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So what really was the first year that the 4x4 Rally Rim was available?

Was the 4x4 Rally rim available before 1976?

  • No. Brand new for '76

    Votes: 3 30.0%

  • Yes. It came out before then.

    Votes: 7 70.0%
  • Total voters
    10
  • Poll closed .
Craig Artzner

Craig Artzner

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I've always speculated about this but have never had anything confirmed. The GM steel 4x4 Rally. What was the first model year it showed up on Blazers and trucks brand new?

I've scoured over old ads, pictures, etc. for many years and have never been able to confirm that any GM truck older than 1976 came stock with the 4x4 Rally. We all know that the Rally fits on the older trucks of course, but are there instances where pre '76 trucks came with these rims?

The picture posted here is the first ad I've seen (chronologically) that shows a fullsize Chevy truck with the Rallys on it. Anyone have any earlier ads or dealer stock photos pre-'76 that show trucks with Rallys on them? I've seen tons of ads for '69-'75 trucks and not one of them shows a truck with the 4x4 Rally option (if there was one). You'd think that if GM came out with such a good-looking rim that they would display it more prominently in their ad copy.

Anyone have any documentation to prove me wrong? Just a photo of your truck and you saying it came stock with the Rallys on it is not enough. I want to see factory photos, ads, dealer pamphlets, option lists, etc. Show me these things (or tell me where to see them) and I will graciously stand corrected...

76Blazer.jpg


The reason I'm asking this is because I'm always meeting people who have Chevy Rally rims on their old '69-'75 trucks and swear that their truck came that way new from the dealership and I just don't buy it...
 
That's a cool ad, the cargo hatch I assume. Very nice, I have never seen one of those on a truck in real life...
 
I just picked up a badly rotting 73' K5 from the original owner. It has rally wheels on it. Knowing who owned it I don't think that he added them.
 
There is a pic of what APPEARED to be a 2WD *GMC* in one of the brochures with ralleys pre '76, but it was a far enough away shot that I couldn't positively ID them. Looked like argent colored wheels with a trim ring though, don't know what else it could have been that vintage.
 
hmmm...those are the wheels that i have on my 87....don't really like them though. didn't realize they used them so long ago. that's cool.
 
My buddy has a 69 Blazer that he bught from a friend who was the original owner. It had rally wheels on it stock. It had a CST package.
 
not just rally wheels---

I had a 2wd '75 Blazer that came factory with white spoked "wagon wheels",not the usual "rally" wheels ..I've seen 6 lug versions factory on 4x4 trucks too..pretty rare now..:crazy:
 
diesel4me said:
I had a 2wd '75 Blazer that came factory with white spoked "wagon wheels",not the usual "rally" wheels ..I've seen 6 lug versions factory on 4x4 trucks too..pretty rare now..:crazy:
Click to expand...

I have a set of the 6 lug whitespokes in my parts pile. I got them with a couple of the center caps and wondered if an aftermarket company made them or what. Now I know.
 
OEM vs Aftermarket...

The factory white spoke wheels are "coined" where the lugs go,like a normal steel OEM rim is..most cheap aftermarket imitations are simply flat steel centers where the lugs and spokes are,with tapered lug holes for the lug nuts to seat on,and often loosen up rapidly..the GM wheels have smaller spaces between the spokes than the aftermarket ones do also..(more "spokes" too,I think)..

The OEM rims will be stamped "GM" somewhere,usually near the lugs,or on the inside where the ratings are listed (codes like "JJ",etc)...they had distinctive center caps, unlike common aftermarket ones,and had a blue and red pinstripe on the outer bead edge..(but so do many cheap imitations!)..

I practically gave those rims away,all 4 for 50 bucks,with good tires, many years back--I see full sets going for 200+ bucks now in hemmings and on E-bay!..:doah: DOAH!..
 
I tracked down the orginal owner of my blazer and sent her some pictures and she said it was just more rusty than when she had itbut generally the same. She still had the option list and read it to me over the phone (older lady didn't have a computer) rally wheels were an option on the Cheyanne package which mine was.

Also a freind bought a 72 blazer that had the ralley wheels on it. Bought it from the orginal owner (his dad) it had rallys on it from the day it left the factory it was a CST model with every option you could get back then

So while I cannot provide concrete evidence they did in fact exist as far back as 72 for sure
 
Well, what WERE the ralleys at the time?

I would assume that just because they were called ralleys, doesn't imply they all have to look the same, right?

The original poster is talking about the argent colored wheels with trim rings, center caps, and small rectangular cutouts.
 
My question is how many different variations of Ralleys are there? I know of 4 or 5.

I do know all rims have dates stamped on them somewhere. That would be one way of confirming if they were available "back then".
 
I'm going to have to disagree with the people who say they were available '72 and earlier. I have read quite a bit of factory literature, and the only options back then indicate different sizes of steel wheels, and then hubcaps.

However...a dealership can put rallys on a brand new truck with 6 miles...so they are "original" to the owner...but not the truck.

Oh, and as far as the bed side tool box...that did start in '69 as an option. Usually the doors rusted out before they left the car lot brand new, lol, and any rust free examples you may have are worth $$ to collectors.

There are even some old fords that stow the spare tire under a door in the bedside. There is one local, has a long wheelbase with almost no overhang behind the rear wheels, looks kinda funky. Has one of the spare tire doors on it.
 
dyeager535 said:
Well, what WERE the ralleys at the time?

I would assume that just because they were called ralleys, doesn't imply they all have to look the same, right?

The original poster is talking about the argent colored wheels with trim rings, center caps, and small rectangular cutouts.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY! :bow: :bow: Thank you Dorian. This is what I wanted to say in as many words. I know that the ads say "Rally wheels" but what Rally wheels are they talking about (4wd, 2wd)? Maybe the Rally wheel back then was simply a hubcap package. Why are there no ads from these model years showcasing our beloved argent 4x4 Rally if it was in fact available?

I guess what I'm really looking for is a picture of a 1969-1975 Chevy/GMC truck with the argent rally wheels with trim rings/caps/rectangular cutouts taken between 1969-1975. Does anyone have any pictures taken during that year span and can you prove that the picture is authentically dated?

I'm on a mission here!
 
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