Where did rally wheels come from?

[72peace]

All of the photos I've seen of original trucks they have what's called "steelies" with hubcaps. So, when did we start using rally wheels as the standard? Were they an option? Were they an aftermarket? Were they from another vehicle? "Does anybody really know what time it is?" Anyone?

Cheers,

[PanelDeland]

73-up 4X4 trucks used the "rally" wheels.I have never looked for a steelie of that era so I'm not sure if the "Rally" was the only Factory wheel for the 4X4's or not.They were/are pretty common and are a stock wheel for GM so with the low cost and availability of them they are quite popular.Especially with us old farts who don't care for the big bling look.At least in the 6 lug version.

[72peace]

Thanks. So, all the rally wheels flying around the board are actually from 73-up chevy pickups/vans? Don't the purests take issue or is it they just look cool?

Cheers,

[dadsgreentruck]

Originally Posted by 72peace

Thanks. So, all the rally wheels flying around the board are actually from 73-up chevy pickups/vans? Don't the purests take issue or is it they just look cool?

Cheers,

My view is this:

Rally's are so common and so good looking that if they were not available from the factory at the time then it must have been an oversight

Tim

[68 IRON]

Anything that you can bolt on without cutting or re-shaping is fun to do! Wheels fall into this...they can change a trucks look and attitude real quick.
And sometimes that attitude rubs off on the driver! There are pics out there that shows the transformation.....stock steelies to over the top BLING.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by dadsgreentruck

My view is this:

Rally's are so common and so good looking that if they were not available from the factory at the time then it must have been an oversight

Tim

They sure look right. I had a 72 Malibu with them. Best looking wheel you can put on a Chevelle, IMO. I sold the car and the first thing the guy did is replace the wheels with cheap chrome. To each their own.

I was on the fence ((e.g., Corvette Rally), but my 71 SWB will have 73 truck Rally's, and the option for the stainless steel variety cap on original wheels. By luck both sets were free, and the NOS caps came cheap.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by 72peace

Thanks. So, all the rally wheels flying around the board are actually from 73-up chevy pickups/vans? Don't the purests take issue or is it they just look cool?

Cheers,

I think they look cool. If anyone else has an issue, that is their problem

[sameyrasmea72]

Originally Posted by 72peace

Don't the purests take issue or is it they just look cool?

Cheers,

People love rallys on these trucks because the just LOOK "CHEVROLET". Most people on the street have no idea that they are not original on these trucks, they are used to seeing chevy trucks with them.

I may be wrong but I think the came out in @ 1975.

And yes, purests do take issue (sort of). I tried them on my survivor truck but had to go back to the full wheel cover.

[ChevLoRay]

[QUOTE=sameyrasmea72;4797964] I may be wrong but I think the came out in @ 1975. QUOTE]

1975 truck brochure doesn't show them, at all.

I remember them on some '76 models. They were on trucks, as well as the Impalas....one that I recall was owned by a guy I worked with. He bought it new. It was an Impala 2-dr hardtop, white, with some red and blue accents and the rallye wheels were also white, with trim rings and center caps. If you were around then, and conscious of your surroundings, there was a lot of bicentennial stuff going on and anything that could be sold with that motif, was available.

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by sameyrasmea72

Most people on the street have no idea that they are not original on these trucks, they are used to seeing chevy trucks with them.

This is the problem with the lack of authenticity found on most "original class"67 thru 72 pickups. To make matters works, you have articles written up by people who don't even know they are incorrect. Point, Hemmings Oct 2011 page 76. Article on 72 c10 cheyenne. A pretty good article about the luxury of the new for '71 cheyenne model but author gets fooled by the nice resto job. Quote: "A high percentage of them were sold with either elaborate full wheel covers or rally-type wheels with trim rings."

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by 72peace

Thanks. So, all the rally wheels flying around the board are actually from 73-up chevy pickups/vans? Don't the purests take issue or is it they just look cool?

Cheers,

These wheels are not stock for 67 thru 72 pickups. Yes we do take issue when someone tries to pass an "original" pickup with rallies. I believe there are probably many younger people on this forum who have seen so many 67 thru 72's with rallies, they believe they came from the factory with these wheels when new. The problem gets worse when the rallied wheel pickups are shown on stock only threads.For some strange reason, some Chevy people think they have a license to pass a vehicle off as an "original" with non original wheels.

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by 72peace

Thanks. So, all the rally wheels flying around the board are actually from 73-up chevy pickups/vans? Don't the purests take issue or is it they just look cool?

Cheers,

Nope. Lots of us think they are kinda cool and GM did too. Here's a SHORT list of stuff the factory put them on:

