Does anyone know if anybody repops " Beanie " or Hi-Dome hubcaps that were popular in the late fifties ?
Hi. I got got my first car in 53 and fell in with the hot rod and custom crowd then. What I remember is wat was popular were mostly either the Cadillac sombrero or the Olds full wheel spinners. Some went with the full wheel Moon discs you had to screw on. Otherwise most just ran either stock caps or NO caps. Photo shows my ride I got in 57 and pic taken in 58 with the modified Olds spinners. Jimmie Jimmie
I thought that there was a thread on those domed caps a couple of years ago. There are some trailer caps that are 10-1/4 ID but I have no idea of the quality Americana Pointed Top Baby Moon Trailer Wheel Center Cap - Chrome Plated Steel - Qty 1 Americana Wheel Accessories AM981306 (etrailer.com)
Picked up a complete set of those a couple of years back at NAPA. They were a clearance item and I think a paid less than $20 for the set. I don't like them that much as the shoulder is not rounded.
They are available as my son got a replacement for me from James at Gotham City Auto Supply in NY state. I bought my first set for my T-bucket for 10 bob each back in 1962. Here in Australia we called them "baldy" caps.
I've thought about it. I did some research on one of the original manufacturer a few years back. I cant find my notes but I think they were bought out by an accessory manufacturer that also made the dually wheel simulators, and there were some legal issues with the assets of the sale. So I highly doubt the tooling would be sitting on the shelf. On an episode of Wheeler Dealer Mike visited a small hubcap manufacturer in Birmingham UK that would be the right shop to approach. Besty since you're in the UK i may have some interest in doing something. I have two NOS sets that I hate to run, because I had a full set of driver quality but lost one, and I am running a replacement with not quite the same dome......So I am looking for singles...
When I saw the thread title, my first thought was the story arc from Calvin and Hobbes about the propeller beanie cap he could get by sending in six box tops from Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs cereal...
They are so simple it's amazing that nobody has made them yet. But only the 100 guys who paid real attention to the topic of this thread would ever step up to buy a set. Its not like Bob Drake would ever tool up for it. Couldn't pay for the tooling.
I live about 2 miles from a metal spinner. I've walked in there twice in the past 30 years (about a 20 year gap) and both times told in an unfriendly manner "we don't make parts for cars." WTF? Don't like money? Kinda shits me because I might have wanted 500 headlight buckets made, maybe 10,000, but they wouldn't allow the conversation to get that far. Pricks. I was stopped at traffic lights looking at the place only this morning thinking I should go in again just to test the water. Of course they could make beanie caps, if the wanted to.
I think you are right, there isn’t enough demand. I got in touch with a couple of places but no joy. Such a shame they would finish off my roadster a treat but I’m not prepared to pay what some people want for original ones, my car is my daily during the summer and sits outside my house for 6 months of the year. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I like both the Baldys and baby moons. The ones I referred to were the trailer style and just don't do it. Red wheels, wide whites, and baby moons (and maybe beauty rings) are my all time favourite wheel combo!
Are you talking about Baby Moons? They make them but the chrome isn't good. But I was going to buy a set and have the chromed in Lawrenceville..
I was on Bob Drake’s website earlier today, for something else and I did notice that they sell their hubcaps without the logos stamped in them. The 40 Ford caps without the logo look like the hi dome caps you are looking for
Jim, they are different....not as high, and have a sharper edge where they meet the wheel. Not quite the same as the original "beanie"
Well dang!!!!! They looked good on my phone!!!! I understand about wanting things a certain way. I’m super crazy about stuff like this too. Good luck
i own a pair of '46 mercury hubcaps, they stick out enough to clear A rear axles with 1947 mercury 15" wheels... deeper dish...
^^^^ Yeah, these are the real "Baldies". American Auto, Pep Boys, Grand Auto, Cal Custom, many other aftermarket auto stores. Still wish I had some of those that ol' "Rams" and his buds absconded with from the trailer sales lot in '57, '58...They were all the real deal. Baldies were unique, in that they also fit older International pickup wheels... They clamp into internal nubs on the early wheels, whereas the 'Baby Moons' clamped over external nubs, like '49-'60 Ford, etc.
These pics are great, they really show the difference between the beanie and the baby. Would love to find a set….
Tough to find but they give “the look”. Be careful to make sure they snap into your wheels tight. Found that one or two of mine are a little worn out and if you snap them in at the wrong spot they’re loose and on the first pothole you hit it will go flying! (don’t ask me how I know!). Usually if I just rotate the loose one a few degrees it snaps in tight.
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