spokes. If you know what these covers were from, that would be helpful.
Thanks, rocketraider. That helps me understand if I ever come across a set and get a 65 Starfire, what I need to do to protect those unique wheel/cover combinations from being damaged. Has anyone ever restored a set of N93 covers? Just wondering if there is a person or place that specializes in that, assuming they can be found. Assume the wheels, if not bent, can be blasted and repainted easy enough. But the discs and caps likely require a good knowledge of proper colors and replating.
The picture here shows what wire covers the 65 Starfire I'm considering has on it now. This is on a 15" wheel. They don't have the spinner bars. And the emblem is wrong. This also has criss-cross spokes while I think the original Olds wire spoke wheel covers had parallel spokes. If you know what these covers were from, that would be helpful.
Those look aftermarket. The logo resembles the one used on mid-80 Caprices, but that's not what the factory Caprice covers look like.
Didn't some high-trim-level Celebritys use a wheelcover like that? I can't imagine GM lawyers letting an aftermarket company use the Caprice center without a royalty.
The hub looks more Ford/Chrysler but my thinking is that the same OEM supplier produced wire caps for all manufacturers. Case in point being 1960s GM wire caps are nearly identical to AMC as well as some Chrysler, and 60s Chev/Buick simulated mag wheelcovers are the same Dodge and Plymouth used. Change the center emblem and walla!
Didn't some high-trim-level Celebritys use a wheelcover like that? I can't imagine GM lawyers letting an aftermarket company use the Caprice center without a royalty.
The hub looks more Ford/Chrysler but my thinking is that the same OEM supplier produced wire caps for all manufacturers. Case in point being 1960s GM wire caps are nearly identical to AMC as well as some Chrysler, and 60s Chev/Buick simulated mag wheelcovers are the same Dodge and Plymouth used. Change the center emblem and walla!
You're thinking of this one. Only the Caprice used the logo on the OP's covers. Others used the bowtie. Plus the Celebrity used 14" wheels, not 15".
The N93 caps can be buffed and polished easy enough, would just take some time. The rough-cast areas between the spokes are actually a little darker than the smooth polished ribs. Most folks I know who have restored them mask the polished areas and spray a couple light coats of a darker cast aluminum or silver paint to get the contrast.
I like the way N93 look, and I have a pile of the caps, but for me dealing with disassembling and polishing wire caps is easier than dealing with them.
Just remember the N93 like all 60s Oldsmobile are 14". If you want the look but not the hassle of finding large 14" tires, the 15" 71-72 Delta 88 Super Stock IV Polycast is an alternative.
February 26th, 2019, 05:06 AM