XA 14X5 B-3 1/2 67 Chevy II with drum brakes
DA 14X5 B-3 7/8 67 Chevy II RALLY with disc brakes
DG 14X6 67 Camero & Chevelle with dics brakes
XB 14X6 B-4 3/8 67 Chevelle SS, 68-69 Chevelle with F-70 Tires, 70 Chevelle
XN 14X6 B-3 3/4 68-69 Camero & Nova with drum brakes. Different shaped outer
AE 14X6 B-4 3/8 70 Chevelle Station Wagon
XG 14X6 B-3 7/8 68-69 Camero with dics brakes, 68-70 Chevy II/ Nova with disc brakes, 69-69 El Camino without disc brakes. Wider drop center than normal
DE 14X6 B-4 3/8 71-72 Nova & Chevelle, 6 hole wheels
YW 14X6 B-4 3/8 Exactly like XB, may have come on same cars
YJ 14X7 B-4 3/8 69 Camero/ Chevy II L72- ZL1, 70 Nova
AV 14X7 70-72 Camero, 71-72 Nova, 6 hole wheel
XT 14X7 L72- ZL1 Non Rally Wheel
YA 14X7 B-4 3/8 69 Chevelle SS Wheel
AO 14X7 B-4 3/8 70 Camero &69 Chevelle SS Wheel
DB 15X5 67 Passenger Cars with disc brakes.
DF 15X6 B-4 1/16 67-68 Camero Z28
DC(BIG) 15X6 B-3 1/2 67 Corvette, No other stampings on rim
DC 15X6 B-3 1/2 68-70 Passenger car, 67 Passenger car (early models)
FI 15X6 B-3 1/2 68-70 Passenger car, 67 Passenger car (later models) Rivited instead of welded together
YS 15X6 B-3 1/2 68-70 El Camino
FW 15X7 B-4 1/4 71-up most any GM
AG 15X7 B-3 3/4 68 Corvette (will take 15x8 Beauty rings)
YH 15X7 B-4 1/4 L72- ZL1 Z28 Rally 69 narrow drop center
AD 15X7 B-4 1/4 L72- ZL1 Z28 Rally 68 wide drop center
AV 15X7 70, 71, 73 CAMARO Z28 5 spoke wheel
AZ 15X8 B-4 69-82 Corvette

[ChevLoRay]

Are those fractions...the backspacing? If you said it was, I missed it. That's good information.

[litew8]

Were'nt rally wheels originally created for military vehicles back in the day? Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought I had read it somewhere.

[GOPAPA]

I believe some of the ralley wheels on some of our trucks are Corvette ralley wheels..??? I stand corrected but isn't the truck wheels like 15-17 slots and the Corvettes are like 5 slots ..

[70cst]

There are two different Rally Wheels...As been said the car Rally's only had I believe 5 slots. As to when the original Rally's came out...I am going to take a guess and say about 65-66?

Other opinions...

[JCD]

Originally Posted by 70cst

As to when the original Rally's came out...I am going to take a guess and say about 65-66?

Other opinions...

Original 5 slot rally's were first used in 1967, and had a one year only small center cap, in 1968 they changed to the larger "Top Hat" center version.

I know they came a few different ways from the factory, 14" and 15" the rarer version of the center caps had "Disc Brakes" written around the rim of the cap.
I was under the impression that original rally's were 6" wide.
But I remember reading somewhere that they were only 5.5" wide, with later years getting wider. Correct me if I'm wrong on that point..

The set I have on my 68 SS RS are from a later corvette, and are 10" wide.

J.

[70cst]

Originally Posted by JCD

Original 5 slot rally's were first used in 1967, and had a one year only small center cap, in 1968 they changed to the larger "Top Hat" center version.

I know they came a few different ways from the factory, 14" and 15" the rarer version of the center caps had "Disc Brakes" written around the rim of the cap.
I was under the impression that original rally's were 6" wide.
But I remember reading somewhere that they were only 5.5" wide, with later years getting wider. Correct me if I'm wrong on that point..

The set I have on my 68 SS RS are from a later corvette, and are 10" wide.

J.

Thanks...I wasn't to far off.

[ChevLoRay]

I remember them on the new Chevies, for '67. Corvettes had them, as did the big cars...Impala's. The center cap mentioned earlier, had a small cap that had the bowtie in the center and around it the words "Disc Brake".

I put a set of Wheel Vintiques Vette-style rallye wheels on my '69, as well as on my '96. The '69 wheels are 15x8 and 15x10, while the wheels on my newer truck are 16x7. Both trucks have the "Police" cap, which is what Chevy put on the police cars in '67...and maybe later. Here's the truck pix. The last pic is of some caps that were optional and that would fit on rallye wheels or steel wheels. I have two sets of them, one in the box (NOS). I've seen them on one car in my life. I always thought they would look nice on a set of chrome-plated rally wheels. But, they are only in the 5 on 4.75 pattern.

[stich626]

Originally Posted by 72peace

All of the photos I've seen of original trucks they have what's called "steelies" with hubcaps. So, when did we start using rally wheels as the standard? Were they an option? Were they an aftermarket? Were they from another vehicle? "Does anybody really know what time it is?" Anyone?

Cheers,

from the vette, it started there.. then it spread..

[octain]

Cars, trucks, whatever. Chevys were made for rallies.

[LONGHAIR]

But the "factory made" car rallys don't fit trucks, the bolt pattern is different.
There are aftermarket versions though, so to answer the Original Poster's question(s).....Yes

Ralley wheels seem to be like a factory "custom" type of thing, an up-grade from the plain steel wheel, but not a true aftermarket wheel.

[Zoomin]

As to your question regarding "does anyone really know what time it is", the authority for that if the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC. Should that fail, the Alternate Master Clock Facility at Schriever AFB in Colorado becomes the authority.

But now that we know that, the question now is - does anyone really care? About time?

[leddzepp]

Van rallyes are 6.5" wide. Truck rallyes are either 7" or 8" wide. 7" are a little more difficult to find in my experience.

[Roadmarks]

If I remember correctly, The first "Rallye"wheels came on the 1967 Vette. The Vettes and the full size (Impalas, Belaires, etc.) cars have the same 5 on 5" pattern that the 71-72 and later C-10s have. I don't know how late they went, but '73-'76 C-10s all could be ordered with plain 'steelies" with white or chrome dog dish caps. EVERY one I ever bought had the plain wheels and they appeared to be original. The first truck "Rally" (note different spelling!) wheels I ever saw were on a van. In 1969 I bought a new 396 Chevelle and it came with plain steel wheels and caps, but they were 5 on 4.75" and 6" wide. I had to buy aftermarket "Rallyes" to get what I wanted! All the Novas, Chevy IIs, and Chevelles were 5 on 4.75, I think.

best wishes,

Les