Road Wheel coding

[71383bee]

I's in the process of cleaning up the road wheels on the Challenger.  I unfortunately cant find a broadcast sheet so i am unable to fully confirm that they are original to the car.  But i got a good feeling that they MAY be the original ones. 

In the pics below i was able to find the following info:

On the inside of one rim where the tire would be:

F 14x6-JJ 2 (upside down G?)
883 M4 over 3 Made in the usa 3 with a circle on it

On the outside wheel lip under the trim ring by the valve stem:

3580065
stamped pentastar 9 9

for the other rim:

F 14x6-JJ 1 (upside down G)
883 M4 over 3 Made in the USA 1 with a circle on it

Outside:

3580065
stamped pentastar 9 9

Any ideas on deciphering?  The F 14x6 is straightforward.  I'm wondering if the 883 code is the build date.  That would may make sense as the 88th day of 1973 which would be March 29th.  My SPD is 319 which is earlier but i thought the date wasn't always the exact day the car was made. 

Anyways any help is appreciated. 

 

[6bblgt]

e-bodies only used 14x5.5" ROAD wheels

the  stampings by the valve stem are the month & day * 9     9 = September 9th
the M4/3 = Motorwheel Corp. plant #4 1973

..... you have a pair of 9/9/73 14x6.0" ROAD wheels that would've originally been installed on a B-body

the "883" is the wheel "hoop" design/style

[6bblgt]

  looking at your pics, I believe the dates are 6  6 (read from the same direction as the M4/3 next to it) * Wednesday June 6, 1973

9/9/73 was a Sunday

[71383bee]

Wow!  Thats great info. Thanks!

So it's interesting that they are b body wheels that were made within 3 months of the car's build date. Was this a common swap to make at the dealer perhaps? 

With the options on the car I would have figured it was an ordered car rather than a sales bank. Rallye package, 340, 4 speed, buckets, light package, a/c, fender mount signals, road wheels (I think) and the 3.55 sg axle package seems like a healthy order at a time when these cars were waning in popularity.


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[6bblgt]

lots can happen to a car in almost 50 years, swapped wheels/tires are probably among the most common changes

what is the other pair of wheels & what's in the trunk for a spare?

& yes, by 1973-'74 4-speed and 3.55s are significantly RARE - you would also need the window sticker or broadcast sheet to confirm the 3.55s are original to the car also

[71383bee]

Front wheels are the same road wheels. They all appears to have the same wear so I am assuming they are all together.

Spare is a D78-14 steel wheel with a poly tire on it still.   Looks pretty vintage actually! 


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[6bblgt]

the spare wheel should have similar stampings near the valve stem
the spare tire will have a moulded DOT # near the bead (front and/or back) that will date the tire (but it is too small to be an original tire from the car)

[71383bee]

Here's some pictures of what i can see. 

[71383bee]

lots can happen to a car in almost 50 years, swapped wheels/tires are probably among the most common changes

what is the other pair of wheels & what's in the trunk for a spare?

& yes, by 1973-'74 4-speed and 3.55s are significantly RARE - you would also need the window sticker or broadcast sheet to confirm the 3.55s are original to the car also

Haven't found a B/S yet.  I'm basically theorizing it on the fact the car also has a federal ps pump with the cooler and the date coding on the cooler matches the build.  And its got a 3.55 sure grip!     Its my understanding that the A36 package came with the ps cooler. 

Here's pics of the cooler and pulley. 

[6bblgt]

  BINGO! well done 

[6bblgt]

the spare appears to be a 14x5.5" steel wheel dated 6/19/73  also, not original to the car

[71383bee]

the spare appears to be a 14x5.5" steel wheel dated 6/19/73  also, not original to the car

Cool Good to know.  Would that be the correct spare for the car though?

Its curious that both the wheels and spare appear to not be original to the car BUT all seem to be from a June 73 built car.  I wonder if they were swapped from a  charger or roadrunner that happened to be built in June of 73. 

[6bblgt]

they would've been from two different cars - besides the date, the spare appears to be correct

the 340 Challenger w/F70-14 Goodyear Polyglas tires would've had:
   14x5.5" black steel wheels with hub caps or full wheel covers with a 14x5.5" steel wheel spare
or
   14x5.5" Rallye or ROAD wheels with a 14x5.5" steel wheel spare

[anlauto]

What would D78 be for ? A-Body ?

[71383bee]

Well I pulled the front 2 and unmounted them. Same dates. June 6 73.  So it's a matched set. Pretty cool I think. I'm surprised that e body used 5.5" road wheels vs 6". It seems that it would make more sense to have a standard wheel that can go on multiple body lines.

Any case got them painted up and will likely get them in this weekend.


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