[Jerry H.]

I'm with the majority. Spinners, and no white letters as they weren't available on GTO's until 1970 or so. I prefer the redlines, but could live with a thin whitewall, or even a blackwall!

[66beaumont]

spinners and white walls classy!!

[psw]

I like the thin white walls. Are those actually available?

psw

[65blackplate]

I vote for the spinners and red lines that's the best looking full wheel cover ever
the Cragars should be with blackwalls imo

[b-man]

These pics show some '65s with Hurst wheels and whitewalls, a similar look can be had with the Cragar SS wheels.

These early convertibles just beg for a set of whitewalls.

[aceaceca]

I got tired of all the replies but have to say I agree with most respondents that the regular white wall with the spinners looks the best to me. I get tired of all the poverty jobs, cragars, hursts, and american racing. I am going to go with spinners on my 65 but I like the 63 spinners with the curved knock off. Beaut car in the light blue. Not too common either. If your top is white even better.

[propuckstopper]

Originally Posted by Transporter

I think I actually like the wider white even better than the redline, and I usually love redlines. It's something about that color combo along with it being a convert, the car screams "cruiser", not "bruiser".

If it was a coupe or a different color I would probably go the other way, but I just really like the laid back look of the spinners and the whitewall.

This ^^^^

[Pecosbill]

Originally Posted by aceaceca

If your top is white even better.

Top is white. Haven't had it installed yet but I will post some pics when I do. It is really easier to work on the car when there's no roof!

[Pecosbill]

Originally Posted by psw

I like the thin white walls. Are those actually available?

psw

Yes, Coker tire has several different types including the Firestone Wide Oval bias ply tire in F70-14 size with a 3/8" whitewall. They also have various radials but the smallest whitewall I saw was 5/8".

[John V.]

[QUOTE=Pecosbill;5213221]Andre: Glad the top boot worked out okay. The velcro was a good idea that we could all probably use, since they all seem to spread out like that./QUOTE]

I also took note of what Andre did. I got my first '64 convert in '73, missing the boot. Pulled a black one at the junk yard even though interior was dark blue. At some point, I saw a '65 that had the snaps in the corner. I thought that made sense to cure that curled up corner. At the time my Dad had a brand new '72 Impala convert. IIRC, the corners on it were rounded and the boot fit snugly all the way around, much cleaner look.

Wish I kept the black one, 2nd '64 also came with no boot, but black interior. Could have used the old one.

Mine is Pinehurst Green built with Spinners and Whitewalls. As most know, a long way from done, but that is the way it will be one day. The Spinners look good IMO but it is one of those things that I always envied about the '65 having the Rally Wheel option, same as I always envied the '65 Rally Gauge option.

I agree the photo shopped Red Lines kinda popped, but seems to me original Red Lines were a deeper red and I'm not sure would look as "right" with your Blue.

Like dld, I did not like Cragar S/S wheels back in the '70s. Possibly because everybody had them and probably because I was jealous. But they have grown on me over the years because I view them as period correct. Not '64 so much but since I started driving in '72, and got the '64 in '73, they seem right to me for the era. Same for the RWL tires. Heck, I remember taking some sort of tire crayon to make the lettering on my blackwalls white. Never looked good, but I fell for the white letter tire look.

I can't help you make the choice, I'll like the car no matter what you go with.

Personally, I think RWL works best with the Cragars.

I think the original Whitewalls were a little too wide, has always struck me as dated looking vs. later narrower stripe whitewalls. But if you are doing factory correct...

I think I give a very slight edge to whitewalls over Red Lines with the Spinners.

I agree with rohrt and George K., the choice really depends on the look you want the car to exude.

From my perspective, the Spinners look more dated and are a factory correct look, the Cragars give it a fresher look.

But the "fresher" I'm talking about is the difference between 1964 and 1972.

1972 seems like just yesterday to me and much more modern than 1964. But to somebody born in 1985, I'm sure 1972 seems just as ancient as 1964.

Not everybody is going to see your car from the same perspective. So I think you should go with the look that fires you up the most.

And could be switching back and forth might be the best ticket.

One more thing, in '73 I was already a big fan of radial tires. I know I had them on the '64 and may have put them on the '63 Fury prior to that. When my Dad's '72 convert needed new tires, I recommended he switch from the factory bias ply tires to the fabric belted (pretty inexpensive) radials which he did and always had radials after that.

Since I plan to drive my GTO, I expect to put radials on it, that is one thing that won't be factory correct on mine. The radials also give it a different look especially since the ones I had back in the day were 70 series, so something else to consider.

