1965 Rallye wheels

[SLOPilot]

Hello, I recently found a set (all 5!) of Rallye wheels for my Riviera. They are in decent shape but definitely need refurbishment. I've spent a LOT of time browsing around the internet and I can't come to a conclusion as to what these wheels looked like out of the factory. Were they chromed? Silver painted? Was the black paint just in the "coves" or was it also all around the rim with just the spokes showing silver? I've only seen a few examples of that last one. Any help, including pictures with be very much appreciated. 

[Pat Curran]

 They were chrome and the webbing on 65-66 was gray and 67 forward was a satin black. 

Edited February 23, 2021 by Pat Curran
Update (see edit history)

[gungeey]

Road Wheels get painted in the windows

[SLOPilot]

Thank you gentlemen! 

[RivNut]

There are a few “models” of the Buick rally wheel.  On the inside of the rim, look for a stamped code #. 802, 853, 895, or ? Different models will have different designs on the face, and different back spacing. The 895 wheels are 71 and later and don’t look “factory “ on a 65.

[SLOPilot]

Thanks for that. That’s good info. These came off of a ‘65 and are grey, but I’ll look for those codes 

[RivNut]

You didn’t say what year Riviera, but if you’re going strictly factory stock, be aware that the rally wheels were no available on the 63 and 64 Riviera.  If your car is equipped with disk brakes, the 802 model wheels will not fit over the calipers.  

[SLOPilot]

Thanks, good info. Mine is a ‘64 and I know they weren’t available that year, but I just really like the look. I’ll be keeping my other stock wheels too. Thanks again

[awk409ak]

Let me just add that the 64 Buick Wildcat had rally wheels.  The centers were painted silver, not the darker color of later years.  Also had a Wildcat center cap.  I bought my 64 Riviera 2 years ago with these wheels on the car.

 

Art

 

Edited February 24, 2021 by awk409ak (see edit history)

[awk409ak]

Another pic of the 64 rally wheels.

Art

[psychostang]

If the wheels you have are original to the 65, they won't have a code.  That started in 66.  Also, the 65 wheels will only fit drum brake equipped vehicles.  If you intend to install disc brakes, get the code 853 wheels.

[Kevrev]

On 2/24/2021 at 11:08 AM, RivNut said:

There are a few “models” of the Buick rally wheel.  On the inside of the rim, look for a stamped code #. 802, 853, 895, or ? Different models will have different designs on the face, and different back spacing. The 895 wheels are 71 and later and don’t look “factory “ on a 65.

So Ed, standard 65 wheels had just the hub caps

[RivNut]

Pictures of 1965 repops from www.buickcenters.com

 

Edited March 1, 2021 by RivNut (see edit history)

[DerekC]

See the 15 X 6 inch width section

[gbasile]

My wheels require some refurbishment. What is the best way to remove surface rust. Any easy way to repaint the centers?

 

Greg

[65VerdeGS]

You can remove surface rust using a 'Brillo' or 'SOS' steel wool pad.  I've used this trick for years to remove rust that exists in the creases of my chrome wheels.  Just scrub, rinse off and voila!  The rust will be gone. Depending on how bad the rusting is, some of the scrubbed areas will reveal the bare metal beneath.  The soap in the SOS pads cause these areas to go dark grey or black, which is less visible than brown rust, improving the appearance of the wheel. 

 

My wheels are original, and in pretty good shape considering they're 59 years old.  The chroming done on the factory wheels was very good quality, which is why so many of the early wheels look good today.

 

The centers can be repainted.  It's a fiddly job to mask the chrome portions of the webs.  I heard you can buy masking templates for this, but don't know where.  The wheel centers on my '65 didn't need to be completely repainted.  Used POR-15 in a grey color which was a very close match to the original charcoal tone used on these wheels. I used a foam brush and carefully applied the paint inside the wheel webs, keeping a rag handy to quickly wipe off any stray paint that got onto the chromed portions of the wheel.  Worked very well, and saved me from masking the wheels first.

[RivNut]

I found masking to be fairly simple. First mask the ribs and use an exacto knife to cut along the ridges on the ribs.  It’s then pretty simple to mask the rest of the chrome.

[RIVNIK]

Whaddup SLO,    Many moons ago I acquired a set of Rally wheels without knowing about the codes. As it turned out there were actually three different types, one w a spacer ring welded to the back. It was only then that I noticed the subtle differences between the wheels. They worked, but I eventually purchased a nice matching set from good ol' Gene Guarnere of ABandG(can't recommend highly enough). As Ed mentioned, the masking is not difficult, just very time consuming. The templates make it a little easier, and can be found on eBay. I have repainted mine several times over the 35 yrs I've owned my '65. The 2nd time I used the templates, but chose not to bother w them the 3rd time, even though I still had some left, so there's that. I find certain jobs, such as meticulous masking, to have a Zen-like quality. (I'm retired & have plenty of time on my hands). I would add that, IMO, on certain colored cars the silver or light grey painted centers kind of wash out. Dark grey or black centers emphasize the wheel's great design much better. & since you're not sticking to stock it doesn't really matter. If you're looking for cheap & easy, Krylon SatinBlack w several clear coats looks great, but something more durable would be better. The local bodyshop that recently painted my steering wheel offered to paint my pre-masked wheels for $50ea. so I may go that route if I'm around long enough. Something to consider.      Anyhoo good luck!

[EmTee]

After the steel wool, try polishing with Simichrome.

 

[Turbinator]

On 2/19/2024 at 10:06 PM, 65VerdeGS said:

You can remove surface rust using a 'Brillo' or 'SOS' steel wool pad.  I've used this trick for years to remove rust that exists in the creases of my chrome wheels.  Just scrub, rinse off and voila!  The rust will be gone. Depending on how bad the rusting is, some of the scrubbed areas will reveal the bare metal beneath.  The soap in the SOS pads cause these areas to go dark grey or black, which is less visible than brown rust, improving the appearance of the wheel. 

 

My wheels are original, and in pretty good shape considering they're 59 years old.  The chroming done on the factory wheels was very good quality, which is why so many of the early wheels look good today.

 

The centers can be repainted.  It's a fiddly job to mask the chrome portions of the webs.  I heard you can buy masking templates for this, but don't know where.  The wheel centers on my '65 didn't need to be completely repainted.  Used POR-15 in a grey color which was a very close match to the original charcoal tone used on these wheels. I used a foam brush and carefully applied the paint inside the wheel webs, keeping a rag handy to quickly wipe off any stray paint that got onto the chromed portions of the wheel.  Worked very well, and saved me from masking the wheels first.

You can find the masking templates on eBay. The sizes of the templates are noted.

In addition to masking tape of sorts I use a liquid rubber that dries as a mask. When finished just peel up the mask. The product is known as PeelTek. If you ever get it buy the small size container  and keep it sealed.

[Turbinator]

On 2/20/2024 at 10:26 AM, EmTee said:

After the steel wool, try polishing with Simichrome.

 

Simichrome Polish will do the trick every time. Flitz is good. GORDS liquid applied with stainless steel wool is another way. Elbow grease Im sorry to say is essential.

Turbinator