What was the standard tire on the 1961 Corvair? Also what was the whitewall width on the whitewall option? Was there an optional tire size offered from the factory? I know in 1960 there was a 4ply bias standard in and a 6 ply bias as an optional was that still the standard in 61?
Thanks John

Hi John,

1961 CORVAIR Specifications:

WHEELS AND TIRES; Corvair sedans and Club coupes: 13" wheels, 6.50X13 tires. Lakewood Station Wagon: 13" wheels, 7.00 X 13" tires. Greenbrier: 14" wheels, 7.00 X 14" tires. 4-ply rating blackwall tubless tires on all models. Spare tire and wheel.

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT; GREENBRIER AND GREENBRIER DE LUXE SPORTS WAGON OPTIONS.

White sidewall tires-7.00 X 14" 4-ply rating R.P.O. 647
Black sidewall tires-7.00 X 14" 6-ply rating R.P.O. 648
White sidewall tires-7.00-14" 6-ply rating R.P.O. 674

4-DOOR SEDAN, CLUB COUPE, AND LAKEWOOD STATION WAGON OPTIONS;

White sidewall tires-6.50 X 13" R.P.O 661
White sidewall tires-7.00 X 13" R.P.O.449
Lakewood station wagon only

Nothing in the Dealer's Album that I found specificies the width of the white sidewall, however all pictures of cars in the album with white sidewall tires show the full width whitewall.

If my memory serves me correct this was the last year for the full width whitewall.

Ray thanks for the information, Do you know anything about the finish on the rims? Were they body color, or black? I know that on the full size cars the rims were black only if the car was ordered with full size wheel covers and white walls? Any leads on this?
John

The 1961 Corvair wheels were painted body color on the 500-700 series and black on the Monza as it had wheel covers as standard.

Some wher in my foggy old mind I recall a Monza whitewall , I think it was on sixty one Monzas as all the sixty twos had narrow whites [a little over an inch wide.] any other minds recall this? I was working in a Chevrolet dealership at the time,and it rings a bell.

Woody,Your bell is ringing well.The '61 Monzas were one of the first to have a white stripe white wall.It wasn't the narrow stripe as the later cars had but the same as what was used up thru 1965 on all cars.It was about an inch and a quarter wide I beleive.

I just looked a 75 years of Chevrolet, there are pictures of Monza's all with thin line white walls, and also a 700 model with thin lines. All the other ones had the thicker whitwalls. Could it be if you ordered the full size wheel covers you got the thin whites? The 700 series car in th photo had the full covers. In the 62 engineering features book it says that all Monza'a with factory ordered whitewalls got black painted rims, I would assume it was the same in 61.

John,I had checked out those pictures also.They look like retouched pictures from the factory.Went to my 1961 album to be sure.As a matter of fact the 1960 Monza (introduced mid year) had the narrow white walls also.Verified all with my Corvair magazines and literature.Full wheel covers were a dealer installed accessory or a factory option on the 500-700.I would assume that the cars with the factory option wheel covers would also have black wheels.

So all Corvairs, 700 and 500 had the narrow whitewalls?
John

No ,just the Monzas in 1960-61.

That is what I thought, I was looking at the Pictorial History of Chevrolet 1958-1960, there is a great shot of a 60 Monza with the narrow white walls. This has been a great technical conversation. I see that in 1963 Chevrolet offered Kelsey Hayes knock off wire wheels, do you know how long that went on for? I see the price was around $400, that is a lot of money to put on top of a $2,400 car.
John

John,I have a question for you.You mentioned that the "big" cars had black wheels only with factory white walls and wheel covers .That of course would be almost just Impalas.From what I can remember the Impalas with full covers all had black wheels.Chevrolet changed from body color wheels to silver wheels on the Bel Airs in middle of 1957.This continued thru 1958 on the Bel Airs as full covers were standard.When 1959 came along small hub caps were standard on the Impala line and those cars had body colored wheels.If the car was ordered with full covers it came with silver wheels.I remember these because if a customer didn't want the full covers and we would pop on the small hub caps and the rather ugly silver wheels would be exposed.From 1960 and up I can't remember wheel colors and combinations on "big" cars..........The K H wire wheels were available on '64 Vairs also and when they changed to 5 lug wheels in 1965 that was the end.There are some around and bring about $2000 for a good set.

