69Z trim rings - late build car

[enio45]

i have a 10D (late 69) build car - which trim rings were installed at that time?   

I see the 4 clip rings or the small  inside clips as possibilities. 

Any advise is appreciated

[BlackoutSteve]

Thought the only the 4 clip were GM and the small clips that continue right around the ring were repro..?

[enio45]

Heck, i dont know either, thats why im asking??  I'm confused as to the correct assembly line issued trim rings!!

[68camaroz28]

i have a 10D (late 69) build car - which trim rings were installed at that time?  

I see the 4 clip rings or the small  inside clips as possibilities.  

Any advise is appreciated

Realize its not a Z but have a late 10D SS350 survivor car other than repaint and the trim rings have 4 clips. All orig. trim rings that I have ever seen are 4 clip.

[Steve Shauger]

i have a 10D (late 69) build car - which trim rings were installed at that time?   

I see the 4 clip rings or the small  inside clips as possibilities. 

Any advise is appreciated

On later Z's the second design trim rings were used. The transition from 4 clip to the internal(second design ) occurred late june/july time frame. Your car would have come with the internal clip trim rings. 

[enio45]

Thanks for the info steve.....are they avail today new gm or elsewhere?  I need a new set of 4 if you know where to get them.   

I assume the second design your talking about is the 4 small clips rivited toward the center of the height of the trim ring. 

[tmodel66]

Chick I sent you a PM

[Steve Shauger]

Thanks for the info steve.....are they avail today new gm or elsewhere?  I need a new set of 4 if you know where to get them.   

I assume the second design your talking about is the 4 small clips rivited toward the center of the height of the trim ring. 

I believe they are GM part# 9796696. Here is a link to a set on camaros.net  http://www.camaros.net/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=44141&cat=all

[BULLITT65]

I have a unrestored 69Z 08C car that came with 3 trim rings of the outer clip design, and 1 with later style small finger design. Is it possible that they were transitioning to the new design at this point?

[enio45]

the view is the late june / july timeframe is the transition timeperiod - however, with transition, nothing is cast in stone.....so very possible or possible a change at the dealer for some reason??

[lynnbilodeau]

My late 08A car only had two trim rings left when I got it in 1976.  They both have the outer four clips.

[69Z28-RS]

and my 09C Z car had the 4-clip trim rings when I purchased it in '76..  on the original wheels....?

[69pace]

Even if your vehicle came from the factory with original designed clips on the rings, they may have been changed out by the dealer on a regular service visits. As explained to me by a longtime GM parts manager...

The original clip design was the subject of an Federal safety recall for all GM vehicles using them. The original design clips were prone to failure and the rings then would disengaged from the wheel rims on highways at speed, or in turns such as intersections, causing accidents, loss of life and personal property damages. Several owners were killed as they were hit by vehicles in traffic retrieving their rings on the side of the road. 

As a result of the federal mandate, GM quietly redesigned the ring clips to the second more aggressive design and these new clip rings were phased into factory production, but for existing vehicle owners these were implemented as part of an low-key GM safety service recall.  This recall campaign was not well publicized to owners if at all, and relied on dealership service managers processing paperwork as vehicles returned to the dealership for normal servicing, the rings were to be swapped out free of charge. Grody Chevrolet in my town at one point had a small store room on the second floor by the sign tower with new rings on one side arranged neatly in wheel sizes and the already recalled rings on the other side just in a heap on the floor.  Some dealerships were better at these types of recalls then others - still the case today.

While I have my original rings in deep storage I use a set of second design on my rims since they are near impossible to remove without tools, the originals you can pop off with ease.

[69Z28-RS]

in the late '70's, for a short period of time, I ran 8" Corvette wheels and F60 BFG tires on my '69 Z28..  

I purchased new 8" wheels and trim rings from Chevrolet (local dealer in Huntsville, AL).    The trim rings I purchased were/are the 4-clip design, same as the earlier wheels, and same as which were on my Z28!

If these type of trim rings were deemed unsafe for 6", and 7" wide wheels, WHY weren't they also recalled (and NOT sold anew) for the 8" Corvette wheels???   (Note, I still have those 'almost new' Corvette trim rings, in the original boxes they were in when purchased).   Since the fronts scrubbed my inner fenders and actually damaged one of my wheel lip mouldings on my '69 Z28., the 8" wheels came off pretty soon after installing them;  I put the 8" trim rings back in their original boxes and kept them..  I probably have the receipt somewhere for when I purchased them in the late '70's...

[69pace]

As I said it was a low key recall with no real enforcement. Factory supplies of the old rings were used up and new stock phased in. Several folks have claimed that their factory ring sets are a mis-mash of first and second design, which I can see happening as rings were just pulled from supply bins.  As far as service and counter parts go, Grody had a large supply but did a high volume of Camaro, Chevelle and Corvettes in the late sixties so "OMG" - "Old Man Grody" liked to do the right thing and participated in the recall actively swapping rings. I recall my Uncle who was parts manager had one new ring on display at the counter for a long time.

As for other dealerships, rings already out in the natural world were not recalled, but were expected to be exchanged with new stock dealerships ordered as part of the exchange campaign but again not required by GM. The stack of exchanged rings was upstairs for years so I don't think GM expected them to be returned for scrapping. To be noted that the reduced inventory of new design rings up there also was there for a long time after the recall was long forgotten. The set you bought could have been on the rack at your dealership for years already by the time you purchased them.  I still have the original boxes my second design rings came in and they are dated 1971, but I purchased the rings in 1982. With such a low turnover item such as these rings, it is believable that they all had a very long shelf life until GM stopped producing them and the supplies dried up.

I have bought three other sets since 1982 for other peoples projects, and one as a gift and all but one set have been GM NOS in the same or similar boxes as mine. The third set I picked up used on eBay for cheap without boxes. All three sets were second design.