1966 C10 factory wheel color?

[Winola73]

I'm curious what the facory wheel color on a '66 C10 might have been? It's Sky Blue with a White roof. I'm guessing it could have been body color, white or black depending on assembly plant but I haven't been able to find any info.

[jonzcustomshop]

I have a 66 c10 that is blue with a white roof, it still has the original wheels, they are blue.

[LILRED66]

Per the GM literature, if the truck is one color, the factory steel wheels were painted black and if the truck was two tone (field color with white cap), the wheels were painted the body color, except in the case of 4x4 trucks and the wheels were painted black, regardless of the body color. This applies to the light-duty 2wd Chevrolet trucks from '60-'66. I am not sure about GMC trucks or the HD trucks.

This information was pulled from the Chevrolet Truck Encyclopedia and the Dealer Sales Binder.

[Winola73]

This pic had me confused but possibly the trucks with white wheels are Jimmy's. I'm not doing a full bore resto or anything I'm just trying to keep it looking mostly stock from the outside. I just ordered a repop sales brochure for '66. I'll be picking up a factory service manual and assembly manual and I'm watching for a factory parts illustration manual for trucks. I have one for Passenger cars dated Oct. 01, 1966. That thing has been worth it's weight in gold. Can you recommend any other literature for these trucks? Thanks.

[LILRED66]

I like these, as well as, the Silver Books & the Dealership Salesman manuals, which are very hard to find.

[markeb01]

My 1960 GMC was originally Lunar Yellow and came stock with white wheels. Here's a photo of the only one that remains:

[Rogue]

My '64 is a 2 tone and has body color wheels.
It is a non-custom cab, with painted hubcaps.

[AslanRules]

Originally Posted by LILRED66

Per the GM literature, if the truck is one color, the factory steel wheels were painted black and if the truck was two tone (field color with white cap), the wheels were painted the body color, except in the case of 4x4 trucks and the wheels were painted black, regardless of the body color. This applies to the light-duty 2wd Chevrolet trucks from '60-'66. I am not sure about GMC trucks or the HD trucks.

This information was pulled from the Chevrolet Truck Encyclopedia and the Dealer Sales Binder.

What about the hubcaps on a 2-tone, specifically a light blue with white cap? Painted caps with bowties or Chrome caps with bowties?

I want to put my wheels/tires/caps back to stock. I bought some painted caps on eBay and was planning to refinish them, but if the chromes are correct, I'll get those instead.

Also, will someone please explain about the hubcap clips vs no clips on a 66?

So.....I need to know the original size tires (whitewalls?), rims and hubcap info.

Thanks,

Randy

[raycow]

The chrome hubcaps would be correct if you also had a chrome bumper. Together, these formed the "Custom Chrome Option". Otherwise, the hubcaps would be painted. 66 1/2 ton wheels had humps to retain the hubcaps, not clips. If your wheels have clips, they are probably older. The base tires were blackwall, 7.75-15, 4 ply rated. Whitewalls and any larger tire size would have been optional at extra cost.

Ray

[aerotruk63]

[QUOTE=Winola73;3740574]This pic had me confused but possibly the trucks with white wheels are Jimmy's. I'm not doing a full bore resto or anything I'm just trying to keep it looking mostly stock from the outside. I just ordered a repop sales brochure for '66. I'll be picking up a factory service manual and assembly manual and I'm watching for a factory parts illustration manual for trucks. I have one for Passenger cars dated Oct. 01, 1966. That thing has been worth it's weight in gold. Can you recommend any other literature for these trucks? Thanks.

When I first got my truck I met with a GM mechanic who had worked on cars all his life. The first piece of advise he gave me was to get all the literature I could for these trucks. I could probably buy another truck with the money I have spent but having the information,priceless. I have the 58-66 light truck parts book but the pictures are limited. Do you have any scans from your car book?

[AslanRules]

Originally Posted by raycow

The chrome hubcaps would be correct if you also had a chrome bumper. Together, these formed the "Custom Chrome Option". Otherwise, the hubcaps would be painted. 66 1/2 ton wheels had humps to retain the hubcaps, not clips. If your wheels have clips, they are probably older. The base tires were blackwall, 7.75-15, 4 ply rated. Whitewalls and any larger tire size would have been optional at extra cost.

Ray

Thanks, Ray !!!!!!

Well....I have the chrome trim around the windshield, but my bumpers are painted.....at least the bumpers that are on it NOW are painted. I have no idea whether or not they are original. Here she is as she looks now:



I prefer the look of the painted bumpers and the painted hubcaps.