Chevgene,
I don't have a 61 Engineering Features Book, but I do have the a 1960 and 62. The 1962 book (bottom of pages 76-79) idicates for all cars (including Corvette) that this was the case. For the 700 and 500 series Corvair it states" Wheels are black when optional wheels disks and white sidewall tires are factory installed." For the Monza Series it states "Wheels are black when optional whitewall tires are factory installed." It is pretty interesting. I can see this being effective for production costs. I have a feeling that this started in 1961. I am not sure about ChevyII's because there was a seperate Engineering Features Book for them in 62. Now the photograph of the 61 700 Corvair with the narrow whites, could have been retouched, but I don't think so. I have a feeling that car was delivered with the full wheel disks and and whitewall's from the factory. I also feel that when the car was ordered from the factory that way, it automatically got the thinline whitewalls, but I would love to see it on paper somewhere to confirm this hunch! It just makes me wonder as to how deep this tied in to production. I owned a 62 Impala SS back in the 70's. The car was original and was painted Corona Cream (a rare color, a real nice soft yellow) It had body color rims, and it really confused me because tht car came from the factory with full size wheel covers (being a SS) for years as to why the rims were painted body color. From what I know now, the car was ordered with blackwall tires. Now this is the stuff I like to sink my teeth into!
John

John,I did some research today and this is what I found.The 1958 dealer album shows all Bel Airs with silver wheels.....1959 album has a Impala 4 door hardtop on the cover with small hub caps and body color wheels.It looks more like an actual photograph.The Impalas shown inside all have the full wheel cover option and body colored wheels and look almost like artists drawings....!961 album shows all cars with body color wheels and Corvair Monzas with black wheels and thin line white walls.Lesser Corvairs have the wider white walls.1961 Finger Tip Fact Book lists as follows.Wheels are car color and bottom color on two tone cars.)big car)..Same for Corvair.Corvette with black wheels.....1962 dealer album shows all Impalas with wheel covers and black wheels-cheaper cars with colored wheels and small hub caps.Same for Corvairs but I am sure that 62 and up corvair Monzas had black wheels.My '63 is white,black wheels and would look bad with body colored wheels and the accessory wire wheel covers that I have makes the wheels less visable being black .Wire wheel covers became available beginning in 1962.1964 and up shows all full wheel cover cars with black wheels including Chevy II and Chevelle.I know you can't always trust the dealer album pictures.Also larger dealers often did wheel swaps as when selling a car out of stock some times white walls were not wanted etc.

I think you meant the Impalas had silver wheels, not the Belairs in 58.
John

John,No I meant the BelAirs.The Impala was a sub series of the BelAir line in 1958.They all came with full wheel covers and silver wheels.The Impala became "its own" line in 1959.

That's right, now I remember. So in 58 all the BelAirs and Impalas had the silver rims. 58 is one of those in between years.
John

Gene,
Doing some more research, your 61 dealer book said all full size cars/all cars (except the corvette) had body color rims. I think the change started in late 61. The 61 SS was the first full size car in the V-8 era to have as standard equipt narrow band whitewalls/ and full size wheel covers. On the cover of the June 1961 Motor Trend there is a GREAT photo of a roman red 61 SS coupe smoking the tires. The rim was black. I know these were a limited production, and also produced after the printing of the fingertip facts book, so anything is possible, but they all had the same tires and rims. The 62 engineering book clearly states that factory ordered white walls and full size wheelcovers only dictated black rims across the board on all models. From what I can see the 61 SS was the transition that lead to the policy printed in 62. Looking at it, there is a lot of practicality to this production change, and I am sure it was cost effective. Just mount a load of whitewall tires on black rims, they could have even been delivered to the plant this way. Lets keep digging!
John