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Slight Twist on '59 Cadillac Wheel Cover

Started by Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621, May 16, 2015, 09:22:35 AM

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Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

Had an extra set of '59 wheel covers and this is something I've always wanted to try out. (Still have the originals).

What says the flock?  ;)

A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

...another...

*Can never seem to attach more than 1 pic per post...
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Blade

#3
To be honest Eric, those make the car look better than the originals. I like them! ... and what a gorgeous car!

This might help you when posting more pictures: once you attached the first picture have you tried clicking on '(more attachments)' which is right below the field displaying your file name? If you click on that before you post your message it will allow you to attach more pictures (I attached a screen shot and underlined it with red on the picture for you).

Also I downloaded one of your pictures and the size is 4.3MB, if you notice on the bottom of the screen it says 'Maximum total size 5000KB', which means maximum 5MB. Since each of your pictures are close to the limit it probably does not allow you to post more. Here is what you can do: if you have a Windows system find the original picture on your computer, right click on it with your mouse and select 'Edit'. This should open up your picture in the Windows Paint program. On the upper left hand corner you should see an option 'Resize', click on that. It will give you another small window which allows you to change the size of your image, here you'll see 'Horizontal: 100' and right below that 'Vertical: 100' highlight either '100' and change it to '25' - the other will change automatically. Click 'OK' then save your picture again and attach these new resized pictures with your posts. This will reduce the size to about 300KB and allow you to post many of images at once. Just make sure to do this with all the pictures you want to post. Once you do this a few times it will go like a '59 downhill.  8)

Ken Perry

Looks good,don't know why it was'nt a option,like in 1960? Ken Perry 
Cadillac Ken

Jon S

#5
Eric -

They look very nice, but I'm in to originality.  My first thought on seeing a car "modified," is what else has been modified and I would scrutinize the car; whereas, seeing the car with the factory silver hubcaps, my first thought would be what a beautiful car.

You did a very nice on the hubcaps, but I would hang those in the garage for conversation pieces.  Also, I believe the paint will tend to get nicked from stones quickly as it's adhered to stainless steel. 

JMHO
Jon

1958 Cadillac Sedan De Ville
1973 Lincoln Continental Coupe
1981 Corvette
2004 Mustang GT

76eldo

Speaking of that rare 1960 rarely seen option I will have something interesting to share next week.

Looks great Eric

Brian
Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado

Rich S

It looks like a tasteful modification of a classy automobile, in my opinion. I really love that Woodrose color--and to think it is original paint---WOW!!! Fabulous car!
Rich Sullivan CLC #11473

1971 Eldo Conv., 2013 CTS Cpe

Blade

Quote from: Ken Perry on May 16, 2015, 12:49:02 PM
Looks good,don't know why it was'nt a option,like in 1960? Ken Perry

I agree, makes me want to do a set myself although I don't know how it would look on a Kensington green car.

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#9
Thanks fellas!  :)

For some reason, I have always had an affinity for color keyed wheel covers. To my eyes, they help to integrate the styling theme of the wheels with the car itself much better than the plain generic "one-size-fits-all" polished stainless cover could ever hope to do.

The coloring also accentuates the vaned area which also helps highlight wheel cover styling features.   

As I said, this is something I had spent much time thinking about. I have always been a stickler for originality however this minor modification looks very much something that the Cadillac Design Studio could well have done themselves. 

Compared with appliance wire wheel wheels and chromed 60 Special taillamp bullets, I really believe these color keyed covers make a substantive & genuine improvement to the 1959 Cadillac as originally issued - authenticity issues notwithstanding.

By way of interest, 1960 wheel covers were originally supposed to be color keyed:  According to Dave Holls, a miscommunication occurred somewhere between the Studio and production which resulted in only optional colors of white & black only with the vast majority being ordered in regular stainless. This is further evidenced by the artwork in the 1960 Catalog: If you look closely, you will see all models are depicted with color keyed wheel covers!

Thanks again for the kind words of support & reassurance!  :)

Eric

 
**Here is the original for comparison.

You be the judge.


A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

Quote from: Blade on May 16, 2015, 09:35:24 PM
I agree, makes me want to do a set myself although I don't know how it would look on a Kensington green car.

Tibor,

I think they make a tremendous improvement on any 1959 Cadillac* - regardless of color.

*Except Eldorado & 60 Special models. The wheel cover for these models does not lend itself for this treatment, IMO.

Thanks, Eric
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#11
Why would the paint get nicked any more than they would on 61/62 (color keyed) wheelcovers.  ???

