I recently bought a '63 Impala that has aftermarket wheels on it, and I want to install the correct wheels. Are there any identifying features that I should look for to insure I buy the right ones?

If you want the origial rims for a passenger car they have the large cooling slots and are 5" wide between the bead
If you plan on installing radial tires I would suggest getting the Station wagon wheels. They are 6" wide and will better handle a radial tire. Once the wheel covers are installed the rim width would not be detectable.
The wheels were the same from 1959-1964 full sized cars.

How long and wide are the large cooling slots?

Bill, When was your car built? Mid '63 Chevy added a safety bead to the rim of the wheel.

Verne

Gene and Verne, thank you for replying. I have been out of town for a few days. Verne, the car is stored in a town about an hour from my house, and it will be several days before I can go there to look at the cowl tag.

Bill, If you have the registration or the title, send me the VIN and I can tell you when it was built.

Verne

Verne, I sent you a PM.

Bill,
Your car was built near the end of April which was before the change to the safety bead wheels. That will actually make it easier for you to find correct ones. I'm working on a photo for you of the correct wheel.
Prior to the safety bead style, the rim was smooth as it left the bead area until the big drop into the center of the wheel. The safety bead is a small indentation, maybe 3/8" wide about an inch away from the bead area. It made a bump or a lip on the inside of the wheel so that in case of a blowout, the bead would catch on it and not work itself into the center of the wheel and cause extreme handling problems.

Verne

Thank you, Verne.

Bill,
This is what the rim should look like on the correct wheels for your car. Notice that it is smooth until the step-up.


Here is a pic of the whole wheel.


It should be stamped 14X5 on the inside



This blue wheel is to show you the difference on a safety bead wheel. Notice the indent before the step-up.. Also an inside view.




You should also be aware that the '59-'61 wheels have 4 bumps on the outer edge to hold the hub caps. '62 & '63 wheels do not have those 4 bumps. Make sure the rim is smooth all the way around, with no bumps.

Verne

Thank you very much, Verne. Those pictures are very helpful.

Vern, a little confused..you say the 63 shouldn't have 4 bumps but the photo you show has 3 bumps….should the correct one have 3 bumps or no bumps?? Thx. I have a 64 that was delivered to me in Oct. 63…do you have a photo of my correct wheel? thx. I know I traded the originals long time ago…Billu38

The confusion is that the 3 bumps you're talking about are on the hub for the small hub cap. I was referring to 4 little bumps that are on the edge of the rim to hold '59-'61 full wheel covers. Those wheels covers had a smooth rolled lip that snapped over those little "nubs" to hold them on. Starting in '62 the wheel covers had little pointy fingers all the way around that grabbed into the smooth metal of the rim. (and scratched up the paint something awlful!)
The correct wheels for your '64 would look like the tan wheel but have the safety bead like is shown on the blue wheel. I'll check a '64 wheel later today to make sure everything else is exactly like the tan wheel.

Verne

Vern, hate to so dense…and I understand the "bumps" issue but any chance you can put an arrow on the photo of the blue wheel showing the safety "lip" thx. Billu38

I checked a '64 wheel and it is exactly as the same as the tan wheel, except with the safety bead. I'm not talented enough to add arrows, but if you look at the blue wheel, see about 1" below the edge of the rim there will be an impression about 3/8" wide, just before the step up to the hub. The photo that shows the inside of the wheel shows a raised bead of the same width. That is the safety bead that showed up in production about the end of May '63.
As for the other 4 "nubs" I mentioned, here is a sample. Look about 4" to the right of the valve stem and you will see it. There are 4 of them, evenly spaced to hold on the full wheel covers on '59-'61s. '62-'64 wheels do not have these.

Verne

Gotcha! Thanks for the clarification…BillU38

Verne, at the Charlotte Auto Fair this past Saturday, I saw a '63 station wagon that had a small hole in the hub area of the wheels, and today on eBay, I saw this wheel that has the same small hole. Do you know why the small hole is there?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/14x6-JK-409...ries&hash=item4ad37084b1&vxp=mtr

Bill, I don't know the purpose of that small hole, but none of the original 63 or 64 wheels I've seen had that hole. It might have come later on replacement wheels.
Most of the original wheels were made by Kelsey Hayes, but there were 2 other companies that produced wheels. One was NT (Norris Technologies) and I forget the other right now. Perhaps one of those manufacturers used the small hole. The one on the ebay listing appears to have the KH logo, so that's why I suspected a later made wheel.

Verne

Thanks, Verne. You are teaching me quite a bit about these wheels.