Can someone please tell me if there is a difference between Buick and Chevrolet (G.M.) rims. Specifically I want to know if the factory mags from a G.S. will fit a '65 Riv pattern. Thanks
Nope... 65 Riv Has 5x5" Bolt Circle, Too Large ... The Road Wheel Rivs Had Is Very Similar And Affordable Refurb Or Used. Gs Bolt Circle Is 5x4.75 In. Lots Of Selection Out There For 5" Bolt Circles Thanks To 1/2 Pickup Craze. There Was A Time When Big Car Aftermarket Wheel Selection Sucked. Good Luck.
You'll probably have to pull some from a car similar to yours. I'm still looking for some for my 1976 Electra, they were an option, but with the 5x5 bolt pattern its hard.
1965 15X6 Buick chrome rims are hard to find, they were available on 65 Wildcat and Riviera models only... They are similar to 64 Wildcat wheels but they have a centering ring because 1965 and later cars have a smaller hub diameter. The 64 rims have their webs painted silver, the 65 rims have darker webs, the 66-67 webs (exept 1967 with disc brakes) are charcoal and later ones are black. You could put newer 5" bolt pattern wheels from 66-67-68-69-70 models years but the hole for the center cap is 1/8" bigger and won't allow to mount the also hard to find 65 Riviera centercap... 1971 and newer rims went back to the 64-65 2" center cap hole dimensions but they had 1/2" more backspacing which will cause 1" narrower track (doesn't look good and has a negative effect on handling) and could cause clearance problems with brake drum fins and some tires could rub. I have been searching too for these rims for my 65 Wildcat and I still haven't found some ... Good Luck!
My dad picked up a set of wheels and tires from a yard for me. Don't know what year they are. I had to use big flat washers to install on the rear, no washers on the front. It makes my '64 Cat look a lot better. No handling issues or otherwise.
Your wheels are probably from a 71 and newer car. Of course, the 1" difference doesn't make a big difference in handling but it does make the track narrower which doesn't look good. I had 71 wheels on my 68 Wildcat for a few months and the 225-75-15 front tires rubbed in the inner fenders when I turned. The front drum fins were also very close to the rims. I replaced the wheels with 68 wheels and both problems were gone.
Phil, how can you tell the years? Is there a code on the back? I have a good many of these wheels and would like to see what they are.
Thanks All I searched the archives and found some interesting pics about identifyiing the difference between a 5*5 and 5*4 3/4 pattern. I guess finding a factory set of rims is going to take a while and might be pretty costly. Thanks Ian
The Buick rallye wheels fit the Buick cars just perfectly. Just look. Oh, and by the way, the Electra Coupe those wheels are from, is for sale on eBay!
Yes the wheels have codes, later ones have date codes too. If you need to identify the 15" x 6", 5 inch bolt pattern chrome plated wheels, measure the diameter of the hole where mounts the center cap. 2" is for 64-65 and 71 and later cars. 2 1/8" is for 66-70. The 65-70 wheels have centering rings (to center the wheels on the hubs) welded at their back. These are sometimes missing but the 5 welds should still be visible even if the rings are gone. The 67 wheels for disc brake cars and all 68-69-70 wheels have bosses in their webs to clear the calipers. the 71 and newer wheels have more backspacing and the center part is more cylindrical than the 64-70 which was a bit larger near the bolts and narrower near the center cap (cone shaped). If you are not sure what they are and you could post clear pictures of them, I'll identify them for you. The 64 center caps are very small, made of metal and show a cat head over a black background. They are almost flat and just cover the hole. The 65 caps have a chrome plated outer ring and a plastic insert with black cat head over a silver background and a red circle with "BUICK WILDCAT" written in it. Or a chrome "R" in an oval over a black background for the Riviera. The 66-70 caps are cone shaped with small fins and have black plastic inserts with a chrome "R" in 66-70 Rivieras, a chrome cat head for 66-70 Wildcats and a Tri-Shield emblem for 69? and 70 Le Sabre and Electra models. The 1971-1987 center caps are very similar to the 65 caps but have a black "R" over a silver background for the 71-78 Rivs and a small Tri-Shied over a silver background and "BUICK MOTOR DIVISION" written on them for the other Buick full size models. Starting in 1977, some full size models also used the 4 3/4" bolt pattern wheels like the intermediate cars... In the mid-seventies, there were also wheel covers that looked like the 5 inch bolt pattern wheels. These hubcaps were available on Century, Regal, Le Sabre and Electra models.
Phil- So as long as the wheels have the small tri-shiled logo, the 2" cap cover on the center caps and have the 5x5 bolt pattern they should fit my Electra, or any other car with the 5x5 bolt pattern?
Unless you are lucky enough to find the rare 64 or 65 wheels with a newer center cap! BTW it is not the cap itself that measures 2" it is the hole in the rim. There were also 5X5 15X7 wheels on some eighties Electra and Estate Wagon models, I never had a set of them but they might fit too.