[Pecosbill]

And, John V., the price of bias ply tires today is equal to if not more than a good set of radials. I have kicked that question around in my head a lot. Bias ply whitewalls or red lines would be period correct, just like the rest of the car. But the radials would make much more sense from a practical standpoint. But then again, so would have been the decision to put disc brakes on the front and I chose to go with drums to make it more original.

My first 64 was a Lemans convertible the same color as the one I have restored. I bought it back in 1970 for $420. After a year I saved up enough to get a set of "Daytona Sport 70" white letter tires and a friend found me a used set of chrome reverse wheels and, man, was that car the stuff! Most of my friends were running those Firestone Wide Oval RWL tires, but the raised letters were very small. They were all jealous when I showed up with the Daytonas!

[Dick Boneske]

Radial tires improved the driveablility of my '64 GTO more than any other update--by far. I first put them on my '62 Grand Prix in the late '70's, which quickly convinced me radials are far superior to bias ply tires.

Radials offer better traction, especially on wet or ice or snow-covered roads, better braking, better handling, and much longer life than bias ply tires.

The only place that bias ply tires make sense is on a trailer queen where originality is necessary.

[Pecosbill]

You are right, Dick. What was I thinking?!! This car will be no means be a trailer queen. While it will be show worthy, I restored this car for me to drive and enjoy. I just wanted the car to be "all 1964" so I could see what a brand new 1964 was like. So far, I'm really liking it, too.

[geeteeohguy]

Spinners and whitewalls. If the '64 spinners came on a '65, that's what I would run. They look great, and are '64 only. Keep 'em!

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Pecosbill

I have kicked that question around in my head a lot. Bias ply whitewalls or red lines would be period correct, just like the rest of the car. But the radials would make much more sense from a practical standpoint. But then again, so would have been the decision to put disc brakes on the front and I chose to go with drums to make it more original.

When confronted with this as my '64 was nearing completion back in 1994 - I struggled with this too. I wanted redlines - but at that time they didn't make a radial redline anymore (Uniroyal made some back in the late 80's very early 90's). I needed some tires because what was on the car during the restoration was just the mismatched tires that were on it when I bought it.



A friend had a '67 GTO with whitewalls wheel covers and he found a set of Hurst rims. He didn't have anyplace to store the original 14x6's with the whitewalls - so he gave them to me (keeping his original wheel covers as I had already located some NOS poverty caps.

So when my car left the body shop it had some old Goodyear 215/75/14's WW's on it.

Fast forward to the spring of '95 and I really wanted to put new tires on it - and they still weren't making reproduction redline radials. But I stumbled into the last set of Uniroyal 215/65/15 redline radials in the state of Wisconsin. Got a heckuva deal on them - $65.00 each mounted and balanced. I had to buy a set of 15x7" rims - but they still worked with my poverty caps - and most people never noticed the difference (including 2 POCI meets where I took a 2nd in 1996 and a 1st in 2001 in the '64 GTO stock class).

I now run the poverty caps with NOS GM trim rings (the rare dealer installed option...) and redlines. Current tire size is 235/60 in the front and 255/60 in the rear.

[Pecosbill]

Originally Posted by The Champ

A friend had a '67 GTO with whitewalls wheel covers and he found a set of Hurst rims. He didn't have anyplace to store the original 14x6's with the whitewalls - so he gave them to me (keeping his original wheel covers as I had already located some NOS poverty

Do you still have the 14" x 6.00 rims? If so, would they be for sale?

[b-man]

They even manage to add a touch of class to my sorry-looking unfinished '64 LeMans convertible.

Arguably the nicest-looking Pontiac wheel cover ever produced.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Pecosbill

Do you still have the 14" x 6.00 rims? If so, would they be for sale?

I gave them to a friend that had a '61 Chev Bubbletop with 14x5" rims. I can find you some 14x6's if you want, but as I posted earlier, the net cost after shipping makes brand new rims from Summit an excellent value.

[Pecosbill]

Originally Posted by The Champ

I gave them to a friend that had a '61 Chev Bubbletop with 14x5" rims. I can find you some 14x6's if you want, but as I posted earlier, the net cost after shipping makes brand new rims from Summit an excellent value.

10-4 that. I was trying to stay original to the extent possible. I'll probably go with the Summit rims.

[Andre]

Come on Bill.... You got this far using only original... Don't cave in now!!! I'd say that with more emphasis if I had the correct code 14x6 rims for your car. :-)