15 x 7 "450" wheel need some help

[DoubleDlover]

Hi there. does anyone out there have an original 450 wheel? Im trying to find out what all the codes stamped on them mean. And which ones are the year or day and plant code? yada yada.   And then does anyone know what date would be good for a 70 roadrunner built in nov 69 be? Maybe someone has some pics of the codes stamped on there wheels? thanks r

[bill440rt]

I'll try to help.
Original 450 wheels are increasingly very hard to find. 

Here are some pics of wheel stampings taken directly from a 450 wheel. This was just after the wheel was bead blasted & before primer, so they were very easy to read.
The date code is found by the valve stem, the part number will also be there on the wheel hoop.
To the left of the valve stem is an "M" with a number next to and below. The bottom number indicates the year. On this wheel it is a 0. It is very faint, that other mark that looks like a 1 is really a mis-stamp (the 0 is found elsewhere on the wheel in the next pics, confirming this is a 1970 wheel). The number next to it is the month, in this case a 4. The number on the right of the valve stem signifies the day, in this case 20.
So, we have a 450 wheel dated 4-20-1970. See?

The date code is also found on the flat part that goes against the brake drum/hub. Here again is M5/0. I'm not sure what the number next to the M means, IIRC it is either a plant or batch number. Since the wheel center is a different part than the hoop (they are welded together), it's not surprising to find a different number.

There are more numbers on the inside of the hoop that gets hidden by the tire. Here you can see 15 x 7 JJ (wheel size), and the M1/0 again (date code), that matches by the valve stem (M1/0).

Took me almost 2 years to find this one that closely matched the build date of my car (May, '70).
IIRC wheel dates should be no more than 2 months of the build date.

If I've missed something or if any is wrong feel free to add/correct.
Hope that helps! 

[DoubleDlover]

hi there. thanks for the help. It REALLY HELPS. But yes I think you missed something. Or maybe I did?? I cant find those pics you mention anywere..   Im soo sad....   r

[bill440rt]

Oops!     Sorry, for some reason the pics did not attach.
Do these help?