New Goodyear Speedway 350 Tires? Small Letter

Do you mean these..

"Goodyear Polyglass Tires - E70x15 Speedway 350 Large White Letters: Reproduction of the originals, these tires were standard on 1967/68 Shelby GT350/GT500 cars. Quantity is very limited. Price is for 1 Tire"
$309.95

SPEEDWAY 350 GOODYEAR LARGE WHITE LETTERED TIRES, E70 x 15
http://www.cobranda.com/gospti.html

 

Yep.. that's what came on all the 67's I've owned (spares were still in the trunk)

Here is a picture of one of them


Last one I found was in a wrecking yard on the front of a 67 T-Bird Woule be nice if they would get the blue streaks done since I can't find a NOS or good set

 

The larger letter Speedway 350's were used on approx. the first 230 cars before the mold was changed per request by Shelby American. After the molds were changed, the large letter tires were no longer available.
Dave

 

I bought this one many years ago at the SCAT
(Shelby Cobra Association of Texas) Nationals.
It's not correct for my car as it has the big letters.
Texas Swede

 

The large letter and small letter Speedways were intermixed during 67 production. First run were large letter, then were switched to small letter. Then in mid production the large letter were used again, then were switched back to small letter again until the end of the 67 production run and early into 68 production.
When Kelsey decided to reproduce the Speedway 350 tire, he approached SAAC to see which style was used more, the large letter or small letter. Since they didn't know as much about tire information back then, and going off of early factory 67 photos, the assumption was the large letter was the more common style, which we now know is not the case. So the decision was made to reproduce the large letter style.
Kelsey has an original small letter Speedway to use as a mold to have it reproduced. It was lent to him by Jim Hull, whose 67 GT-500 took Gold in Concours Division 1 at SAAC 31 last year, which I had the pleasure to judge.

Kenny

P.S. Nice photo Jeff, looks like the NOS one I have in my trunk! Got mine off a steel wheel as well.
Texas Swede, the sticker on the tread of your tire in the trunk was used on the reproduction Speedway 350.

 

Yes, you are correct. I bought 4 tires from Kelsey
in the end of the 90's and the used original as a spare.
Then I took a sticker and put it on the original.
The rubber compound of the 4 Kelsey tires came apart
and I had to bring them back to the US from Sweden.
Kelsey gave me a full refund for the 4 tires and I got
5 blue dots for my 65 instead by adding another $1000.
Texas Swede

 

Keny that tire has seen some use but not much. Had to keep it when the car went

Yes I had heard Hull had loaned a tire (really what I wish we could have used on that car). Still wish we could have pushed that car a little further (he played it safe in a couple of areas) but Jim has a very nice car and was a pleasure to work with... though always full of questions. Just Jim

 

Jeff, Jim is a real good guy, although was responsible for doubling my cell phone bill in the months prior to him unvieling his car for show on the '06 circuit. If I had a dollar for every question he asked me, I can be retired like you! He was fortunate to have bought his car still having all 5 original small letter Speedways even though he told me that most were very worn.

Kenny

 

I wanted to add my vote of confidence to Kenny's accurate explanation of the large letter small letter tire progression. I also wanted to add that the NOS Speedways had the tire size stencil onto the tire tread instead of using a sticker.

 

Thanks Bob, I appreciate it. You know your the man in my book when it comes to 67s!
Unfortunately, my NOS Speedway does not have any stenciling on the tread at all?

Kenny

 

Kenny , thanks for the compliment . Over the years I have come to a conclusion until more definitive information becomes available that the tires with stickers were a retail sold tire and the tires with stenceling were a comercial sold tire. From observations I have seen tires with stencialing and tires with the stickers (besides repros).The stickers carried the info about the tire. I have never seen a tire with both stickers and stencialing. The tire would normally carry some type of indentfacation on the tread whether it would be the stecialing or a sticker so it could be identified whether stack up or sidways ( only two ways to store in a warehouse) . I assume the stenciling is done on commercial applications like assembly lines so they don't have to peel stickers off the tires after they are mounted on the car it would be a natural progression to assume that those same tires would be mounted on other wheels to be used in trunks. I have seen many 67 and 68 ,69 varieties that had the stecialing on the spare. That is my best assumption until other info suggest otherwise. I haven't seen any 65 or 66 with stecialing or stickers which I can't explain.I know the repro blue dots have stickers but that is getting off the subject at hand . I think with a little effort the stenciling could be easily replicated for a spare tire.

 

Kenny----I will bet you that you and Bob are both wrong.
Frank

 

Frank, it has happened before and will surely happen again . Would you care to elaborate ?

 

Frank:

I'm a gambler at heart, so what is the bet? That Bob is not the man, or that there is no stenciling on the tread on my NOS tire, since that is the wording you decided to quote?

Kenny

 

OOF this ought to be a good one...What does Dave Mathews have to say about these claims by Kenny and Bobby? I defer to Vern on this matter! I bet by 7:00pm EST He will waffle this topic with knowledge dug out a cave that people forgot about!! He is a Researchers researcher!!

 

Sorry about that, neither. I was referring to the discussion of the tire. I don't believe that the larger letter tire was ever used after a certain date. I have never seen one on an original car after car number, maybe 400. However, I have been involved with these cars [Ford and Mercury Muscle car] since their beginning and I am a firm believer in the phrase "Never say never and never say always". If something has documentation, then that would be positive proof. Period correct photos would help. I am 66 years old and I just wish that I was half as smart as I thought I was when I was 17. Now what is the significance of I live in Oklahoma

Oh by the way, since both of you guys are Shelby Judges, what happens to cars with Caution Fan decals on the fan shroud? Do they get points deducted since the decals were not used on any Ford product before 1973 except the Boss 429?
Thanks
Frank

 

[
Sorry---Hit submit twice.