64 Wood Wheel - How its Made
 

Check back periodically, I will be showing you how its made....


http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/u...lSpokes001.jpg

Cruel torture. Is anyone now making the center horn plastic emblem? I had originally bought one from Ames years ago, tried to glue it on, and the glue i used dissolved the paint on the back side!
It's great to hear that you are doing this. It takes some risk to put the money out there upfront. I am currently doing a similar thing, trying to reproduce a non automotive antique tool that is even a bit more involved in some respects. It will be on a limited run basis.

Step one: make the bends
 

I designed the tooling for this process. It actually leaves marks on the back side in the same place as the original. Initial bend radius and spring back allowance (ie bend angle) were the most difficult aspects of designing the tooling. It turned out great, though. I can take this piece and lay it on top of an original and the angles and radii line up perfectly.

Yes, I am! (as well as Ames) Mine will have all matching letters in P O N T I A C, The "T" won't be too short. And the lines of the "V" shaped arrow head will be well defined and not too thick. It should look exactly like the original if all goes well.

Yours does look like original , i have my original and the better of the 2 repo. medallions on the market . Top notch part , looks great ! It would be nice if most of the other repo. parts were as nice as yours .

Step two: Finish spokes
 

Next step is to apply a finish to the spokes. Brushed on the front, chamfered edges.

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/u...0Wheel/101.jpg

Is this CHad.. If so, Hi, it's Bill Ryder! How is the wheel coming?

So far so good! I am excited to get this on the market!

You're at the right place. A lot of GTO people reside here. I only signed up a couple days ago and I've chatted with friends I haven't seen in 15-20 years. Your wheel does look GOOD, I wasn't kidding!!

Coming from one who owns a NOS 64 wood wheel, that is very valuable feedback. Thank you.

Remember, it was "out of the box" 20+ years ago!!

I've been following this thread with great interest, and behaving myself - until now!

(lol)

I was going through some parts my friend left me, and found one I thought you all might be interested in...

This is the "wood wheel" that was installed when he purchased his 1960 MG "A" -

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_0060.jpg

:focus:

I'll have some questions later, and I'm anxiously waiting to see how the rim portion is created and attached.

K

That is interesting. Looks like it had inspiration from the aviation realm.

As does the Pontiac wheel. I noticed when I look at the collar, spokes, and horn button from the side, they remind me of a propeller and nose cone on an aircraft. No doubt there are some aviation influences in the design.

The 64 Wood wheel in my opinion was the finest early wheel offered on the GTOs. Chuck Roberts put on on his 65 GTO and it looked great.

Watching the progress of the build of a wheel with great interest even though I have a original Wood Wheel on my car from 1 1964 2+2 Catalina. My 64 GTO Wood Wheel was stolen years ago.

Keep up the great work.

Tom Vaught

Thanks, Tom. I'm getting closer!

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/u...-up-of-pro.jpg

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/u...IMG_9616-1.jpg

Ever wonder what the mold looks like to make the emblem?
 

Step 3 and 4:

Roll a ring out of steel rod and weld it to the spokes.

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/u...G_1811-1-1.jpg

Hi, wheelman

Does this have the same bolt pattern as Vette or Camaro ? Looks very nice.

Thanks,

I don't think so, but I might be able to design a custom hub for other applications. Let me know if your interested.

How about a hub for the real wood Grant wheels?

BTW... your products look awesome. Great work. :thumbup:

Thanks, I suppose I could redesign the grant hub into a billet stainless piece. That would be pretty cool. You'd still have to use the Grant horn button though.

I was hoping you could make something better than what Grant has so we could use the Pontiac emblem like what's in the original horn buttons on the original Pontiac steering wheels. Thanks tho...

I could design a Grant type horn button that would accept an original emblem. Your talking about the 65-68 emblem like this one?