Stones flown by tires generally do not get thrown into the hubcaps. Maybe a bit more on the rears because of the forward motion of the car but wear caused in that way tends to hit the raised "hub" section of the wheel cover, not the recessed area where the painted surface is.
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute


59-in-pieces

Eric,
Great job with equally great looks.
I have often wanted to color match hub caps - but, the older I get the shakier the hands get...
Please, step by step - how did you get them to look so good.
Have fun,
Steve B.
S. Butcher

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

Quote from: 59-in-pieces on May 17, 2015, 11:23:44 AM
Eric,
Great job with equally great looks.
I have often wanted to color match hub caps - but, the older I get the shakier the hands get...
Please, step by step - how did you get them to look so good.
Have fun,
Steve B.

Step One: Order 1 qt Woodrose Paint from TouchUpPaint.Com (?) or something similar. Their paints are SPOT ON match to color chip.

Step Two: Remove hubcaps from nails holding them to the wall in garage.

Step Three: Hand hubcaps and paint to my buddy who's got a body shop in Scranton.

Step Four: Write him a check for $200 when done!  ;D ;D ;D ;D

Kidding aside, it's not as difficult as it is tedious and time consuming.

Years and years ago I once masked off a set of 1962 covers that needed to be redone. 1/4" width masking tape comes in VERY handy for this job!

The obvious other points are the prep/cleaning of the wheel covers, primer and paint. It's a pretty straightforward job.

The more I look at the effect, I am convinced - Cadillac should have done C-K wheel covers 59-62 - linking all "rocket years" together. (MY years too!) I'll bet they would have sold an additional 5,000 '59s if they did!

Thanks.



A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

quadfins

Without the paint, the raised "spokes" simply blend in and are barely noticeable.

With the paint, they stand out very well. And I get many positive comments about the painted wheel disks on my '61, so it was certainly a positive move by the stylists.

Jim
Jim Eccleston
1961 Coupe de Ville
BATILAC
Senior Crown
DeCou Driving Award x 4

Walter Youshock

It's not bad but I think it's too much on a '59.  Maybe on a darker  sedan (NOT a 60 Special even as an option to the standard Fleetwood wheelcovers.)

The '59 has enough going on that painted wheelcovers are over the top.  Sometimes  less is more...
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#17
Quote from: quadfins on May 17, 2015, 02:55:23 PM
Without the paint, the raised "spokes" simply blend in and are barely noticeable.

With the paint, they stand out very well. And I get many positive comments about the painted wheel disks on my '61, so it was certainly a positive move by the stylists.

Jim

Agreed 110%. They make the 61/62 and provided the inspiration for this exercise.


Quote from: Walter Youshock on May 17, 2015, 02:56:22 PM
It's not bad but I think it's too much on a '59.  Maybe on a darker  sedan (NOT a 60 Special even as an option to the standard Fleetwood wheelcovers.)

The '59 has enough going on that painted wheelcovers are over the top.  Sometimes  less is more...

Hmmm...

I see 53/54 wire wheels & chromed 60 Special taillamp bullets as being far more "over the top" adornments on a '59 compared to a subtle coloration of the hubcaps - which the factory themselves offered the very next year (depending on how you look at it) or at least by '61.

Furthermore, the body sides of 59/60 Cadillac are considerably more conservative than those of the 61/62 gen - or even 57/58 for that matter therefore I don't see much of a conflict there either, at least to my eyes. All "goings on" in a '59 are chiefly at front and rear ends. The 1959 was really the first dechromed Cadillac model.

Still have not seen the case made why C-K wheel covers should looks so good on a 61/62 (or even '60 in black or white) yet so completely & utterly out of place on a '59.  ???

All the same, interesting discussion... :)

A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Walter Youshock

Wow.  A '59 is a "man" car and a '60 is a "woman"?  There's a discussion for the Supreme Court...

I think every Cadillac wheelcover lent itself to the color coded idea for many years.  The '56 is a perfect example.  The '57 wheelcovers -- no.  Those nobody messes with. 

Given the fact tthat '58 and '59 used the same cover with different centers, maybe a color coding would (on a dark car) tone down the ostentatious '59.  On a light car, it draws more attention to the overall car.

On a dark car, you notice the painted cover.  Your eye is drawn down to the color and whitewall, away from the fin.  It brings the car into a different perspective.  On a light car, it doesn't work as well.

A white car should not have white caps.  A black car can have black caps.
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#19
I wanted to do it with my black '59 CdV but it got sold before I got the chance.

So you're saying a black wheel cover looks good on a black 61/62 but not a white cover on a white 61/62? ???
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute