Wheel color 1962 K1000 GMC Suburban

[Ledslinger]

My 1962 GMC K1000 Suburban with Deluxe (base level) trim, was originally ordered by the University of Missouri Geology Department, and used at their field camp in Wyoming. I was attending field camp there in 1978 when it was offered for sale in a silent auction. I won and am the second owner and very little on this truck isn't as orginal. The paint is original, except for the front left fender and hood replaced in a wreck at some point.

It has the 17.5" wheel option, and I have always assumed it was ordered that way. I inquired about wheel color on the 60-66 GMC forum and several responders thought the wheels should be white. I have cleaned and repainted several of the wheels over the years, and it is obvious to me they have never been anything other than black.

One responder to my wheel color thread suggested that maybe the original 15" or 16" wheels were replaced at some point with the 17.5" wheels since they are black. I suppose its possible that in an attempt to facilitate off road performance or ground clearance, a local dealer may have suggested replacing with the bigger wheels, and the set of replacement wheels werent white like factory installed ones. This is of course all speculation based on some vehemence that the wheels should be white.

My Suburban is very early 1962 production and possibly an optional wheelset didn't get painted white as maybe standard or later production wheels would have been.

[cwcarpenter98]

I could be wrong on this, probably am, but I thought all the base model trucks for 60-66 got black wheels. The two tone paint option made the wheels body color as well


*EDIT*

Yup, I was wrong

[60-66]

Only Chevrolet received Black wheels or Body color wheels . 1960-1966 GMCs however almost always had White wheels as a standard feature with both solid or two tone bodies. The exception is 1960 and 1961 where Black trucks received green wheels and I think theres one other color Im forgetting for 60-61. 1962 Your GMC could very well have come with the 17.5 wheel and again , it was white. Love to see the truck and hope you have the hubcaps !

[60-66]

My K1000 panel I restored with it’s original 17.5 wheels

[60-66]

Only factory photo I could find at the moment of a 1962 gmc K1000 , white wheels. This one has the heavy duty lock ring wheels.

[Ledslinger]

"Love to see the truck and hope you have the hubcaps !"

60-66- Never seen any hubcaps and due to how rare they are, I doubt I'll ever have any.

[Ledslinger]

It appears black wheels indicate dealer installed 17.5" wheel option. They've been black during the nearly 45 years I've owned the truck, and it would be weird for them to be white, so black they'll stay.

[60-66]

1961 and 1962 GMC K1000 with original 17.5s

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by Ledslinger

This is of course all speculation based on some vehemence that the wheels should be white.

My Suburban is very early 1962 production and possibly an optional wheelset didn't get painted white as maybe standard or later production wheels would have been.

Data Books are the most accurate source of info, and 60-66 has many of them, and is one of the most knowledge person in the 60-66 hobby. GMC standardized on Ivory White wheels starting the '62 model year. Exceptions to this rule, special fleet order paint job or wheels were swapped out after it left the assembly line. We don't sling bull here.

[60-66]

GMC Data book on wheel paint

[60-66]

Page from a 1962 GMC data book

[Ledslinger]

Pulled the tires off the front of my truck and there's no indication the wheels were ever white. One of the wheels had some high spot wear on the inside from a tube being installed at some point. This wear through the paint would be a good indicator of layers of color, if white rims were white between the beads.

If when I pull the back tires off there is any indication the wheels were ever white, I'll paint them white. I'm pretty sure they were always black, and since the vehicle original owner was a university geology department, there is little logic in anyone repainting the wheels.

I suppose the best explanation as offered, is that the original base 15" wheels, or optional 16" wheels were found lacking in some regard. Either traction off road or ground clearance, and a set of 17.5" wheels were ordered through dealer replacement parts source. Possibly these wheels arrived black and there was no reason to repaint them. Or someone decided the truck should have this option and installed them before delivery.

If my truck has dealer installed 17.5" wheel option, that is part of its history, and I will keep that history.

Was cleaning the front wheels and spare wheel for painting today, and noticed the date codes on them. The spare was from 1965, and the two fronts were both 9 of 1961. All three wheels are black - front, back and between the beads. The September 1961 date code seems potientially consistent with being factory installed on an early 1962 production vehicle.
The 1965 date coded wheel being black could be evidence that wheels sourced through parts channels came black.

Are white GMC wheels also white between the beads and on the back or are they just white on the outside?