By Tom James

Did Mercury build the ZR1 Corvette’s LT5 engine? Yes it did, but not the Mercury most car
people first think of. Due to its complexity, the Lotus-designed DOHC 5.7 V-8 used by the
1990-1995 ZR1 Corvette was not a good fit for the mass-production techniques of the Flint,
Michigan, engine-assembly plant at the time. Thus, General Motors shopped for a partner to
handle the more intricate task. That partner turned out to be Mercury Marine, longtime maker of
outboard and inboard boat engines. Located in the aptly named city of Stillwater in Oklahoma,
Mercury Matine assembled the engines for each of the 6,922 ZR1s built (plus a few hundred
extra warranty-replacement /GM Performance Parts crate engines). Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury
division had nothing to do with any of this.
If the last L5 engine was build in November 1993, how did Chevrolet keep selling ZR1
Corvettes through 1995? Simple, General Motors directed Mercury Marine to build a surplus
supply of completed engines. These were sealed tight and stored at Bowling Green until they
were needed for ZR1 installation, as much a two years later. A similar scenario played out at
Pontiac in 1977. Demand for its 400-ci V-8 was nil except for the wildly popular Firebird Trans
Am, where the optional W72 was becoming legend. Before converting its V-8 engine foundry
from the manufacture of 400s to tame 265s (1980 and 1981 only) and 301s, Pontiac cast a
surplus of 400 blocks. This freed the Pontiac V-8 line to crank out small V-8s while ensuring
that Trans Ams received the 400 blocks they needed. Thus, it’s legitimate for a 400 block in a
1978-1979 Trans Am W72 to have a 1977 casting date. Likewise, post-1993 ZR1 Corvettes can
acceptably display date-code markings as far back as two years older than the host vehicle.

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Evolution of the Corvette Steering Wheel

When you think of your Corvette, the steering wheel is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. It is, however, the part of your Corvette that gets the most contact when out on the road. It is not uncommon for your steering wheel to see excessive wear, in comparison to the rest of your car, due to frequent use.

This guide identifies the design and features of Corvette steering wheels by year gr

Fun Facts …… Tom James

Old school big-block Corvette fans received a brief thrill in 1990 when the 454-powered ZR2 roadster concept car appeared on the covers of magazines such as Vette, Corvette World, and others.  Backed by a ZF 6-speed manual transmission and tuned to produce 360 hp, it looked completely stock and ready for the showroom floor.  At the time, the 488-ci, 400-hp, V10-equipped Dodge Viper was slowly transforming from a show car into reality, so General Motors assigned Scott Allman and Scott Leon to assemble a potential response.  Best of all, 1990 would have marked the 25^th anniversary of the 1965 396 Sting Ray option, so why not?  Federal emissions and fuel-economy restrictions, that’s why not.  Despite the use of a prototype Tuned Port EFI induction system and the fact that the 454 easily fit the C4 chassis, the tire-melting 454 ZR2 never made It to dealer showrooms.  Oh, what might have been!

Another major factor that likely killed the return of the 454 was the fact that General Motors had invested millions of dollars in another super-Vette, the 1990 ZR1.  Its all-aluminum, 32-valve, DOHC, 5.7-liter V-8 was a joint effort between Lotus and General Motors and was poised to become “King of the Hill’ (a term General Motors hated but the automotive press loved).  With an option price of more than $27,000 beyond the base Corvette’s $30,000 plus sticker, the ZR1 did not need any competition from within.  And, frankly, a mild 454 might have embarrassed the ZR1’s LT5 DOHC mill at a fraction of the price.  So there was that, too.  The ZR2 454 Corvette Roadster, affectionally nicknamed “Big Doggie” sold for $65,000 at the 2009 Barrett-Jackson West Palm Beach collector car auction. 

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Evolution of the Corvette Steering Wheel

When you think of your Corvette, the steering wheel is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. It is, however, the part of your Corvette that gets the most contact when out on the road. It is not uncommon for your steering wheel to see excessive wear, in comparison to the rest of your car, due to frequent use.

This guide identifies the design and features of Corvette steering wheels by year group. Depending on your Corvette generation and style preference, you have several options for bringing your steering wheel back to life. From purchasing a reproduction steering wheel, to getting your steering wheel refurbished and even upgrading to a custom steering wheel, the right steering wheel is out there for every generation.

