Hello all I'm new here to co. I have a 71 cutlass s hardtop and I am up against a wheel dilemma. My grandmother bought the car brand new. I have the window sticker and sales receipt. It has the wheel discs which I don't particularly care about. I have been trying to decide for all purposes, car show and value, on putting on some aftermarket ss1's or I also like the custom pro touring look. I don't want to enter a car show though and get thrown into a custom class just for my wheels. So what do you guys think, with the local car shows in mind, would custom wheels be okay or stick with the ss1's or keep the wheel discs on. Also if the ss1 route again if I were to enter it in shows would a 15 inch ss1 present an issue. Bottom line I want to enter in local area shows but I don't want to get stuck in a custom class just for wheels. Also I had the front drums converted to disc in high school (it was my first car), I think with some discs and calipers from a Monte Carlo. So wheels would have to clear as well. The stock steeliness and wheel discs are clearing fine now.
Thanks for all of you help and insight.
Chris

 

Most local car shows don't care about wheels in my area. The classes are generally broken down by year and whether its a car, truck, or bike. Most any aftermarket 15" wheel will clear a stock disc setup.

 

Wheels and tires are about the easiest thing to swap. My friend Scott has both original wheels and dogdish caps and aftermarket wheels for his 62 and swaps them depending on the show and how he feels. As for how your car will be judged, that's entirely up to the show organizers. Very few local shows have the experienced people who can judge to AACA or OCA standards. The result ist that these shows tend to be judged as beauty contests, not to specific standards.

 

I do what Joe talks about above. I have the original window sticker for my '68 which says it came originally with white stripe tires and wire wheel covers. I have that set-up and, while it looks nice and might be somewhat unusual, it makes the car look like an old man's 4-4-2 to me. So, to dress it up to my liking, I also have a set of red stripe tires on original SSI wheels, of which the car may or may not have come with (because of the new SSII wheel production issues in late 1967 into early 1968). I like the SSI with red stripe tire look so much better because it more reflects the younger kid look so natural for me (I'm only 64!).


Randy C.

 

Wow, what a differents a nice set of wheels make! I like chrome aftermarket wheels myself, but not 24's or 28's. ( if I wanted 4x4 look, I will go buy 4x4)

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. It is such a hard decision for me. I just really like both but right now I can only go one route.

 

I vote for stock if everything else is that but thats my vote. I go to a BOP show with my red car every year and loose points for my wheels and tires. They tell me every year to put my car in modified class even though it is about 98% stock. I enter it in stock anyway and no trohy comes my way. The car appears the way I want it to and thats what you sould do, put it the way you want.

 

Plus one for putting it the way you want.

Decisions can all ways change later on down the road.