So, I suppose I will pull off the present hubcaps and see what kind of wheels are under there.....clips or knobs. Then I'll refinish these and slap 'em on her:


If I don't have the correct wheels, how about THESE? Are they correct? Is the price right? Hope he relists them. I'll paint them the same color as the body.

I'm trying to acheive this look, except in a step-side (please forgive the abysmal Photoshop mock-up:



Oh...........1 more question..........does anybody know the exact color that the hubcaps should be? i.e. color name/number.

Thanks,

Randy

[LILRED66]

Off-White, #526, per the Truck Sales Data Book.

[LILRED66]

Per the Truck Sales Data Book:

Wheel Colors

Series 10-30
With all solid colors and the Black/Off-White 2-tone combination, wheels are painted black. With all other 2-tone combinations, wheels are painted the main body color.

Series 50-80
Wheels are painted black with all exterior colors.

[raycow]

The wheels on ebay look about right, and the price isn't too bad if the refinishing is decent. However, I would choke on the $90.00 shipping charge.
If you need wheels, have you tried looking for them locally? They aren't particularly scarce. Also, please post a pic of the wheels you have on the truck now, without the hubcaps.

Ray

[likaroc13]

just at glance, it looks like your wheels probably have the knobs...but pull those caps to make sure...i'll have a set of five stock 6-lug wheels (like those on Ebay) once i switch to 5-lug, but it'll probably be at least a couple months before i remove them...i'm running the chrome hubcaps on mine currently...i plan to run a stock style 5-lug steelie so i can keep the stock look...and i'm gonna use a set of those painted hubcaps as well, just so i can play around with different looks every now and then

[aerotruk63]

Most likely they are the knub style wheel with those newer hubcaps on them. Intresting tidbit there is a 64-65 cap, then in 66 there is a ring around the Chevrolet crest to reinforce the center as to help prevent the cap from denting when mounting. Info I got from jonzcustomshop! The caps on Ebay are 66 because of the extra reinforcment bead.

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by LILRED66

except in the case of 4x4 trucks and the wheels were painted black, regardless of the body color.

This information was pulled from the Chevrolet Truck Encyclopedia and the Dealer Sales Binder.

The 4X4 info is incorrect for '60-'66 Chevy. The 2X4 and 4X4 used the same painting rules. However wrote this got confused with '67 and '68 models where this is true. GMC standardized on ivory white wheels starting in '62 for all exterior colors. Before that, '60 and '61, GMC wheel colors varied on both solid and tu tone pickups.The solid red pickup 2X4 has jet black (gloss black) wheels and the tu tone seamist green 4X4 has seamist green wheels.I challenge anyone else come up with a factory photo of a 4X4 tutone with black wheels.Except if the truck is black of course!

[AslanRules]

Originally Posted by raycow

The chrome hubcaps would be correct if you also had a chrome bumper. Together, these formed the "Custom Chrome Option". Otherwise, the hubcaps would be painted. 66 1/2 ton wheels had humps to retain the hubcaps, not clips. If your wheels have clips, they are probably older. The base tires were blackwall, 7.75-15, 4 ply rated. Whitewalls and any larger tire size would have been optional at extra cost.

Ray

Well.....good news/bad news. My wheels are okay......they have the knobs/nubs/humps and not the clips. BUT........the hubcaps that I bought are too small to fit them. They are 9" ID and the wheels are 10.5". I guess I have the hubcaps made for the clipped wheels. I'll have to re-sell them and find the correct ones.

Ray.......since my truck has the chrome trim around the windshield, would that be a part of the "Custom Chrome Option", and does that mean that the truck originally had chrome bumpers (and hubcaps)? Or did some trucks have the chromed windshield trim without the rest of the package? Also, I have the chrome "beauty rings".....not sure if they were original to this truck or not.....but were they part of the "Custom Chrome Option" as well? Last question: I have a Deluxe steering wheel on my truck. Once again, I don't know if it's original or not, but did that also come with the "Custom Chrome Option"? Based on that, should I try to find a "regular" 66 steering wheel with the chrome button in the center, or keep the Deluxe wheel?

Thanks,

Randy

[raycow]

There was a "Custom Appearance Option" which included cab trim plates, a bright metal grille and windshield molding, steering wheel with horn ring, chrome-trimmed control knobs, 2-tone door panels and dispatch box. I can see one of the trim plates in your pic, so that's likely what you have. All of this was separate from the "Custom Chrome Option".

Sorry, but I don't have any info on the beauty rings.

Ray

[aerotruk63]

No beauty rings on the rims in 66. There was a full wheel disk for 60-61.

