WANTED: Sport disc wheels for 1965 Olds 98

[Guest Parm]

Looking for a nice set of Sport Disc wheels and accompanying rims for a 1965 Olds 98.

Post replies here or email me direct at sparmerlee@yahoo.com

Thanks.

[rocketraider]

Parm- the bolt-on caps and 65 centers won't be hard to find. The special wheels on the other hand...and the caps are useless without the wheels.

I'll put it in perspective. I've been looking for a GOOD set of those wheels since 1985. I missed one good set during that time (and I still refuse to pony up for 1st class mail Hemmings), and found sets and odd singles here and there that were bent or rusted beyond being safe. Never have I found a complete set of 4 much less 5 in usable shape. And I was also on a notification list with three Olds parts locators in different parts of the country.

So- I've decided that the factory wires or three-bar diecasts look just as good on my 64 Starfire as the beautiful bolt-on aluminums.

I wish you luck. Any more I figure if the car didn't come with them, it's a fruitless search.

[Guest Parm]

Glenn,

Thanks for the information. Guess these wheels are harder to find than I figured.

Quick question: What are the three-bar die cast wheels you mentioned? I've probably seen them, but can't envision them. Are these simply hub caps or more of a complete wheel assembly?

Thanks.

[65Jayone]

Parm, so you bought a 1965 98? Convertible? What Color? Options? I'd love to hear about it...

On the subject of those wheel covers, as RR was saying, its going to be tough to find a complete set along with the special rims. But I have found that yelling and screaming that you want something loud enough and long enough, and making yourself a general nuisance (sp?), usually results in your getting what you want. Especially with the Internet as a bullhorn. That is how I found my own wheelset. And recently, I acquired a factory rear swaybar (and boxed lower control arms) for my car that came from a 1969 Delta Custom 4 door in California, which also had disc brakes (gone) and was said to be a former police car. I was told not to hold my breath while looking for THAT piece. It took about 6 month to find, hundreds of E-mails and dozens of phone calls, but I got it. Now if only I can find some 1987 W88 window louvers for my Royale coupe...

BTW, up until a few months ago, there was a car listed for sale on collectorcartraderonline, a 1965 98 Sedan with those wheels. In fact, I saw the car myself before I even saw it listed online...it was at Main Street Motors in Somerville, NJ, and I almost drive off the road when I saw it there last September. I think they wanted $1500 (marked down from $2200) for the whole car, which was VERY solid with a nice interior and really only in need of a paint job and maybe some chrome bumpers. If they still have the car, perhaps they would consider parting with just the wheels for the right offer. I thought about asking them myself, but I spend enough money on things I can actually put to use!

Good luck in your quest...Scott

[65Jayone]

I know a guy who has a set of 1971 (I think) Olds "Polycast" wheels on his 65 Starfire convertible. They look awesome on the car. These are very attractive wheels, and to me they look sorta like the backsides of the 64-65 mag covers. They are made of a grey plastic/compostite material, and use a special center cap and trim ring. One nice thing about these wheels is they are 15 inch, and would clear disc brakes, which I think would be a neat combo on a 65-70 fullsize car. Of course, these wheels are also hard to find...

Kinda hard to see, but here's a link to a fellow who has a set on his 1968 98 convertible:

http://johnnasta.com/6898/more.html

And here's a link to a page I found on the net about these wheels:

http://oldsjunction.classicoldsmobile.com/ssiv.html

[Guest Parm]

Scott,

Well, sorry to disappoint [believe me, no one's more disappointed than me (I?)], but I've not purchased a '65 Olds 98 convertible. However, I do know of one that's for sale that has the standard, factory moon-style hub caps.

My inquiry about the Olds Sport Disc wheels was more of me getting ahead of the curve in terms of determining how prevalent they are in the market.

Don't know if you recall, but there was a very nice maroon '65 Olds 98 convertible for sale at Duffy's (a high-end, classic car dealer in Iowa) during the latter half '02 that sold earlier this year. This car had the Sport Disc wheels (was the first time I'd seen them) and I absolutely drooled uncontrollably over that car. However, the price was outrageous and I realized that the thing I really loved about the car was the Sport Disc wheels - because, a '65 Olds 98 by itself doesn't have much charisma (in my humble opinion), but with those wheels this car really popped.

So, I figured if I was going to spend that kind of money, the car better have more going for it (visually speaking) than a nice set of wheels. Of course, it was advertised as being the best '65 Olds 98 convertible on the planet so even if you believed only half of the dealer hype, the car probably was pretty nice.

I figured if I ever were to lose those wheels, I'd have what is essentially a pretty "plain-Jane" looking car (albeit a nice one).

If these Sport Disc wheels (in nice condition) were easier to find, I'd be more motivated to really pursue the '65 Olds 98 that's currently for sale. But, since these Sport Discs sound pretty rare, I'm not overly motivated. Plus, this car doesn't have factory A/C (which the maroon one had) and I just assume have a car with A/C than not.

So, that's the story. Thanks for taking notice. It's nice to know there are others out there who follow my trials and tribulations in finding the right car.

Thanks.

[rocketraider]

Scott, glad to see you back and with a good link on the SSIV. I've got a set on the Regency (so what if they aren't dead correct for a 76, they LOOK good, and that's the key. A fancy dan car like that needs fancy dan wheels to match its status as top of the line). The only drawback to them is that the special trim bands are often road-rashed. The 1977-79 Custom Chrome Wheel option for Ninety Eight and 403 equipped 88s used the same band, though that don't make 'em any easier to find!

Parm, the diecast spinners are wheel covers. They were used 63-64 with each year having a different lucite center. Big, heavy caps with a diecast center that has three evenly spaced thick ribs and a background of narrower turbine fins. A very elegant wheel treatment that looks its best on Starfire/J-I/98 coupes and all the f/s four door hardtops. It was supposedly a Ninety Eight only thing in 63 as the Starfire used those rotten snap-in caps with the retaining clips. All for the sake of hiding an unsightly valve stem... <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Am I the only one who has noticed that Olds wheel treatments ran the gamut from gorgeous to just plain ugly every year? The plain ones are always really plain and sometimes the fancy ones go for overkill.

[65Jayone]

Parm, hope you find the right car and the right wheels. RR, thanks for the welcome back...now as for wheelcovers there are a few others that I think were especially gaw-jus, namely

1. 1966 dogdishes

2. 1966 "turbines"

3. 1968 well, I dunno what to call em, besides rare are beautiful (check out these jobs that went for a SONG):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2410047831

[rocketraider]

That's a set you just don't see much. I've only seen a few cars with them, and one set of those was on a 63 Starfire that the geezer who had it swore was a 62- yes, the original VA title said 62, but the VIN and the car said 63! Notice how similar the design is to the SSIV?

Just noticed who bought them- John and Donna Green are well-known Ontario Olds parts vendors who specialise in hard to find 68-72 442 stuff. And if I know John, he's got something in mind for these wheelcovers.