Correct GMC vs. Chevy Truck Wheels, 1960-66

[AZKen]

What I can say is I believe what has so far been proven by Greg and other pics on the web is that the wheel with the flat surface at the center join and all around that level, is a 1960 and probably 1961 GMC specific wheel. "The potter wheel". This is his wheel with tire and the black/surface rust wheel.

[1960HDGMC]

Hello, I have gathered a few pictures for reference. The first two are a front and back view of a known original 1961 GMC 1001. The truck has a high production number, in the 17,000's. I have a hunch that the skinflint nature of 1960's GMC production involved using old stock wherever handy. I know they used the same hubcaps that go back to the 1950's ,just changed the paint scheme and color. You can find the red centered caps, and convert the paint to your 1960 GMC pattern. It is a job, but it can be done.
The third pic id of a 1958 GMC Suburban Pickup. It has the red cap and what appear to be factory rings? Question, do these rings need the four "nubbibs" to attach? Do they extend over the leading edge of the wheel, or did this owner chrome plate his wheels? Is this the "cameo wheel" that GMCNUT refers to? I am going to ad some pictures of two spare wheels I have. One is narrower and has nubbins. The other does not. But they are the exact same profile. This may be a breakthrough moment on this wheel deal. Has anyone else seen the TWO different wheel configurations featuring the same "Potters Wheel" profile?
The last wheel is on a factory 1960 Chevrolet 1/2 ton fleetside truck. I believe it is a Chevy only wheel. I think this because I have never seen them on an original GMC. They may have shared wheels across the brands, but I have no reason to think they did, as of now. I will take pictures today of the two Potters Wheel type wheels and post them when I can. Thanks for any input, Greg Mead

[1960HDGMC]

Hello, I have taken pictures of two wheels I have. I believe they are both GMC specific. One is oversprayed black, but is Green from the factory, We'll call that one the Green Wheel. The other is the Black Wheel. First pics are of the Black Wheel. I got pics of all the markings I could see. It has GM and NT on the front area behind the hubcap. Can anyone explain any of the text and markings? It does not have "Nubbins", it is a riveted wheel, not welded. The air hole is off-center right, just as the others on my truck. I believe all of these wheels have the air hole in this position. It is 5.5 inches bead to bead. Does anyone out there have these exact wheels,and if so, what are they on. I believe these are early production GMC form 1960 models. They would have been made in 1959 for fall production. They may be carry overs from earlier GMC models, but I think they are exclusively GMC. The profile in the center is what I call a "Potter Wheel" pattern. It looks as if a potter ran his finger along that area and made a flat seam about 1/2 inch wide, all the way around the middle of the wheel. I have a picture of my finger on this seam (on the Green Wheel) to illustrate where it is.
From all the pictures I have seen of both makes, I believe the 1960 Chevy trucks never used the Potters Wheels. They always seem to have the smooth center without the flat seam. I believe those can be safely considered to be exclusively 1960 Chevy truck Wheels. I also believe the 1960 GMC trucks ONLY featured Potters Wheels of one sort or the other. I believe they had two versions. The early ones like my truck has, and the later production ones which have the "squished in" looking center section. Each plant may have gotten the wheel types at different times. Or they may each have had only one wheel type. I think you will more likely find the Squished style wheels on later production trucks. The non squished Potterrs Wheels may have been carry overs, but I think the Squished type potters Wheels were designed to be THE 1960 GMC truck wheel. And these wheels were fazed in as the early style wheels were used up. Thanks for any thoughts or ideas, Greg Mead

[1960HDGMC]

Here is the "Green Wheel" that feature the same profile. My finger shows the flat area common to both of these very different wheels. ( Imagine a potter spinning this wheel from clay, and running his finger along this part of the wheel as it spun on the potters wheel.) They have the same outer "Potters Wheel" profile ,but have a different inner(front to back) wheel profile, are 5 inches bead to bead, are welded, feature four outer "nubbins for trim rings, and the air hole is centered over the spoke area.
Did any 1960 or 1961 GMC pickups have optional rings? If so, I have never seen one. They would have required the "nubbins' to hold them on. I believe GMC used the wheels made without the "nubbins" for the early 1960 GMC trucks. They may be carry overs from 1959 trucks. I do not know. They do share the same profile with the nubbed and un-nubbed varieties. Very interesting. I think the Nubbed wheels are Cameo only, and the Un-Nubbed are for everything else. Except for the nubbins, from the outside viewpoint, they look identical. thanks for any insights, ideas, Greg Mead

[AZKen]

"Squashed in" like the 58 Suburban Carrier? Like one of my pics on the other post? Like an accent ring around the cap.