[AslanRules]

Originally Posted by raycow

There was a "Custom Appearance Option" which included cab trim plates, a bright metal grille and windshield molding, steering wheel with horn ring, chrome-trimmed control knobs, 2-tone door panels and dispatch box. I can see one of the trim plates in your pic, so that's likely what you have. All of this was separate from the "Custom Chrome Option".

Sorry, but I don't have any info on the beauty rings.

Ray

Looks like you're right again !!!

Here's my bright metal grille and windshield molding:



Here's my steering wheel with horn ring, and my chrome-trimmed control knobs:



and my 2-tone door panels:



What the heck is a dispatch box?

The beauty rings are probably an add-on by the PO, along with the later-model hubcaps.

Would this option have had the painted hubcaps, or chrome hubcaps? Since I have to buy hubcaps (again), I want to get the correct ones this time.

Thanks again !!!!

Randy

[LILRED66]

Originally Posted by factorystock

The 4X4 info is incorrect for '60-'66 Chevy. The 2X4 and 4X4 used the same painting rules. However wrote this got confused with '67 and '68 models where this is true. GMC standardized on ivory white wheels starting in '62 for all exterior colors. Before that, '60 and '61, GMC wheel colors varied on both solid and tu tone pickups.The solid red pickup 2X4 has jet black (gloss black) wheels and the tu tone seamist green 4X4 has seamist green wheels.I challenge anyone else come up with a factory photo of a 4X4 tutone with black wheels.Except if the truck is black of course!

The information I have posted is direct from the Chevrolet Truck Sales Data Books, so I don't know about the GMC wheel colors. Also, I am not sure what takes precedence, printed information or color illustrations, but the Chevrolet printed information states:

Wheel Colors

Series 10-30--With all solid colors and the Black/Off-White 2-tone combination, wheels are painted black. With all other 2-tone combinations, wheels are painted the main body color.

Series 50-80--Wheels are painted black with all exterior colors.

For the 1964-1966 Chevrolet light-duty trucks, Suburbans & Panels, there is no reference to a Seamist Green, so I don't know what color wheels came with the trucks painted in Seamist Green.

[LILRED66]

Originally Posted by AslanRules

Looks like you're right again !!!

Here's my bright metal grille and windshield molding:



Here's my steering wheel with horn ring, and my chrome-trimmed control knobs:



and my 2-tone door panels:



What the heck is a dispatch box?

The beauty rings are probably an add-on by the PO, along with the later-model hubcaps.

Would this option have had the painted hubcaps, or chrome hubcaps? Since I have to buy hubcaps (again), I want to get the correct ones this time.

Thanks again !!!!

Randy

Hey Randy...nice truck. FYI, the body badges are '66 Chevy C10 badges in the correct location the upper front fender, however, the Custom chrome horn ring & horn assembly is specific to the '60-'65 Chevy trucks. Also, the Custom Comfort Option (RPO Z62) have the recessed ring around the inner door panels painted in Off-White, not the entire center portion. The dispatch box is aka, glove box, as is commonly referred to today.

[AslanRules]

Originally Posted by LILRED66

Hey Randy...nice truck. FYI, the body badges are '66 Chevy C10 badges in the correct location the upper front fender, however, the Custom chrome horn ring & horn assembly is specific to the '60-'65 Chevy trucks. Also, the Custom Comfort Option (RPO Z62) have the recessed ring around the inner door panels painted in Off-White, not the entire center portion. The dispatch box is aka, glove box, as is commonly referred to today.

Tony,

Thanks. I can't take credit for restoring it, but the PO did a pretty good job for a frequent-driver.

Thanks for the info from the Chevy Sales Book.

So........to keep my 66 as original as possible, I should lose the horn rim? Do I need an entire new steering wheel, or just take off the rim and put on a chrome bowtie horn button?

Re: door panels. I didn't paint the truck, but bought it from a nice old guy who restores cars & trucks as a hobby. This one was restored pretty well, but not with the intent to be a show-truck. I'm okay leaving the door trim panels as they are until it's time to repaint. But for future reference, ONLY the recessed "stripe" should be white?

Also......no arm rests.....and no evidence that they were EVER installed. What's the deal?

Never heard of a glove box being called a dispatch box....and I'm no spring chicken. Mine has no light in it and no locking knob.

Do you know which hubcaps would've been correct for this version? Normally I would think painted, but with the other chrome on the grille and windshield, I'm not sure.

Thanks for all the help.

Randy

[sixbangr]

you would need a diff. steering wheel. You have the delux wheel, worth about $150+ in nice shape. I would keep it .