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Features Traditional Wheels, Part 4 (Full Wheel Covers)

Discussion in 'Traditional Customs' started by 50Fraud, Jan 12, 2013.

  1. A cap that goes over the wires to make them look like a solid, but till retain the small inner cap.
    Something about keeping the snow out of the wires.......
     
  2. Gotgas
    Joined: Jul 22, 2004
    Posts: 7,175

    Gotgas
    Member
    from DFW USA

    You mentioned the 1957 Dodge Lancer hupcap, but the '58 unit was the same except for the black painted portion in the center instead of silver.

    Great idea for a thread Tony!

    1957
    [​IMG]

    1958
    [​IMG]
     
    Model T1 likes this.
  3. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    One thing I just dont understand. When I look through old Hot Rods and the little pages starting in the mid fifties, right on through the takeover of the "mag" wheel starting around '63ish, I see TONS of full wheelcovers on hot rods, but whenever anyone talks about full wheelcovers on the HAMB, it seems to be in relation to customs only. I guess I find this a little puzzling, you know, seeing as we are supposed to be the "keepers of the flame" so to speak...

    PS: Those lincolns are one of my personal favorites, and running a strong second on the list of full wheelcovers I am seeking for my T.
     

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    Last edited: Jan 13, 2013
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  4. hotrd32
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,560

    hotrd32
    Member
    from WA

    I wasn't.....lol
     
  5. Royalshifter
    Joined: May 29, 2005
    Posts: 15,579

    Royalshifter
    Moderator
    from California

    16" Lyons on my Victoria....matter of fact am looking for another set of Lyon 16's if some are available?
     
  6. waldo53
    Joined: Jan 26, 2010
    Posts: 863

    waldo53
    Member
    from ID

    You make a good point falcongeorge. The examples you show are the proof, wide whites and full wheel covers were "in" with the rodders as well as the custom crowd. I think the progression went from this look, to chrome reverse wheels, then came the "mags" (at least in my neck o' the woods)
     
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  7. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    What the hey, lets see some more...
     

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  8. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Yup. Besides they look great!
     
  9. TagMan
    Joined: Dec 12, 2002
    Posts: 6,294

    TagMan
    ALLIANCE MEMBER



    Oh, I wouldn't say 'never'.........
    [​IMG]
     
  10. Hot Rod Apprentice
    Joined: Feb 28, 2012
    Posts: 115

    Hot Rod Apprentice
    Member

    Thanks very well written and fun to read, I enjoyed your perspective.


    Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
     
  11. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    I think that the last thing Don did was to finesse the fit of the Stude taillights to the '40 fenders, but I didn't think that was enough to post about. He may have new developments recently; I'll ask.

    Ah, yes. Like Kevin Lee makes. I didn't recognize Lyon, Kelsey, & Hudson as manufacturers of those.

    I never knew that. I think I like the black centers just a little better.

    I did allude to the use of full wheel covers on hot rods in post #4, but I said they weren't often used that way. That was certainly true where I grew up in West LA, and I still find the combination a little disturbing. There were indeed a lot of magazine featured rods with big hubcaps; I don't think I'm out of line in saying that a large percentage of them were East or Midwest cars.
     
  12. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Bear with me here, charging my camera battery...
     
  13. rusty truck
    Joined: Dec 17, 2008
    Posts: 214

    rusty truck
    Member
    from rochester

    Here are those "fake" wires that screwed onto your stock wheelcover

    <a href="http://s1126.photobucket.com/albums/l614/elginbird74/?action=view&amp;current=WS-15Bwires.jpg" target="_blank">[​IMG]</a>
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 1, 2014
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  14. rusty truck
    Joined: Dec 17, 2008
    Posts: 214

    rusty truck
    Member
    from rochester

    And aftermarket Cadillac sombrero's that fit just like regular caps on a 15" wheel

    <a href="http://s1126.photobucket.com/albums/l614/elginbird74/?action=view&amp;current=cadillac sombrero last_zps93100270.jpg" target="_blank">[​IMG]</a>
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 1, 2014
  15. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    Somehow, I sense that this debate is not yet over. At the risk of whipping a dead horse, George, let's review the 13 cars you displayed in your two pictorial posts. I can see California plates on #'s 4 and 13, and IMO 12 is probably a CA car. 1 and 5 clearly show non-CA plates, and I would readily bet beer money that the remainder are Eastern or Midwest cars.

