Buick road wheels-a question

[Guest]

I know this topic has been discussed before at length but i could not find a quick answer to my question in the archives so I thought I would post. I just picked up a nice set of Buick 15" road wheels for my 1964 Sportwagon(It is currently being painted so I can't compare rim settings). I know that around this period some of the wheel dimensions changed and some of these wheels will not work on my wagon. The new rims all read "895 15x6 3-30-79" Will these wheels work on my 64? I assume the 3-30-79 means they were cast on this date but not sure. Will 895's work on the wagon? Any help is greatly appreciated. Greg

[Guest John Chapman]

Greg,

I don't know about the '895', but the bolt pattern must be 4.75" to fit the A body cars. There were 15" wheels made with 4.75" bolt patterns, but not nearly so many as the 14" wheels. If you've gotten the big car 15" wheels, they'll have the 5" bolt pattern and won't work.

The date stamp of 1979 will be a set of wheels that will work with both drum and disc brake setups.

A handy tool to have when looking for wheels is a bolt pattern template. They come in 4 and 5 bolt models and are available at swap meets or from vendors like: http://bobswheels.com/accessories.html

Swap meet prices are usually $2-3 and well worth it..

Cheers,

John

[Guest]

John-

Thanks for your reply. My gut tells me they are not going to work. Thanks for the link to the site. That tool definately looks like a good investment. I will pull a wheel and double check upon the wagon's return. Again, thanks for your prompt and helpful reply

Greg

[NTX5467]

On many of the steel and alloy wheels that GM used in that general 1979 time frame, there usually is a letter code near the valve stem (on the regular steel wheels that would be covered by the wheel cover or trim ring) or was on the back of one of the spokes (on the alloy wheels and maybe on the Buick road wheels). This code would be for parts book identification should a new wheel be needed and would possibly be used to identify the wheel before a part number tag was put on it. If this is a solid chrome wheel, the code might be elsewhere. Plus, if you have an idea about the year model, then you might backtrack to find the original vehicle application in the parts database.

The REAL deal information was in The Bugle a while back where an excellent article(s) appeared on all of the details regarding identifying the road wheels with respect to application and model useage. Seems like the center caps for the various applicatioins were illustrated/mentioned too? For something that might seem rather generic, they weren't all the same.

What you might also do is check some of the used wheel/reconditioned websites for visuals and information. Usually, those websites also have the Hollander interchange part number in their particular part number, or at least reference to it.

One thing I did several years ago, when I thought I might be looking for some of the 15" chrome wheels, was to make me a measuring card of sorts. I happened to find a "sticky note" that was 2 58/64" tall. I then marked it "2 58/64" 5x5 Bolt Circle centerline of lug nut studs" and put it in my wallet. You could do the same with a business card by marking the center-to-center distance of the centers of the lug nut studs on the car you're looking for wheels for. NOT the distance between the lug nut studs, but the distance between the CENTERs of the lug nut studs. Then you'll be able to find wheels that fit your car without having to ask about bolt circle specs (although knowing what it is can help).

Just some thoughts . . . I know those wheels will make that car look neat.

NTX5467

[Guest]

Thanks for the measuring info. I have never understood where the wheel dimensions originate from. So from your email I gather that the wheels are considered "4.75" if from the center of one hole to the center of the one directly across from it measures 4.75 inches. Is this correct? And if so, are the 1964 Buicks 4.75 or 5? As always, thanks in advance, Greg

[66400]

'64 "A" bodies(including Sportwagons) are 4 3/4" while the full size and Riviera are 5" bolt pattern. Henry

[The Old Guy]

The dimensions are the diameter, and because the wheels are five bolt wheels, you can NOT measure from hole to hole.There have been various articles written about this in the Buick Bugle and also on this forum. Do a search and you will find the dimensions you need.

[NTX5467]

Let me explain the measuring information, if I might. The number of lug studs (lug bolts, or whatever is used on a particular vehicle) wheel "bolt circle" is what the first number is about and the second number is the diameter of the bolt circle of those same lug studs (if you drew a circle that matched the max length between the center of the wheel and the center of the lug stud holes. From here on out, it's pretty simple math to figure out what is where.

Just as the radius of the circle can be accurately measured, so can the space between the lug nuts' centerlines (and appropriate holes in the wheel). This is the dimension that I suggest be matched to determine if a particular potential wheel might be appropriate for a given vehicle. If you find one of the plastic "tools" the tire stores use, it's based on the same principle of the measurements between the hole centerlines. All I did was short circuit that a little by happening upon something I could put a measurement on that would fit in my wallet--plus marking it for the appropriate bolt circle information.

Key thing is to measure from the center of the hole to the center of the next closest hole (or center of the lug nut stud to the center of the next closest lug nut stud). The reference point for measurements is NOT the edge of the hole or the edge of the lug nut stud.

The one thing NOT admitted to is the "register diameter" of the wheel. This is the diameter of the hole in the middle of the wheel that will mate with the axle shaft flange, hub flange, or basically what the wheel mounts against. It is usually acceptable to have the hole a little bigger than the matching mounting register, but smaller is NOT an option (at least not for a stamped steel wheel, but an alloy wheel can be machined to match in some cases). Although the stamped steel "mag" wheels might not have a defined matching area, the inner contours of the wheel can have some contact pads that might give the wheel an added contact place to the front spindle/hub area and also might prevent the wheel from being tightened down firmly against the mounting flange.

Another thing is that wheels for disc brake vehicles, especially the earlier ones, might be different in their inner rim configurations than the same looking wheel might be for drum brakes. Disc brake wheels can fit drum brake vehicles, but possibly not vice versa.

I hope this might clarify what I was mentioning with respect to measurements of the bolt circle.

Enjoy!

NTX5467