I am officially looking for more correct 14x7" (5x4-3/4" bolt pattern) 'plain' steel wheels for my car.
The correct code wheel for my car is 'CL';
As I have come to understand it, the 'CL wheel was manufactured for/during three model years; 1970-1972. I have understood that the wheels can be found on, but not limited to: Firebirds, Camaros, Grand Prix.
I currently have a full set (of five) 14x7" steel wheels, and as luck would have it, one is a 'CL' wheel which decodes as being manufactured on March 13, 1970.
I will consider 1971 or 1972 dated 'CL' wheels, if the price is right; Ideally I'd love to end up with a full set of 1970 dated wheels; Better yet, I'd love it if the wheels all predated my car's build date of June (first week of June).
I use the term "casually" to convey that I am absolutely not looking to waste anyone's time, but I am also not hell-bent on finding these, and if the asking price for a wheel seems to me to be more than I am comfortable paying, I will respectfully pass.
For those not experience with decoding wheels (this took me a while to figure out myself) the stamp is by the valve stem and should read as follows:
K10_3_/\_13_CL
_ = space /\ = valve stem
I have been told that this decodes as:
This decodes as: K (Kelsey-Hays) 1 (plant location) 0 (year) 3 (month) /\ valve stem 13 (day) CL (application code)
In the interest in helping members here know what they are looking at (assuming they have 14x7" steel wheels to look at), I believe the following information to be true: XF = 1969 IF = 1969-1970 CL = 1970.5 through 1972 EM = 1973 & 1974 UC = 1975 through to possibly 1978 or 1979
XF was (used on 1969 model year F-bodies) replaced, or superseded by IF CL was (used on 2nd gen F-bodies and was) replaced, or superseded by EM EM was (used on 2nd gen F-bodies and was) replaced, or superseded by UC
I have also run across these two wheels codes being reported as GM 5 on 4-3/4" 14x7" steel wheels, but I do not know their application: XG & XT
My current set of 14x7" steel wheels is (as alluded to earlier) mismatched; In that set I have two different offsets (my measurements are from bolting surface to outside lip of wheel);
IF 4-3/8" CL 4-1/4" EM 4-3/8" UC 4-1/4" TB 4-1/4" (not an F-body application wheel; probably from a safari van)
Thanks in advance for reading this, and hopefully humoring me :)
Jonathan Calgary, AB
-- Edited by unruhjonny on Monday 26th of November 2018 03:12:30 PM
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1970 Formula 400 Carousel Red on black (std) interior "no drivetrain option" car (same base drivetrain as GTO) 1:411 1970 Firebird Formulas originally sold in Canada
This thread can be closed;
I found a set of four that I bought late last winter.
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1970 Formula 400 Carousel Red on black (std) interior "no drivetrain option" car (same base drivetrain as GTO) 1:411 1970 Firebird Formulas originally sold in Canada