64-66 OG Hubcaps on 5x5 lug Wheels

[Frizzle Fry]

Just picked up a set of original dog dish caps for my 64. I will be converting over to 5x5 lug so I need to run these on some later wheels. Will these caps fit on 71+ 5x5 lug wheels? What about rallys? Any other options? I wouldn't mind running them on some 17-18's if there are any out there that might work.

[markeb01]

I they are standard 10 1/8 inch caps, yes they will fit. I've run 1954 and 1960 Chevy on both 5 lug and 6 lug stock wheels and they work fine. They won't work on rally wheels without some creative engineering.

[Frizzle Fry]

Thanks. Those look like 8"ers, yeah? If so where did you get them? I'm after some. Also found this thread on the subject

[markeb01]

Yes the rim in the photo is a 15x8, but it's a 6 lug. Just using it to show the hubcaps fit on both 5 and 6 lug rims. I bought those wheels back around 1990 and there were mountains of them at the local wheel supplier. I believe they were new truck take offs that upgraded to custom wheels. Here's a shot without the caps - 8" on the rear, 6" on the front:



I've run the 54 and 1960 Chevy hubcaps on 5x5 lug wheels as well, but can't find any pictures of them installed at the moment.

[markeb01]

Fyi - Wheel Vintiques recently released a 5x5 oem style wheel for use with hubcaps, and they do have it listed in 15x8, with a 4.25" back spacing. $95.37 each in bare steel.

http://www.wheelvintiques.com/?p=9
http://wheelvintiques.myshopify.com/...ord-chevy-bare

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Frizzle Fry

Just picked up a set of original dog dish caps for my 64. I will be converting over to 5x5 lug so I need to run these on some later wheels. Will these caps fit on 71+ 5x5 lug wheels? What about rallys? Any other options? I wouldn't mind running them on some 17-18's if there are any out there that might work.

Yes, they'll fit later (post-71) 5-lug OE wheels.

[Frizzle Fry]

Seems the 15x8 5x5lug are hard to come by? What years/models did they come on? I'm new to the OE wheel scene since I've always gone for nuthin but after market stuff.

[wild one]

Mike,

If you can't find what your looking for, it can be made. I highly recommend a fellow by the name of Gary McLean, he owns and operates Rally America with his son. Both are good guys that stand behind there products - they custom built my rear wheels (15" x 10") to my specified off set, best of all they where very affordable! I supplied the centers to them at the Turlock swap (held in Turlock CA) and they did the rest, then shipped them to my door in Livermore Ca after having the centers for no more than 2 days for $85.00 a wheel!

I had called Stockton Wheel, Pete Paulson, and Wheel Vintiques to name a few custom wheel suppliers and was told the cost was over twice what Rally America charged me and that there was a 1 to 2 month turn around. If you found a set of wheels that had centers that you liked, you could remove the centers and ship those off to be used in the new barrels (rims) they supply for there custom built wheels. Also, they inventory a rather large selection of factory steel wheels - call them they might have what your looking for in stock.

Here's a link to there site: http://www.rallyamerica.com/

Good luck,
Pete

[markeb01]

If you happen to be a fan of old school reversed rims, another benefit of Rally America is they are the only supplier of tapered non-safety bead rims (hoops) I am aware of. For years the only option for this style of rim was finding old Buick or Lincoln wheels and having new centers added. Here's a couple of links to what they look like. For those into accurate nostalgia rims nothing else comes close:

http://www.rallyamerica.com/taperchrome.html
http://www.rallyamerica.com/taperbare.html

Over the years I've purchased several Buick rims with the intention of using the rims on Chevy centers for the rear of my truck, but all of them were too rusty, bent, damaged or otherwise unusable.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by markeb01

If you happen to be a fan of old school reversed rims, another benefit of Rally America is they are the only supplier of tapered non-safety bead rims (hoops) I am aware of. For years the only option for this style of rim was finding old Buick or Lincoln wheels and having new centers added. Here's a couple of links to what they look like. For those into accurate nostalgia rims nothing else comes close:

http://www.rallyamerica.com/taperchrome.html
http://www.rallyamerica.com/taperbare.html

Over the years I've purchased several Buick rims with the intention of using the rims on Chevy centers for the rear of my truck, but all of them were too rusty, bent, damaged or otherwise unusable.

What's different about the "tapered non-safety bead rims (hoops)"?

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

What's different about the "tapered non-safety bead rims (hoops)"?

Before disc brakes came along, virtually all steel rims (the hoop part the tire mounts on) had a front and a back. The front was formed like a cylinder and looked similar to a current disc brake wheel. The back of the rim had a taper to it, more like a funnel shape than a cylinder. This was to allow easy mounting of the tire from the back of the wheel, in the days when this was frequently done with tire spoons rather than automated equipment. A reversed wheel simply had the center removed from the rim, turned around facing the opposite direction and welded back in place.

This made the wheel appear deep as opposed to flat, and was a common customizing trick in the early 60's. As this became more popular it was discovered that Buick, Lincoln and Mercury rims were wider (up to 6.5") and when these rims were reversed with Chevy or Ford centers, the rims were very stylish and looked “really” deep. Here’s an early photo of a truck with Lincoln or Buick rims on the back:



From a style standpoint, the early tapered rims were more attractive for both reversing and chroming, since they did not have safety beads formed into the rim. Although the beads are safer if the tire goes flat, the groove mars the surface and is usually the first place to get rusty on a chrome wheel.

When you buy nostalgia chrome wheels now, they can be had standard or reversed, and with multiple offsets. Whether these are standard or reversed really doesn't change the appearance much other than how far back the center is mounted since the shape of the wheel is similar on both the front and back.

The easiest comparison I can think of to demonstrate the difference is the original Big T and model kit, compared to the rims mounted on the replica Big T. The originals were genuine reversed rims, using early tapered rims mounted in a reversed position relative to the centers. The results were stylish and beautiful for those with a passion for such things. Here’s a perfectly accurate replica from the original Big T model kit.



Here’s a link to a photo of the new car. The wheels on the replica are also reversed, but use late model disc brake wheels that are cylinder shaped and have a safety bead. They look like an afterthought purchased at a local tire store, instead of an integral part of the original vehicle design.

http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/.../photo_02.html

Other examples can be found on photos of the Norm Grabowski Kookie T, and TV Tommys red roadster which both ran reversed painted rims.

[Frizzle Fry]

Looks like the hoop is slightly conical. Great link!