Made some changes to the 55

J

junkyardjeff

Senior Member
Got rid of the aluminum wheels and put steel rims and the original small hub caps back on,now I am thinking about building the drivetrain like I would have ordered it in 55 with a 3 speed o/d instead of the FOM.
 

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Should have left it alone,sorry. Maybe the Ford full hub caps would look correct,poverty caps on a convertable look cheap.
 

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nice looking car its all about taste if you like it go with it you will never please everyone I have a 55 sitting not far from me for over a year ask about it maybe someday to many projects now
 
Jeff ,personally I dig the steeliest and poverties. I have them on my 55CV with beauty rings. I still have my full original covers and wide whites but that isn't me. I am holding on to all that stuff for my son in the future,.....just in case......
I think your rag top looks GREAT!!!! But...........I've been told all my taste is in my mouth!!!!

Rowen
 
It came from the factory with those poverty caps,dad ordered it as cheap as he could get it except for the automatic trans and 4 bbl motor and a radio,fresh air heater and white wall tires. I have a set of full wheel covers in case I decide to go with white walls but I doubt that will ever happen as I cant stand them,this car was ordered cheap and might get cheaper with a manual trans.
 
I think the '55 hub caps (not the full wheel covers) are one of the best looking around with the red center.

Sal
 
I like it with the small caps, up here we were more likely to call then "dog dish' caps. But the idea it was Dad's, and how and why it was ordered, is the real story for me. I like the whole concept.
 
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Here are the before and after photos enlarged for easier viewing. I personally like the look with the original wheels and dog dish hubcaps.
 
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This is the illustration of the 1955 Ford Sunliner in the original Sales Brochure. You will notice that it only has the small "poverty" Hubcaps.
 
I was thinking about finding a set or 56 caps with the white centers since they would go with the top better then with red,those aluminum wheels just did not look period enough for me and if they were the gray spoked Torque Thrusts I might not have taken them off.
 
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What got me thinking about the steel rims and poverty caps is there is a yellow 55 T bird running around with the poverty caps and black wall tires and I like the look,even though I only polished the wheels one a year I was getting tired of doing it.
 
When I ran the little front tires and 10" cheater slicks on my bird, I used the white caps also. Thunderbird Blue car, matching wheels, white top. White dog dish caps just looked better.
 
Now if I can find a complete and working 1956 and newer 3 speed o/d for it,its converted to 12 volts now. I wish I never got rid of the original motor so I am going to start with a 62 292 and build it to 57 specs when I find a better set of heads.
 
Try the beauty rings, it will change the appearance allot.
 

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I've always preferred the dog dish or poverty caps for some reason. I guess maybe the just fit my style, as the full covers seem a bit 'hoity-toity' to me! Just my opinion of course. But when I bought my '56 Vicky in 1968 it had '60 poverty caps on it. And now in 2016, it still does. Added trim rings (and a few other 'upgrades').

Me in '68 about 2 days after I got my Vicky (a teen in hog heaven!):

Oct6956Ford3.jpg


Recent - with at least 2 or 3 of the same caps from '68:

Dec28th20136.jpg
 
282839

Nice 1953 Mercury Monterey Convertible. Another positive thing for these "poverty" Hubcaps is that they stay on the Wheel much better than the Original Full Wheel Covers. As the Full Wheel Covers became more popular and became standard issue to most new cars, the Full Wheel Covers stayed on the Wheels much better, but back then, they don't seem to hold on as well?
 
junkyardjeff said:
What got me thinking about the steel rims and poverty caps is there is a yellow 55 T bird running around with the poverty caps and black wall tires and I like the look,even though I only polished the wheels one a year I was getting tired of doing it.
Click to expand...
Looking at the Pics below the trim rings make it pop nicely. :cool:
 
mercman from oz said:
282839

Nice 1953 Mercury Monterey Convertible. Another positive thing for these "poverty" Hubcaps is that they stay on the Wheel much better than the Original Full Wheel Covers. As the Full Wheel Covers became more popular and became standard issue to most new cars, the Full Wheel Covers stayed on the Wheels much better, but back then, they don't seem to hold on as well?
Click to expand...

Actually when I put radials on the car the full hubcaps would fall off within two blocks. These stay on no matter what. I had a lot of people comment on them at shows and cruises, but the bottom line is I like them.
 
I do not want to install trim rings or full covers since they will scratch my freshly painted rims,I got almost 200 dollars in sand blasting and paint material.
 
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