1970 GS Wheel Options

Discussion in 'The Hides' started by Brett Slater, Aug 1, 2017.

  1. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

    At the BCA meet last weekend, I noticed a couple different wheel variations on two very nice 70 GS convertibles.

    One was an original, 127K one owner car with 15 x 7 "Sport Wheels." These were steelies with dog dishes and trim rings.

    The second car - mrolds69's awesome triple black ragtop - had a window sticker which read "15 x 7 chrome rally wheel package with G60-15 Polyglas tires." This is probably the most common or at least what most of our cars are identified by.

    Then there's me: "Wide Oval white billboard lettered tires - G-70-14." No mention of any type of wheels. At all.

    After a lengthy text with Dano yesterday, we surmised that the lack mention of any wheel type means that my car was ordered with factory steelies and dog dish hubcaps....EXACTLY how I would've ordered it.
     
  2. BYoung

    BYoung Stage me

    This doesn't apply to 1970 but I have an original window sticker for a 1971 GS that reads exactly as follows:

    WD2 F7 Super Wide Oval White Billboard Lettered Tires (G60-15) Incl. Chrome Plated Wheels (7 x 15) $230.65
     
  3. Jim Jones

    Jim Jones Wretched Excess

    Just keep in mind the F sales codes (F4, F7 F8, F9) were tire options. Sales code F4 and F7 included the two types of 15" wheels that were otherwise not available. The V sales codes (V1, V2, V3, V7) were wheel and wheel cover options. So if the car's documentation includes for example, sales code F9 - Wide Oval White Billboard Lettered Tires G70-14, but no V sales code option, then these optional tires were installed on the standard wheel for the given model. The standard wheel for the 1970 GS was the plain 14" steel wheel with dog dish cap.
     
    1970 STAGE 1 likes this.
  4. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

    So, what do you make of this?

    [​IMG]
     
    tubecatgs likes this.
  5. Jim Jones

    Jim Jones Wretched Excess

    Exactly. Has the tire option (F9), but no wheel option.
     
  6. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

    It's funny to me that the look of my car now is as it originally was - albeit the original wheels were 14" - but you get the gist.

    My whole Buick life - up until recently, anyway - I was under the impression the chrome rally wheels were standard issue. Obviously, having dug a bit deeper I've realized that's not the case but I've seen a lot of Gran Sports over the years and it wasn't until I really started paying attention to the Internet that I started seeing more and more doggies.
     
  7. Jim Jones

    Jim Jones Wretched Excess

    Misperceptions abound , and both good and bad information can be found on the internet. One must be cautious where information is sought.

    Another item often overlooked with regard to the standard 14" wheel is color. Most applications matched the body color applied to the car, but cars with lighter colors like Glacier White and Bamboo Cream, received black painted wheels. And of course the fact that trim rings were not used on the standard 14" wheel.

    The F4 (UPC WD1) option for G-60-15 Polyglas tires however, came on light argent silver painted 15x7" wheels with trim rings regardless of the car's body color.
     
    Brett Slater likes this.
  8. Mike Trom

    Mike Trom Platinum Level Contributor

    Nice sticker Brett... I had to look close to see if it was an original :cool:

    I think the F4/F7 15" wheel/tire option was not available early in the 1970 model year or at least it did not show up on the dealer order forms until later revisions.
     
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2017
    Brett Slater likes this.
  9. Stage 2 iron

    Stage 2 iron 480 IRON HEAD STAGE 2

     
  10. Mike Trom

    Mike Trom Platinum Level Contributor

    Not to answer for Brett, but, The destination charge on that sticker is an estimate. I have not found any rhyme or reason for the destination charges at each dealer but they are all different from the original stickers that I have collected. It may have been based on weight, distance, number of cars in the delivery, etc.
     
  11. Stage 2 iron

    Stage 2 iron 480 IRON HEAD STAGE 2

    Thanks Mike, that's what I was thinking as far as weight, distance, number of cars.
     
  12. gstewart

    gstewart Well-Known Member

    In Canada - Way back when, after u ordered your new car or truck, u could travel to the plant producing your new vehicle and take delivery at the plant and drive it home. Probably in the late '50's or '60's, the car or truck had to be delivered to the retail dealer. At that time delivery charge was based on distance from the plant. Later, the dealers say in British Columbia complained about the steep delivery charge (from Oshawa for example) compared to the low charge delivery to a dealer in Toronto. Eventually a standard charge was agreed up for all destinations.
     
  13. Jim Jones

    Jim Jones Wretched Excess

    I've noticed the early wholesale order form did not include the 15" wheel and tire option as well. I have however seen the 15" chrome wheels dated as early as September 24, 1969. So it must have been added within a couple months of the launch of the model year.

    WG01_Crop.jpg
     
  14. Mike Trom

    Mike Trom Platinum Level Contributor

    I have a copy of a GM bulletin dated 10/8/69 that announces the prices for the F4/F7 options. So a September built wheel seems right.
     
  15. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    And back to the top:)......I never really gave it a thought, but I was curious why they listed the chrome plated wheels as "7 x 15" on the window sticker and not 15 x 7? Just odd that its backwards.
     
  16. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    And here is an example of it as '15x7"

    sticker.jpg
     
  17. Larry Gibson

    Larry Gibson Platinum Level Contributor

    Jason, Interesting window sticker. My 72 GS Stage 1, Flame Orange came from Huckabee Motors in Macon, GA. I still have the dealers emblem from the trunk lid here somewhere.

    Larry
     
  18. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Larry Gibson likes this.
  19. Mike Trom

    Mike Trom Platinum Level Contributor

    I checked my stash of original 70 and 71 stickers and the 70 stickers show 15x7 and the 71 show 7x15. I did not check my '72 stickers.
    There is a 70 sticker that I have a poor copy of that does list it as 7x15 but I am not sure if its a repro or not since its in bad condition.
     
  20. Harpboys4

    Harpboys4 Well-Known Member

    What does it refer to under F41 and says Heavy Duty wheels?
     

Share This Page