<VV> wood wheel and Hub ID

[Sethracer at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/27/2006 11:08:31 AM Pacific Standard Time,  
go-and-do at knology.net writes:

Even  though that's a mystery in itself, I'm not interested in solving 
it.   What I DO want to know is, WHAT is this wheel for?  Could it be for  
one of the other GM makes, such as the Corvette, Impala, or  Chevelle?  
The shaft diameter it fits is approximately 3/4 inch, and  the part # on 
the hub is: *3845286

If anyone has some concrete  knowledge on this subject and/or has a 
Hollander Interchange manual or  some other way to look up this part 
number to tell me the correct  application, I would greatly appreciate 
it.  My auction ends at  6:00pm, Central time today (Friday)

Thank you in advance!

Blaine  Sanders



Well, Blaine, I can tell you this. The wheel is a Corvair part, used  through 
1966. The hub is not a Corvair part. All 64-66 Corvairs used the small  
spline (Unique in GM) - except the 65-66 telescoping columns, which used the  large 
spline. The 60-63 and the 67-69 also used the large spline - the same one  
that your hub has. It is common to almost every other GM car. There were no  
factory wood wheels on Corvairs in 1963 (The 64's are quite  rare). The 64 Wood 
Wheel hub was unique because it used the small spline  but the shallow depth of 
the early model. All 60-64 Corvairs used a shallower  depth steering wheel, 
the 65-up used a very deep wheel design. The 65-66 "Sport  Wheel Option" which 
used the same wheel as the one you have, used a different  hub. It had the 
same small spline but was about 5" tall, to being the shallower  wood wheel up 
the the correct position for 65-66. It used a stamped sheetmetal  cover. I 
believe your hub is from another GM car of the era, likely a 65-66  Chevelle or 
Impala or Chevy II. They all used the larger spline, but would  have used the 
same wheel. In 1967, all the GM cars went to a three spoke wheel  for the wood 
wheels, with shear pins attaching the lower spoke - I believe for  safety 
reasons. Those hubs are easy to identify, since the mounting surface for  the wheel 
is on two levels. They still use the same 6-bolt pattern, but the  lower two 
bolts are dropped in further.  Anyway, the good news is that  
Impala/Chevelle/even Chevy II restorers are more likely to pay you more than the  notoriously 
"frugal" Corvair restorers. Do note that the hub will not fit the  1964-66 
Corvairs. Even though it would attach to the tele-column models,  the hub would 
block any attempt to install the wheel locking mechanism. AS you  have already 
found out, of course, it would make a great addition to any  1960-1963 Corvair. 
- Seth Emerson