What is the correct wheel code>>> WG and likey date code for April build 70 GSX ?>>>Sometime before the build date, maybe 3-4 weeks.
Information from my old 70 GSX. The car was completely original with the exception of the radiator, clutch fan, water pump, and battery. Body build date "03D" (4th week of March) Wheel Application code "WG" (which was correct for all 70 GSXs) Date on rim "0 3 25" (March 25, 1970, and all 5 wheels matched.) (Also 4th week of March for this particular car.) Date on hub- would have predated the rim date by 5-6 months. You can infer the correct wheel dates needed for your car from this. Merry Christmas Duane
My GSX was built 3rd week April 1970, and original wheels are dated 4/2 and 4/9. As Duane states, the centers are dated much earlier.
So 4/9 would be correct for my car? Does 4/9 mean April 9? Has anyone had a set of originals rechromed? If so can the date codes still be seen after a rechrome job?
By 4/9 I do mean April 9 1970. If your car was built later in April, it is possible that the original wheels would be dated later as well. It appears that, during GSX production, the wheels were being assembled in batches roughly a week apart (but less in some cases). Thus the dates (on the rim) were very close to the build date on the Fisher body tag. I have not personally seen WG coded wheels dated between April 9 and April 27, but I suspect that there were some. Perhaps 2 batches of them. I have not personally tried to have an original set re-plated (yet). I understand that it is difficult to separate the rim from the center without damage to one or the other. There are also very few plating shops that will re-plate the rims. I think Rusty Davenport knows of a shop that can do this. Perhaps he will chime in.
A good chrome shop can save the digits if you tell them about it first but there are no guarantees. I had a set of valve covers rechromed and the numbers still look freshly stamped. They did it somehow.
To rechrome these wheels you HAVE to separate the 2 pieces. There is a way to reverse chrome strip them to bare steel, it's very expensive. Then they would need to copper plate and grind/sand/buff the metal smooth prior to the nickle and chrome coat. How that would affect the stamped codes???????????????????????????? It would be difficult to duplicate the satin finish on the spokes as well. Welding them back together is not bad with proper equipment and experience. I have a customer with Hurst Olds wheels. I have cut them apart and he is having the shells replated currently. They are charging him $500 ea. I am very curious to see how they turn out. Long story but I guess anything can be done if you throw enough money at it.
Ouch, $500 a wheel to restore. I was hoping not to hear that kind of number. I completely understand if you want a quality job done you usally have to pay for it. I would be willing to pay more for some really nice wheels that do not need restored, are there any out there?
They are getting difficult to find in nice condition, thus expensive. Steve's reproduction wheels are very nice for much less money, but will lack the codes. I am very happy with the set I got from him.
I have a couple sets of the repoductions, one set I bought here from a board member whom was making them and one set on my X that were on the car when I bought it. Both sets are nice. But I am always in the hunt for original parts. It's an addiction!
I understand your addiction, I suffer from it as well. What is the date on your Fisher body cowl tag? I will keep an eye out for appropriate wheels.
Guys, Buick (ie Motor Wheels for this instance) did not start using application codes on wheels until the middle of the 1970 production year. Before that they simply used the size (ie "7.0" for the 15" wheels, or "6.0" for the 14" wheels) and rim codes to tell them apart. The reason Motor Wheel had to add an application code was because the various makes, Buick, Chevy, Olds, etc started using the same style wheels on different models. This forced MW to change the back spacing on certain wheel designs and forced them to devise a way to differentiate them, hence APPLICATION CODES. The first usage (I have seen) of the application code "WG" had a rim date of something like Feb 20, 1970. Anything that had wheels built before that should have the "7.0" designation. Do we have everything straight now? Duane
Back in 1998, I restored a 70 Stage 1..(took 3rd place in class at 98' GSNAts, under the registered name Jeff Cleary) and he had several sets of "WG's. We used the best set on his car, and he offered me the leftovers. Duane just confirmed what I kinda THOUGHT I already knew, these are early "WG" wheels, with date codes of 2 20. I have considered sending these off to Curt Mckim for restoration. Curt states he can provide correct centers AS WELL AS keeping the original date codes. Anybody out there wanna chime in on ANY feedback related to Curts quality wheel restorations?? :Brow: Wheelz, Tampa Bay
All wheels, and most other parts used on production vehicles are dated. People that are looking for date coded parts are looking for the right ones for their vehicles. All a date of 2/20/70 means is it would be correct for a late Feb-early March of 70 car. If someone is looking for correct dated wheels for an April 70 car these would not work so a "date code" guy would not be interested, although a guy with a Feb-March car might be. If you had a January car then you wouldn't want them at all. My 71 GSX was built in April 71, so I would not be interested in any parts made after that, or something that was made much earlier. Duane
Okay, I checked the codes on my 02C car. They are 11/12/69. 7.0 for the rim. I'd need to check the hub. PS Perhaps it's important to note this is a Freemont car. And not a GSX. DL
That seems a bit early for a February car, but it may well be due to the assembly plant. The F-7 option was only installed on 123 of the 997 GS455 cars built at the Fremont plant, so wheels may have sat around for a longer period of time than they did at Flint. When GSX production started, these wheels were being used at a pretty good clip. Stores were probably replenished frequently at Flint to keep pace.
Yeah in a similar situation, a friend of my bought a 69 Camaro Pace car, big block with a 4 speed.. super rare. Of the 3500 made its estimated about 100 were big blocks, and how many of those were 4 speeds? Anyway, I had posted on the Camaro board on finding numbers to see if it was a matching car. At first I could not find the VIN on the block, only the build date which was late Dec 68. The car had a build date of early Feb 69. The response was it could not be the matching block, 2 months between was too long. But after crawling all over where the VIN should be, with a mirror and led light, and a pain in the back and neck, the VIN was barely visible, and it matched.
