I like all those.^^^ And, these Buick wheel covers are the ones I am planning for my custom Merc at least for now.
I’m running flippers for now, but keeping my eye out for something cooler. I’d like to run a set of 57 Caddy caps, but they aren’t cheap, and I am.
I found some pics at an estate sale taken in about 1955...showing two cars...a Bantam hotrod and a Cadillac mild custom both using 1955 or so Buick hubcaps. I don't think those hubcaps are specifically bitchin...but that's what was used on these two cars, in Burbank CA, in 1955.
I'm not really a custom guy, more of a mild custom appeals to me, so I prefer a kind of spartan design hubcap like the 53 Studebaker hubcap or 57 Plymouth hubcap.
Olds Fiestas for 15" wheels, Dodge Lancers for 14" wheels if I want flippers, but I also like early 50's Cadillac and 50ish Oldsmobile for smooth caps. And Lyon made a lot of neat looking aftermarket full wheel covers as well. Lots of cool options from the HAMB era if a guy wants to do something different.
{ 15inch} 1953 Gold center dot Studebaker Cones are my all time Fav,then the aftermarket all chrome cones.
My high school parking lot was full of shoebox Chevys and 56 Fords wearing the 57 Plymouth wheel covers in 64. Seldom seen now but I still like them.
Dad had '57 Plymouth caps/wheel discs on his '57 Chevy Convertible (thank you Dick Stephens for the pic)
Sometimes you need not go far to get the look. These "Hub Caps" were original to the car, in 1966. Actually, the color was also, but not the 390/toploader combo.....
so, those stel aftermarket wheels for th elittle moon caps -7.5'' cap really are a copy of an early chevrolet wheel as the early chevy's used a 7.5'' cap stock ford 8 1/8 thast why
I actually bought most of mine from a local custom guy that had bought out a complete collection of caps from a deceased friends wife. He probably had 500 caps mostly stuff we would all like here. I bet he has 150 of the fiesta style aftermarket caps in both 14" and 15" and several others as well. I really need to go see him again and maybe offer to just buy all of them. He told me that the ones he sold me were the first ones he had ever sold. He has them all organized on the wall on long hangers so he can keep like styles together. Well, those are the "extras". The nice ones are displayed nicer than that.
I've been thinking of throwing something on my shoebox.... Maybe the standard dog dishes? I dunno.... Love somebreros but I don't think they'd suit my ride really.
When I was a kid, I remember some of the guys who were old enough to have cars would have several different sets of hubcaps that they'd change every week or two, just to get a different look.
Hello, What kid, teenager, older folks did not like those three prong flipper hubcaps back in the late 50s? It just seemed like they were on a lot of cars, whether they were stock or not. At the time, whitewall tires and flipper hubcaps were the thing to do for a simple add on custom touch to any car. @guthriesmith has a great collection of hubcaps... My brother’s friends used to bring their cars over to our house for the usual teenage “car” gatherings. Our house was selected on the basis of a long driveway and access to the best food on the whole Westside of Long Beach. The food was a major draw when any gathering was mentioned by my brother’s friends. Teenage appetites and all played a big part. What was the draw? Well the purpose was to see all of the different styles of wheels and rims everyone had. Then as a little kid, I was the one to change one hubcap for another, on one side to show everyone what the new “look” was on this sedan. If the car rim was one size too large or small, then I double sided taped the wheel to stay put, while the “older”guys snacked on my mom’s fabulous lunch of teriyaki chicken, steak and various styles of sushi. It was not the everyday common meal, but over the week of our own family meals, our dad loved those and my mom supplied the best all week. So, the teenagers knew of this and wanted to come over for the weekly drag racing movies we just got back and to do various things, like hubcap exchanges. Jnaki My brother’s final choice after taping on a friend’s Moon Discs was to get his own set and installed them. He drilled the original holes and I attached the discs to the wheels. Then in the late fall of 1957, my brother surprised everyone when he rolled up onto the driveway with his new purchase, a 280 hp 348 tri-powered motor in his new 58 Impala. Now, he was ready to challenge those at Lion’s Dragstrip and his teenage friends in their friendly Cherry Avenue drags escapades. The first thing he did was to take off the stock huge one piece hubcaps. Then he ran without hubcaps all over the place, as it looked faster without those blobs on the rims. Secretly, he wanted the latest “mag” wheels we saw at the dragstrip, but those were for racing only. The Halibrands and then when they came out, American Racing Equipment 5 Spoke Mags. That was his goal, but he decided to save his money and keep looking. By the time I had my driver’s license, we had moved onto the next level for both of us. I liked my hubcaps off and the rims painted. So, they were all colors, as spray can paint was inexpensive. My favorites, silver on blackwalls instead of hubcaps. The Moon Discs did not look good on the Impala and obviously, the 5 spoke wheels were out of the money window. Finally, as a junior in high school, I settled on one look. Small 59 Impala center hubcaps just looked right, by itself or with beauty trim rings. The cost of the small hubcaps was a discount, due to a friend taking them off of his car and adding chrome rims. Then I secured the trim rings at the local Chevy parts dealer. This was the longest time I had a car with only hubcaps. From 1960 to 63 and then I had saved enough to not pass up the deal of the century. 5 pristine Buick Skylark Wire Wheels from a friend was a deal I could not pass up. I had extra money for the conversion to the necessary Buick bolt patterns and would be the only 1958 Impala with Skylark Wire Wheels in So Cal, a C&O Stick Hydro, 300+ hp and a cool cruiser/racer for the times... Thanks for the conversion, @themoose
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