Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to Frequently Asked Questions for First Generation Firebirds that have been asked and answered on FGF. Special thanks needs to be given to all the FGF members who took the time to respond to other member's questions.
Wheels, Brakes, and Axle - Rims and Components
Short answer: You can run 15×7 wheels front and rear, but choose front tires carefully (a 235/60-15 might rub at full lock). These cars came with 14×6 (and optional 14×7); many members run 15×7 or 16×7, some 8″ in the rear. The bigger you go, the more critical offset and tire size become — measure your car.
Fit check: a tire must not touch the control arms/frame inside or the wheel lip outside, even at full suspension compression and full steering lock. Measure your wheel’s backspacing, then with the wheel off and the car’s weight on the lower control arm, use a straight-edge plus a cardboard “T” cut to your tire’s section width (offset for backspacing) to see where it would interfere at full lock and through suspension travel. Allow ~0.25–0.5″ for deflection.
Rebuilt Rally IIs (old centers welded to new rims, powder-coated) are available from Wheel Vintiques (Fresno, CA, 209-251-6957) in 14×6 to 15×10 and custom offsets — with trim rings, caps, and lugs; pricing through Summit or Jegs is a bit better than direct.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: All 1967–69 (and early 1970) Pontiac Rally II caps are black centers with red letters (PMD). Late 1970 and 1971–72 switched to red centers with black letters; 1973 went to polished aluminum with the Pontiac arrowhead.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: For a 1968 Firebird with factory disc brakes, the correct Rally II code is “JC” — the same as drum brakes. You do not need a special disc-brake wheel. (The “JA” you were quoted is the GTO disc code, not the Firebird’s.)
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: The 1968 Custom Trim option (554) included: Custom seat covers (Morrokide + stitched knit vinyl), custom molded door and quarter trim panels, the assist bar above the glovebox, dual horns, deluxe wheel covers, deluxe steering wheel, custom pedal trim, front & rear wheel-opening moldings, drip-rail moldings (coupes), and windshield-pillar garnish moldings.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: For a 1968 Firebird with disc brakes, the correct Rally II wheel code is “JC” (the same as drum brakes) — per the 1968 Service Manual, 1968 Parts Book, broadcast sheet, and verified original cars. The widespread “JA for disc” claim is a technical error carried over from the 1967–68 GTO / 1967 Firebird.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: Original-match Rally II paint codes (use lacquer, not enamel — the factory finish wasn’t very shiny):
| Section | Color | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Front (outer rim & spokes) | Non-smudge Aluminum | DDL-8568 |
| Front (center) | Wheel Cover Charcoal | DDL-32947 |
| Rear (alternate, close match) | 1977 Ford Dove Gray | 2847 |
The “Rear” color also has a Ditzler mixing formula:
#475 6 Units #490 106 Units #400 272 Units #487 442 Units #415 447 Units #476 457 Units #491 477 Units #495 497 Units #499 1000 Units
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: The cap has 3 clips that snap into the round center hole, plus 3 more that fit the 3 notches on the older (larger-hole) wheels to keep it from rotating. On the newer small-hole wheels those 3 positioning clips just don’t engage — the cap still snaps in fine. (Year One’s catalog has a good rear-view drawing, plus locking caps to deter theft.)
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: Not ideal — the JA (GTO) wheel offsets inward ~1/8–1/4″ per wheel, narrowing your Firebird’s track. Better to trade the JAs to a Tempest/LeMans/GTO owner and find the correct JC wheels (unless you’re stepping up to 7″ wheels).
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: Rally II wheels came in 30–40 varieties — the only way to know what you have is the two-letter code at the valve stem (that’s the WHEEL code the parts book uses: rim + center + offset). A code stamped inside the rim is just the rim type; the larger center hole is a non-issue (caps fit), but offset matters.
- 1968: JC = Firebird, JA = Tempest/LeMans/GTO. Later (1971–74) Ventura II wheels have different offsets.
- 14×7 examples: JK = 1969 Firebird/Grand Prix, JM = 1970 (same, exc. Trans Am), JS = 1971, KS = 1972. The 1970 Trans Am had a special deep-dish wheel that takes no trim ring.
- Offsets here run ~4″ to 4.5″ backspacing — fine as long as you don’t go crazy on tire size. A 14×6 is limited to about a 225/60-14 (a 215/60-14 fits a bit better; a 70-series gives a taller tire).
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: One member’s assembly-line method for stripping Rally wheels (he’s done 30 at a time):
- Get two plastic garbage cans with a bottom a bit larger than the wheels.
- From a pool-supply store, get industrial-strength muriatic acid; from the hardware store, spray-on paint remover (gets into cracks better than brush-on).
- Stand the wheel in a can and spray front, back, and inner rim with paint remover — the can contains the spray and concentrates the fumes to soften paint (up to 3 wheels at once).
- When the paint bubbles, pressure-wash clean.
- Move to the second “tank” of muriatic acid + water; submerge no more than 2 hours to dissolve rust (heavier rust means a bad wheel anyway).
- Pressure-wash, then mist with OSPHO (or similar etch/rust converter); remove after a few minutes before it dries.
- Blow dry with compressed air — especially the rim-to-center seam, where trapped solution creeps out during painting. Store or paint once fully dry.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: The original early Rally II (and some Rally I) trim ring — GM #9781480 (brushed) or #475019 (polished), both 4-clip 14×6 — was discontinued years ago and sets fetch up to ~$500. Several reproductions exist but vary in clip design, outer-ridge profile, finish, and fit, so quality is hit-or-miss.
Any proposed updates, changes, pictures, and/or corrections, please use our comment section below (may need to click on permalink to access comments feature). Information is subject to change and offered as is without any warranties or guarantees. Please review our Term's Of Use for more information.
Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: Whether a wide wheel/tire fits depends on backspacing and tire size, and every car differs slightly — so measure rather than guess. Factory 14×7 and 15×7 wheels are ~4″ backspacing; on a wider wheel, keeping 4″ pushes the extra width outboard, while more backspacing (e.g., 4.5–5″) splits it inboard.
- One member measured ~5″ of usable backspacing on his 1968 and fit a 265/50R-15 (8″ wheel) without it sticking out — no rubbing on new stock-replacement 5-leaf springs/KYB shocks (rear sat ~3″ high, hoping to settle).
- A 275/50-15 (~10.8″ wide) would protrude past the wheel opening and need the car raised. Watch tire height too: a 275/50-15 is ~25.8″ tall vs. a 275/60-15 at ~28″.
- Measure method: pull a wheel and measure backspacing; remount and measure inside/outside clearance (allow ~1/2″ for axle side-play plus up/down movement). Likely contact points: the top of the inner wheelhouse, the leaf spring, and the lower shock mount. The result tells you how much wider you can go and what backspacing you need.
Any proposed updates, changes, pictures, and/or corrections, please use our comment section below (may need to click on permalink to access comments feature). Information is subject to change and offered as is without any warranties or guarantees. Please review our Term's Of Use for more information.
Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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