<VV> Wheel color

[J R Read]

Thanks for that comprehensive answer on wheel colors.  However it seems to 
leave out any comment of front VS back of wheel color.  I had mentioned (and 
I'm pretty sure) that cars with body color trunks had the back of the spare 
(only) painted body color.  Does anyone know for certain if I am correct on 
that or not?

Later, JR
CCE CORSA CORVANANTICS SCG member
'61 Rampside Standard 4/110
'65 Monza Convertible 4/140
"Keep the Love Alive"


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Doug Mackintosh" <dougmackintosh at yahoo.com>
To: "Virtual Vairs" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2012 8:15 PM
Subject: <VV> Wheel color


Since my reply is not specific to FCs I changed the subject line. As a VV 
packrat, I kept some replies on the subject from the past. This one may be 
of interest, contributed by young master Marlow in 2004:

Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 11:29:59 -0500
From: "Robert Marlow, Vairtec Corp." <vairtec at optonline.net>
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: <VV> Definitive Word on Painted Wheels...
... comes from Corvair historian Dave Newell, writing in the SFBA
newsletter in February, 1979 [Readers' Digest version]:
On 1960-64 Monzas and 1962-64 Spyders, full wheel covers were standard,
as
opposed to the 500/700 models which were equipped with small hub caps.
For
this reason, when the Monzas and Spyders were ordered from the factory
with
WHITEWALL TIRES, black wheels were supplied. If blackwall tires were
specified on the order, even a Monza or Spyder came with body color
wheels,
just as did the 500/700 cars, even though they had the full wheel
covers. This was done to give more contrast with blackwalls, and to
avoid
the possibility of a double stripe appearance with whitewalls.
On 1960 500/700 cars, body color wheels were the only ones to be had.
On
1961-64 500/700 cars, you still got body color wheels with the small
hubcaps and blackwalls, and with full wheel covers and
blackwalls. However, if you ordered full wheel covers and whitewalls
from
the factory on a 1961-64 500/700, the wheels were black. "From the
factory" is an important point, because if the wheel covers were
installed
as a dealer option it is likely that the wheels would remain body
color,
not be repainted black by the dealer.
On 1965-69 Monzas and 1965-66 Corsas, the wheels were always black,
regardless of whitewall or blackwall. Full wheel covers were standard
on
these models.
On 1965-69 500s, wheels were body color with the standard small hub
caps,
with or without whitewalls. With factory-installed full wheel covers,
the
wheels were black, whitewall or not. However, once again the
possibility
exists for dealer-installed full wheel covers on a 500 that came from
the
factory with body color wheels.
On Greenbriers and Corvair 95 trucks, the story is completely
different. Tire choice made no difference concerning wheel color.
What
did affect the wheel color was the TWO-TONE. On all these models,
1961-65,
if there was no two-tone, the wheels were black. If there was a
FACTORY
two-tone, the wheels were the main body color.
The only factory-available two-tone was the contrasting stripe in the
indented cover around the midsection of the body. On all colors other
than
white, the only available stripe was white; on white vehicles ordered
with
the factory two-tone, the contrasting stripe was red. And on these
vehicles appeared the only exception to the wheel color policy: On
white
vehicles ordered with the factory two-tone, the wheels were painted the
contrasting color, which was red.
Robert W. Marlow
Vairtec at optonline.net


-- Doug Mackintosh
Corsa member since 1996
Corsa/NC member since 1996, Virtual Vairs member
Corvair owner 1969-1971 and 1996-on