    All the usual disclaimers apply: everyone is entitled to his opinion, people should build what they like, it's a free country, there's no shame in living East of San Bernardino. I did say, way back in the first post, that I would include a large dose of personal opinion.

    My OPINION is that hot rods wearing steelies look more "right" with little hub caps than big ones, and my OPINION is that history is on my side.

    The two '32s with Lancers do look pretty good that way, but don't tell 'em I said so.
     
  16. Kevin Lee
    Joined: Nov 12, 2001
    Posts: 7,582

    Kevin Lee
    Super Moderator
    Staff Member

    Great thread.

    I'm shopping for 15" caps to put on my truck when I get it back on the road and this has me searching for some new options.
     
  17. hotrd32
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,560

    hotrd32
    Member
    from WA

    If you look at the "Little" books of the mid to late fifties and early sixties you will see a ton of Hot Rods with full caps....the Channeled Hot Rods thread is full of them....different aesthetics make for a lot of cool rides.

    Brian Bass just popped 'em on his '29.....

    <a href="http://s614.photobucket.com/albums/tt223/hotrd32/HAMB%20Stuff/?action=view&amp;current=BrianBass29caps.jpg" target="_blank">[​IMG]</a>
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 1, 2014
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  18. ynottayblock
    Joined: Dec 23, 2005
    Posts: 1,954

    ynottayblock
    Member

    50Fraud do you know if anyone is repopping the centre caps for the 57 Lincoln hubcaps? I have a set of 57 lincolns, but the centre caps need replacing
     
  19. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    As I said, mostly East Coast... :)

    For some reason, channeled cars that are down at the back, with whitewalls and full wheel covers, just scream East Coast. Just not my thing.

    I have no explanation for this. I love Brian's work, but...

    Sorry, I don't. I know a guy who said that he had a whole stash of OEM centers, but he hasn't been able to locate them and fears that they were thrown out. I may have heard of somebody repopping them, but I don't remember any specifics.

    I was extremely fortunate in buying a set on eBay that had decent centers as I received them. I tried swapping a better center into my worst one, and discovered that the tabs that retain them are very fragile and don't like to be un-bent without breaking.
     
  20. ynottayblock
    Joined: Dec 23, 2005
    Posts: 1,954

    ynottayblock
    Member

    I figured that was the case, I figured you would know out of anyone if they had been reproduced or not. All of my centres are too far gone...might have to cast some custom ones. Thanks for answering my question.
     
  21. hotrd32
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,560

    hotrd32
    Member
    from WA

  22. Gotgas
    Joined: Jul 22, 2004
    Posts: 7,175

    Gotgas
    Member
    from DFW USA

    Another aspect of the wheelcover 'craze' is the modified units that were being run in the mid-late '50s on hot rods and customs alike. Adding bullets, spinners, plexiglass, candy paint, and pretty much anything else was fair game.

    Barris had several how-tos on building these.

    Chili Catallos' Little Deuce Coupe (not sure if Alexander Bros or Barris made these caps)
    [​IMG]

    Larry Watson's Grapevine
    [​IMG]

    Barris' The Grecian
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2013
  23. atomickustom
    Joined: Aug 30, 2005
    Posts: 3,409

    atomickustom
    Member

    I believe those are actually no-name "replacement" caps intended to look like '51-53 Oldsmobile. They are identical except the lack of the Olds emblem in the center. (And, ironically, better looking and more custom because of it!)