[1960HDGMC]

Hey AZKen, I will repost the pic here. It is one of GMCNuts wheels. It has what I describe as the "Squished In" center section profile. He believes this wheel is the 1960 GMC specific wheel. But I do not understand why it has the four little "nubbins". I swear I think this powder blue wheel is actually a Cameo Wheel. I never have seen a 1960 wheel with these nubbins, or for that matter, with the Rings that mount onto them. I have always only seen them on the Cameo and Suburban Pickups. GMCNut says he routinely finds these exact wheels on 1960 trucks. And I believe he does. But I also think they must be over runs from earlier production, or some scenario where they got sent to one plant. I always seem to see the wheels without nubbins and with the Potters Wheel flat area, and not the squished in pattern. This is just my experience. But I know GMCNut has decades more time in, and by default has seen a lot more wheels, both correct and otherwise, on these 1960 GMCs. GMC was known for there thrift, and I suspect they probably used two or even three different wheels from 1960 to 1961. Thanks for the input, Greg Mead

[AZKen]

I have two wheels with the extra cap accent ring that you are calling GMC specific (squisher). They do have the nubs. If they are for trim rings or full cap, then they are for an optional trim or Suburban Carrier or for neither. We can not call them Cameo wheels if they are GMC specific. Be careful when saying "known wheel" when studying this for posterity. No wheel on any truck is known. Only factory photos, literature or decipherable markings on wheels are facts. I have seen that 60% of 1957 Chevy trucks have the fender spear on backwards. That's Barrett-Jackson $30K trucks built by so called experts. So we can't go by a restored truck.

[1960HDGMC]

Point well taken. It is a long way down the line from 1960. The closest we can get are extant examples that are "supposed" to be correct and original. I just saw a wheel that looks to be correct factory 1960-61 GMC 1000 series, and it looks slightly different than all the examples we have amassed here so far.( I will post it here.) I wish we had more early pictures taken by owners that would show wheels that are "probably" original to there trucks. The only pic I have of early GMC 1960 trucks (taken by or for GMC) shows the Potter Wheels like my truck. But I am fairly certain that they are not the ones designed for the production of these year trucks. Forgive my lack of nomenclature. I meant Suburban when I said Cameo. Cameo is Chevrolet, and I think the equivalent GMC is known as the Suburban Carrier. I have seen it called Suburban Pickup also, but I do not know if this is also correct. Please let me know. Does anyone know if ALL Suburban Carrier wheels had the nubbins for the presumed mandatory rings that mount on them? Could you order a Suburban Carrier without the rings? It almost seems oxymoronic, but was it possible? My wheels look like Cameo or Suburban Carrier wheels to a friend of mine. But they lack the nubbins for the rings. I simply wonder if they could actually be Cameo or Suburban Carrier wheels without rings.

[GMCNUT]

Originally Posted by AZKen

I have two wheels with the extra cap accent ring that you are calling GMC specific (squisher). They do have the nubs. If they are for trim rings or full cap, then they are for an optional trim or Suburban Carrier or for neither. We can not call them Cameo wheels if they are GMC specific. Be careful when saying "known wheel" when studying this for posterity. No wheel on any truck is known. Only factory photos, literature or decipherable markings on wheels are facts. I have seen that 60% of 1957 Chevy trucks have the fender spear on backwards. That's Barrett-Jackson $30K trucks built by so called experts. So we can't go by a restored truck.

Not to hijack the thread and take off on a tangent, but Ken, the next time you see a pic of a 57 with it on backwards please forward to me - I love to watch for that kind of stuff and have never thought to save one when I saw that....

[1960HDGMC]

AZKen, I forgot to ask. Do you know what the "Squisher" wheels you have came from? Also , Have you ever seen a "Squisher" wheel without the nubbins? I believe all "Squisher" wheels had nubbins. I think they are leftover Suburban Carrier wheels that got put on these 1960 trucks until they used them all. I have yet to find period literature that shows them on these 1960 GMC trucks. And I do not think rings were an option for 1960 GMC trucks. It stands to reason that they would not design a wheel specifically for 1960 GMC trucks with nubbins that have no rings available. Thanks for any insights/ ideas, Greg Mead