I am having trouble finding replacement trim rings that match the design of my current trim rings. My current ones are 'flatter' with their angles and are fairly shallow compared to replacements that I have looked at from NPD. The valve stem is a cutout from the inner edge on my trim rings. The cutout on the latest ones I've ordered is fully within the trim ring.
Anyone know either where to get my style or what I need to be ordering? (Replacement ones shown here are the NPD C-5871-57A 15x2 1/2)
Mine:
Latest order:
1968 Firebird 400 Convertible Original: Engine, Intake manifold, Heads, Body, Stereo, 3.08. THM400. Engine rebuilt by Ken Keefer early 2012. New: Holley 4bbl 670 HP, hidden iPod setup, RobbMC mini starter, A/C, front disc brakes
There is a guy on Ebay that claims he gets the ones made by the same manufacturer as the GM ones. Been tempted to buy, but they are a little high for an experiment.
I'm currently trying to find 15" rings similar to the 14" ones that came on the car. Same issues. Hokie, do you have a link to that E-bay seller? There seems to be hundreds of them when you do a simple seardh.
Yup, also trying to find 15" style to match mine...
I just looked at my PHS - I only see 14" wheels on there... One of my tire pairs is P235/60R15 (and the other pair is also a 15) - So this means I have aftermarket Rally II's that are 15", correct? Which also means that I need 15" x 6/7/8? trim rings?
Since I want to stay with the look I have now, which is the non-completely enclosed hole for the valve stem, it seems my options are limited. Here are some findings:
I just searched and realized his ad has changed a little. He used to list JA and JC as the correct applications. I am pretty sure this is the same guy but I am not sure these will fit a JA or JC.
That is the same seller that I bought my JA/JC 14x6 trim from about 5-6 years ago. But they did not look like that. I'd say he has a new manufacturer that is not as good as the previous one. The ones I bought years ago were a dead match for original, except they were bright chrome rather than brushed. They went from $175 a set to $325 a set almost overnight. I remember conversing with him and he was grumbling about how much his cost had gone through the roof. This must be the result.
I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure. I feel like I am diagonally parked in a parallel universe. 1968 400 convertible (Scarlet) 1976 T/A - 455 LE (No Burt) 1976 T/A New baby, starting full restoration. 1968 350 - 4 speed 'vert - 400 clone (the Beast!) 1968 350 convertible - Wife's car now- 400 clone (Aleutian Blue) (Blue Angel) 2008 Durango - DD 2008 GXP - New one from NH is AWESOME! 2017 Durango Citadel - Modern is nice! HEMI is amazing! 1998 Silverado Z71 - Father-daughter project 1968 400 coupe - R/A clone (Blue Pearl) (sold) 1967 326 convertible - Sold 1980 T/A SE Bandit - Sold
The shape on those trim rings look close to the original but based on the research I did a few years ago, I believe the valve stem cutout should be a slot on the originals, not a hole like he shows.
I ended up purchasing the PY RPW38 trim rings. They were said to be accurate and also appeared to be very close to the originals I had pictures of from a POCI perfect gold award 400 point '68. The shape, valve stem slot, brushed chrome look looked real good. The clip, which is hidden, is said to be different from the original.)
Looking at my first photo in this post - and knowing that I have 15" Rally II's - can someone lend an opinion as to whether or not they think that these would be the same?
Spoke with Ames. They pulled the product and examined. No luck. (BTW - FT210F has a photo of trim rings that look like mine... but in reality, they are quite different - the valve stem has a hole instead of a slot)
Still searching...
1968 Firebird 400 Convertible Original: Engine, Intake manifold, Heads, Body, Stereo, 3.08. THM400. Engine rebuilt by Ken Keefer early 2012. New: Holley 4bbl 670 HP, hidden iPod setup, RobbMC mini starter, A/C, front disc brakes