    J.C. Whitney and others used to sell dozens of "nearly identical" replacement wheel covers.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 1, 2014
  24. hotrd32
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,560

    hotrd32
    Member
    from WA

    When I Goggled 1954 Chrysler Windsor I found at least two examples of the car with these hubcaps....

    <a href="http://s614.photobucket.com/albums/tt223/hotrd32/HAMB%20Stuff/?action=view&amp;current=CW2.jpg" target="_blank">[​IMG]</a>
    <a href="http://s614.photobucket.com/albums/tt223/hotrd32/HAMB%20Stuff/?action=view&amp;current=CW1.jpg" target="_blank">[​IMG]</a>
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 1, 2014
  25. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Opinions are cool, no problem, in the interest of historical accuracy, and the HAMB's position as (deserved or not) the oracle of what was done back in the day, I am taking issue with the statement about full wheel covers being a primarily midwest/east coast phenomenon. When I read that, I grabbed a random stack of half a dozen late fifties/early sixties hot rods as well as Andy Southards book, and in a matter of minutes, found more than a dozen California based cars with full wheel covers. And thats hardly what I would call an exhaustive search. So that statement doesnt stand up to scrutiny. Your opinion is a whole nother matter. That I acknowledge and respect, even if I dont necessarily agree.

    One thing I DID find interesting, at the same time, I was also making mental note of the cars with beanie caps, and I did note something interesting. All the cars I saw with beanies came from 1 of 3 places. The LA basin, San Francisco, and believe it or not, Portland Oregon. Now, like I said, this is far from being a comprehensive search, and I'm sure there must be the occasional car with beanies on it from elsewhere, but the trend was pretty striking for such a brief search. Another thing I noticed, while there were cars with beanies prior to this, they seem to REALLY get "hot" on cars in those areas around '60'-62. I would say that rather than full hubcaps being a mid-west/east coast phenomenon, that you grew up in one of only three areas where the beanies were really "hot".
    Just thought it was interesting.
    Another note on the beanies, at some point, there was some discussion about someone on here wanting to re-pop the real pointy, period-correct beanies. Is anything happening with that? The modern ones dont look right at all.

    I'll still post the photos I found of the cali cars with full hupcaps, 1) for the sake of maintaining a historical balance,2) because they are pertinant to the thread, and 3) because lots of them are cool as hell.

    The heavily raked 3 window with the lancers is IMO, one of the flat-out COOLEST hot rods I've ever seen posted on here. By the way, the #1 slot on the list of hubcaps I am looking for for my T is a set of short-bar lancers. But the lincoln caps are right in the hunt.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2013
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  26. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Oh BABY!!
     
  27. 47 PLY
    Joined: Jul 14, 2011
    Posts: 42

    47 PLY
    Member
    from UK

    Thanks 50 Fraud, Ive got 17 ribbed beauty rings and spider caps at the moment (see avatar) so I will look at attaching a 15 or 16 cap to the beauty rings or the rims as you suggested.
     
  28. randy
    Joined: Nov 15, 2003
    Posts: 679

    randy
    Member

    Talking specifically about the popular '57 Cadillac hubcap... Seems to me they became popular on customs sometime in the 1980's. In all the pics of "historic" customs from BITD I can only think of one or two that run '57 Cad caps.

    Anyone care to comment on that? Am I wrong?
     

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  29. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    While my camera is charging, here are two very high-profile California cars I already have on my hd, both of which had full wheelcovers. Griepmsas and the Monte Trone car. Hmm, both channeled too, how about that...:D I'll review my HD, and see what else I can find in the way of CA cars.
     

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  30. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    Oops -- once again, I run afoul of Ryan's taste in wheels. Quoting Ryan from the Part 1 thread on steelies:

    "I'm the anti-Tony when it comes to wheels... Or maybe he's the anti-Ryan."

    I must bite my tongue when responding to this one. Let's see... I think that adding additional parts to spinner hub caps may be a little over the top. How's that for a PC response?
     

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