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/u...idth475s-1.jpg

Yep, that's the one. Sure would look more original with a better horn button and that emblem. If you can do it you've already got one sold. ;)

Looks pretty cool just like that...

K

Just a thought
 

Instead of the ring, do a chrome chain and watch the sales go through the roof!
Seriously - You're doing some awesome work! Can't wait to see the finished product.

PS - Your website and pics are first class also!

Tho not much to hang on to. LOL

It would also be nice wrapped like the T/A and Formula steering wheels.... Leather. 64, you could vary your final product and appeal to all sorts of muscle car ans classics owners.

I like the '64 wood wheel so much more than the rediculous very deep '66 wood wheel.

Glad to see all the comments. Any other ideas for adapting to other applications? Buick, Olds, ???

64 Buick Wheel not yet reproduced. Different spokes, but it appears the construction, plastic mold would be the same.

Unfortunately the 64 Chevelle wheel is already reproduced:

I like the looks of the Buick wheel too. I think the same vendor made these as well as the Chevelle, Corvair, and Corvette wood wheels. They are all constructed pretty much the same.

I was reading on a Chevelle forum that a lot of people are not happy with the texture or total lack of texture with the Chevelle reproduction. Here is what a NOS 64 Corvette wheel looks like

http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/u...ee99_1_sbl.jpg

Who made all these wheels originally?
 

The construction of all the GM spoked wheels in the 60's cars seem to be by the same manufacture. Does anyone know who this was? Below are pics of my original 65-66 Corvette teakwood wheel (with 63-64 horn button) that I acquired back in 1975 which shows the same spoke finish, chamfering, etc. as the beautiful 64 Pontiac wheel in this thread.

This particular wheel made of such hard wood would splinter like glass in a crash doing major harm to the driver which was the main reason for it's demise.

I'd love to just talk to someone who worked in the plant that made these.

Are there layers of laminated wood sandwiched between the front and back (grips) ?

Makes me wonder whats on the inside. Flat steel ring? or just wood all the way through?

This looks like something I could do too. I doubt if anyone is making these in real wood are they?

better hurry and find one......... LOL

I think the repro teak has been done
 

Do a google on teakwood wheels. I think they reproduced this wheel years ago but I have no idea of the quality.
Nothing like the OEM example!

Hey Chad
Larry Banks here. I started a thread after our exchanged EM's last month
telling me of this project. I am glad you posted as ,after my thread, I got a lot of PM's asking for pictures, and,if you recall, you gave me a code to use to find the pics, and I couldn't give it out to strangers, I assume I was correct in doing this?? Great to see you have covered my problem. lol.
My friend and former GTOAA Tech advisor, Steve Lucas, had an interview years ago, with a man who worked in the factory that made these great wheels.It was published in our local club newsletter ,and maybe elsewhere. It was an interview conducted on a long train ride if I recall correctly. Very cool and informative. If you want to get in touch with Steve about this, send me a PM and I will give you his contact info. Larry Banks

I also have an NOS 64 wood wheel. I have two 64 GTO's under restoration. I recently bolted the NOS one on one of the cars that's 75 percent done. For the other I have an original but cracked wood wheel I was going to use lacking anything better. But now if you get this repro done.... I'll have a nice one for that car too.

Step 5: Mold the plastic onto the wheel
 

This is how it looks when it comes out of the mold.

That is remarkable work!

Great thread!

So 64woodwheel, have you approved it, or still making mods?

Have you determined how many you are going to make in the first run? Can I get on a reserve list?

Chad, that looks excellent. Did that wood wheel that was with a 64 GP (Sunfire Red)

go with that car sale(eBay), or did you keep it as a samle for dimensions, etc.? Larry B.

The GP wheel stayed here. It was the "workhorse" for the dimensions. I took hundreds of measurements from that wheel and a few from my '65 take off and compared. The GP wheel had plenty of scratches here and there already so a few more from various measuring devises didn't bother me. I am using my take off for color matching the plastic.

PM sent