Customs Pics of 58 Chevies

Thanks guys keep me on the loop in the mean Time I'm also trying to buy a whole bezel/housing kit on eBay..
I need the passenger in old chrome...or just the buckets for a matching set that are getting painted.

 

Yes sir...very nice.
When are you gonna put a 348 (409) in it ?

Mike

 

No, I'm past that. It started with a 283 that didn't survive. It's now got a warmed over 350. A friend of mine had a 58 Nomad with a 348, but I don't know if he ever finished it; I left the area.

 

Oh well...had to ask.
I had a 61 Impala with a big 409 that I built. Very fun car.

Mike

 

Hello,

I know in the last two years of high school, I had many choices to get different looks for my 58 black Impala. By the time the Spring of 1962 rolled around, we had a furious time spraying on different color paint on the rims for the chance that we would hit on the right combination for the best look. Of course, some guys had their chrome reversed wheels. But, those elusive 5 spoke American Racing Equipment Mags were still out of reach for most.

The only car that had them was from our Precision Racing Equipment Speed Shop purchase for an older brother of a girl that was part of our teenage group. He had the money, a new car and wanted to trade a classic old Dale Velzy Balsawood surfboard that was sitting in his garage. My brother said that surfboard was very valuable and that the trade should happen. So, we (he) bought the 4 American Racing Equipment, 5 spoke, Mags and traded them for the 9 foot long Velzy Balsawood board. Both sides were happy with the arrangement.


In our trial to see if the Balsawood board could ride well, picture a 9 foot Balsawood vintage surfboard sticking out of the trunk of the 1958 black Impala.

It was sight to see cruising down PCH to Huntington Beach Pier. We did get our share of “stares/looks” to and from the pier waves. The board was OK, but not the best we had used from our arsenal of surfboards. But, there was no lack of attention given to the Velzy Balsawood board over the black 58 Impala at the beach parking lot. The classic Dale Velzy Balsawood surfboard is still in possession of my brother’s family, somewhere in So Cal.

Impala beauty trim rings

One of my good friends from high school popped up in a recent perusal of our high school year book from 1962. I could not remember how I bought those small center hubcaps AND the beauty trim rings. Now, the case has been solved. We did some bartering with buying stuff from our Precision Racing Engines Shop discount program and in return, he gave me the beauty trim rings. But as teen episodes go, after high school, we never saw each other again. Some of our friends went to the far reaches of the USA , colleges, military, and future jobs. We even missed each other at those funky reunions. (20,30,40…you get the picture.)

“My rims were 14 inch stock Chevy and I could not get the look I wanted with what money was there, so I opted for just the center hubcaps from Chevy. Then I was able to get the beauty trim rings for a full chrome style wheel look. Since there was no money for actual chrome reversed wheels, this took its place.”

“But, because the costs always held back the teenage hot rod guy from doing the things we saw at those numerous car shows, it was make do with what you have. By the time I was the primary driver as a senior in high school, I finally found the combination of beauty trim rings and small Chevy hubcaps to give the Impala an extra look that no one else in So Cal had at the time. It was my version of a chromed wheel look, but far less in cost. Those were the hit of the day and stayed that way until I got a set of 15 inch Buick Skylark Wire Wheels for a complete makeover of my 58 Impala in 1964."
(forget the misprint information by a newbie reporter for the school newspaper.)


By the time we were still cruising around in the summer of 1962, these small Chevy center hubcaps and beauty trim rings were unusual in that there was not one person or hot rod that had them for their needs. We still had visions of chromed reversed rims and/or 5 spoke American Racing Equipment mags, but they were still too far out of reach.

1959 Chevy small center hubcap

“The small hub caps for the 1959 model year retained the cross flags in the center just like the previous year. Six radial fins extend out to the outer periphery. The space between the six fins was a blacked out area to further enhance the hub cap. All the cars in 1959 came with small hub caps as standard equipment.”


The trim rings or “beauty rings” were separate orders from the parts bin.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hubcap-picture-thread.378994/page-5#post-12082914


Thanks, Grant…

 

right hand drive bel air

 

I would sure be tickled if that white BelAir was parked in my garage! I like the looks of the BelAirs a little bit better than the Impalas. I screwed up and passed on a BelAir at a reasonable price because I was already started on doing my Biscayne.

 

working on this one

 

^ The clean sides on your Impala are beautiful, @j3harleys!

 

A long time friend who had it for 28 years MADE me buy it from him. I'm trying very hard to quit. I have acquired all the stainless and had it polished,Trying to decide if to put it on or not.

 

So clean and different without the trim on it. If it were mine after making it so slippery I would not put it back on.

 

Second vote for putting it on.

 

I have to agree. The quarter panel piece flipped onto the front fender is a great little custom mod that really cleans up the 58. plus allows the opportunity to paint a contrasting color in the little open area if desired.

 

Hey J,

As a former owner of a 1958 black Impala, needless to say, I grew up with many miles of driving and racing the black Impala. Your Impala is still a work in progress. Since you have all of the stainless accessory trim, it needs to go back in place to get the Impala back to the style that made it famous.

As a one time design, despite being a heavy sedan, we enjoyed every minute driving around. It was style plus and fast, too. Your tube grille was one choice we were going to do, but decided that our immediate teenage cash should go to other speed parts to make it faster.

Since you are in a stage where you could go a mild custom route or stock appearance the choice is always yours and not from a bunch of hot rod enthusiasts. But, I noticed that the hubcaps are not what we could muster up in 1958-65 during our ownership. We did try to put on some stock Dodge Lancer 4 prong hubcaps from a friend’s car, but opted for small hubcaps and beauty trim rings.

In 1963-64, I did get the axle hubs modified so I could run the Buick Skylark wire wheels I had recently purchased. Now, it was a cool hot rod/mild custom car for our teenage cruising and bantering in the drive in restaurant parking lots.

Jnaki

The hubcaps you have look nice, but in a discussion with several people, they seem to come from a company that makes new hubcaps, as they are not from any factory back in those early days.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hubcaps-anyone-know-where-to-find.1139395/#post-13219325

So, good luck on your reconstruction. Hope to see it to completion.