1953-1955

• 17″ In Diameter
• Plastic Spokes
• White In Color
• Chrome Horn Button

1956-1962

• Stainless Steel Spokes
• Three Chrome Spokes
• Spokes Had 3 Holes Per Spoke
• 17” Diameter
• Color Of Wheel Matched Interior Color
  • 1956-1957 Venetian Red
  • 1956-1957 Shoreline Beige
  • 1958 Charcoal
  • 1958 Signet Red
  • 1958 Blue
  • 1959-1960 Turquoise
  • 1959-1960 Frost Blue
  • 1959-1962 Roman Red
  • 1959-1962 Tuxedo Black
  • 1961 Jewel Blue
  • 1961-1962 Fawn Beige
• Riveted To Hub Making It Difficult To Replace
• Reproduction Steering Wheels Available
• Flat Steering Wheel

1963

• One Year Only Steering Wheel
• 16” In Diameter
• Reproduction Steering Wheels Are Available
• Color Matched Interior
  • Saddle
  • Red
  • Dark Blue
  • Blue
• 130 Cars Received The Option For Simulated Wood Grain
• Three Spokes
• Long Slot In Each Spoke

1964-1966

• Flat Hub
• Simulated Walnut Finish
• 6 Philips Head Screws Attach Steering Wheel To Hub
• Reproduction Steering Wheels Available
• Aftermarket Steering Wheels Available
• 1965-1966 Option For Real Teak
• 16” Diameter

1967-1968

• Offset Hub

1969-1975

• Black With Leather Grain Pattern
• Fit Standard And Telescopic Steering Columns

1976

• Same Steering Wheel As The Chevy Vega
• One Year Only

1977-1982

• Floating Round Horn Button
• 14” In Diameter

1984-1985

• 14.5” Diameter
• Black Leather
• Thinner Wheel Than The Later 1986-1989 Wheel

1986-1989

• All Black Except 1988 Anniversary White
• Used Same Armature As 1984-1985 With Thicker Urethane
• Round Horn Button
• Available As Remanufactured
• 2-Tone Wheels Are Available For An Upgraded Look

1990-1993

• 1990 First Year For Air Bag In Steering Wheel
• Offered As A Restoration Service For Original Steering Wheel
• Leather Steering Wheel
• All Black
• 4 Spoke
• Corvette Script
• Horn Buttons On The Outside Spokes With Plastic Gray Buttons

1994-1996

• 2 Spoke
• C4 Corvette Logo
• Horn Button In The Center

1997-2004

• C5 Corvette Logo In The Center
• Decals Available For Logo To Add Color
• All Black Except The 2003 50th Anniversary And 2004 Le Mans Corvette

2005

• One Year Only Steering Wheel
• 4 Spoke Design
• Ebony

2006-2011

• 9.4” In Diameter
• Steering Wheel Mounted Audio Controls Included With Bose Audio Systems
• Available In Suede Or Leather
• Available With Accessory Controls And Without Accessory Controls
• 2010 Steering Wheel Was The First Year For Bluetooth
• 2011 Steering Wheel Available With Accent Stitch

2005-2011 Corvettes have aftermarket steering wheels available some benefits include:

• Aesthetics – A custom steering wheel can be altered to build your personal preference of the look you need and still having that OEM look after installing
• Ergonomics – Custom steer wheels are shaped in multiple areas of hand position to help with driver fatigue and to help avoid hand cramping.

2012-2013

• New Steering Wheel Design Offers New Chrome Trim Around Controls

2014

• Smallest Steering Wheel Corvette Has Ever Made
• Paddles On Steering Wheel (Manual Transmission) Are On/Off Switches For The Standard Rev-Matching Feature
• Accessory Features Include Audio Volume Controls, Audio Next/Previous Control, Cruise Control Buttons, Advanced Theft Protection, And Bluetooth Controls

Wheel Cover Design Changes for the 1953-1955 Corvette

By: Bill Mulder

Recently, an ad appeared for ‘original’ 1954 Corvette wheel covers on EBay and the wheel covers did not have the traditional flippers which prompted this summary.  There were essentially 3 different versions of the wheel cover and what wheel cover belongs on what car depends on what time period the car was created.

Temporary Belair passenger car wheel cover (cars 1-20?)

This was placed on the first approximately 20 cars until flipper wheel covers came available. We know this because of an early photo of the 10 early Corvettes lined up for view, photographing and driving by journalists and the cars had passenger car wheel covers.

The very first version was a wheel cover with the Chevrolet Bowtie at 90 degrees from the flippers which was on the two Motorama cars. Below you can see this is a Motorama car as it has an external door ‘pushbutton’ that was not placed into production as well as the door missing its side trim, the front fender trim is mounted upside down and the fender vent that did not come until 1956. If you look close, you can see the 90 degree flippers.

We do know that the Motorama wheel cover with the 90 degree flipper was placed into production but we do not know when it stopped. Russ Howay has car #68 and it has the 90 degree flippers so likely sometime after car 68 the wheel cover changed.  

Below is an original 90 degree flipper wheel cover made by the Lyon manufacturing company. Note the flippers are not lined up with the bowtie emblem. Also, for later reference, note that the red painted indentation lines up with the valve stem.

Version 2 production (cars 70-300 in 53 and some in 54).

The wheel cover was changed from the 90 degree flipper to the wheel cover with the flipper in line with the Chevrolet Bowtie. This wheel cover has the ‘grippers’ that held the wheel cover onto the wheel in-line with the valve stem causing some problems which resulted in a change. Also, for some odd reason the red painted indentation does not line up with the valve stem as it did with the original 90 degree flipper wheel cover.

Below is a typical ‘53’ wheel cover with the ‘gripper’ and valve stem in line and red indent not in line.

Version 3 late 54 and all of 55

Gripper moved to not be in line with valve stem and the red painted indent lined up with valve stem.

When did the change occur?

I have an original set of plans dated 8/7/54 and states it is the same as plan 3706423 except as shown. This is the first plan that shows the red painted indentation in line with the valve stem and the gripper not in line with the valve stem.

Note that the plan refers to the predecessor plan below which is a much larger and detailed plan refers to initial drawings in March of 1953 and states there are 5 changes. It appears there were other changes from 53 to fall of 54 when these versions were approved. The fall of 1954 plans indicate there is a 3^rd intermediate step wheel cover between what most people consider to be the 53 wheel cover and the 54-55 wheel cover.

The NCRS judging manual which states there are only two primary designs. First, the 53 wheel cover with the gripper in line with the valve stem and the red pained indention is not lined up with the valve stem. The second design is the 54-55 wheel cover that has the red painted indention and the valve stem in line and the gripper moved offset from the valve stem.

However, there may be a 3^rd group of wheel covers out there with a mix of 53 and 54-55 attributes. Below is an example of what should not exist. Note the gripper lines up with the value stem (53 design) and the red painted indention lines up with the valve stem (54-55 design).  

This is an example of what is likely a short lived change as the wheel cover evolved with the car.

Why did the grippers get moved?

Corey Peterson provided the following photos to support his belief that the change to move the grippers was because GM knew in the fall of 54 that the new 55 wheel was coming out and the new wheel had nubs on the rim for the new passenger car wheel cover. He believes the location of the grippers would hit the nubs making it difficult to remove the wheel cover. As proof, note the new 1955 wheel with tape marking the location of the nubs:

Note that with a 1953 through fall of 1954 style wheel cover, the grippers do hit the newly created nubs for the 1955 wheel.

By changing the location of the grippers, they do not hit the nubs for the new 1955 wheel cover.

It seems much more likely that the grippers were moved in the fall of 1954 to accommodate the new 1955 wheel that had newly added nubs. If there was a problem with the valve stem, a change would likely have occurred earlier than fall of 1954. Also, Lyons Manufacturing was the world’s largest manufacturer of wheel covers having started making them in the 1930s. It is unlikely they would have made a rookie mistake and located the grippers in such a way to affect the valve stem.

Real or reproduction flippers?

Original or re-issue hub caps?

The seller on EBay states these are new and original 1953-55 wheel covers but they have no flippers or any indentation to install the flippers. This is because GM re-issued these in the 1970s but because of Ralf Nader and safety, GM did not place flippers on the wheel covers. So, they would be service replacements.

There are experts that will indent these wheel covers to make a 90 degree flipper or to make the more traditional wheel cover with the flippers in line with the Chevrolet Bowtie. However, they are different from the originals as the originals have indented on the rim the words “PAT PEND”, PATENTED”, “LYON” (the manufacturer) and “WHEEL COVER”. The GM replacements do not have these marks.

Conclusion

The car went through a lot of changes and this is just one example of the amount of change. To date a wheel cover by determining if the red painted indention lines up with the valve stem may be harder than one thinks as there were several design changes. And if you find a 90 degree