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De Soto New Wheel Covers
Moderators: Lancer Mike

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Lancer Mike
Posted 2020-05-03 7:03 PM (#597718)
Subject: De Soto New Wheel Covers



5000200020005001002525
Location: The Mile High City

Installed some new wheel covers on the De Soto today.  Adventurer style!

 





(spinners 1.jpg)



(spinners 2.jpg)



(spinners 3.jpg)



Attachments
----------------
Attachments spinners 1.jpg (243KB - 451 downloads)
Attachments spinners 2.jpg (241KB - 441 downloads)
Attachments spinners 3.jpg (250KB - 437 downloads)
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2020-05-03 7:24 PM (#597720 - in reply to #597718)
Subject: RE: De Soto New Wheel Covers



5000200020005001002525
Location: The Mile High City

The old wheel covers, for comparison:





(05 Wilson Arch 102517.jpg)



Attachments
----------------
Attachments 05 Wilson Arch 102517.jpg (245KB - 491 downloads)
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matt
Posted 2020-05-04 8:34 AM (#597744 - in reply to #597718)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers


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Posts: 143
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Location: Malmberget, Sweden
Nice.
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NicksGarage
Posted 2020-05-04 11:40 AM (#597754 - in reply to #597718)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



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Posts: 1223
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Location: Ramona, CA
Looks great.
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2020-05-04 8:31 PM (#597776 - in reply to #597754)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



5000200020005001002525
Location: The Mile High City

Thanks fellas! I have to take them on a road test to make sure they are tight and don't spin.  It was a suprisingly big project to put those things together!

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firedome
Posted 2020-05-07 12:00 PM (#597899 - in reply to #597776)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



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Posts: 3153
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Location: NY & VT
Looks spiffy! Are they NORS or OEM or?
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Powerflite
Posted 2020-05-07 2:02 PM (#597905 - in reply to #597718)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



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Posts: 9604
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Location: So. Cal
Who did you use for chroming the centers? They look great.
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2020-05-07 9:18 PM (#597917 - in reply to #597905)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



5000200020005001002525
Location: The Mile High City

I had been thinking about this for a long time.  I started out buying a single 1956 Chrysler spinner cover here on the forward look site.  It was totally pitted, but inexpensive.  I held on to that for a long while and then bought a cheap 1957 De Soto wheel cover to see just how they fit together.   Earlier this year, I bought a set of 1956 Chrysler Windsor spinner wheel covers on eBay; they had been for sale for a long time and I made an offer to the seller and we came to an agreement.  The spinners were already repaired and rechromed (I don't know by whom) and they came with the red center caps.  It was a leap of faith and very, very expensive. 

I then had to purchase a full set of 1957 De Soto wheel covers.  I purchased several.  To my surprise, there are at least three varieties of 1957 De Soto wheel covers!  I had to buy a bunch of them to get a set that was up to the standards of the restored Chrysler spinners.  I then had to cut the centers out of the De Soto wheel covers and I colored the silver portion with a light gold tint.  I put the whole thing together and I think I have a reasonable representation of the 1958 Adventurer wheel covers with the exception of the center emblem.  The 1956 Chrysler Windsor red emblem matches the color of my car, so I think it fits.

In the end, I think it is a decent representation of the best wheel cover available for the 1958 De Soto with some modification (center cap).  It is all made with original MoPar stock stuff, similar to how the the 1958 De Soto Adventurer wheel covers were fashioned.  But holy cow!  You talk about an expensive pain in the @ss!

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Lancer Mike
Posted 2020-05-07 10:09 PM (#597922 - in reply to #597917)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



5000200020005001002525
Location: The Mile High City

Here are a few images of the various steps in the process.  What I learned:

  • eBay images of wheel covers (perhaps all images) always look way better than the actual wheel cover!
  • 1957 De Soto wheel covers had one of two methods to attach to the wheel: 4 clips (a very flat wheel cover), or a ring of tabs (a thick wheel cover)
  • 1957 De Soto wheel covers came in either 1 1/2 inch inner ring face or 1 3/4 inner ring face! (who'd a thunk it!) - when compared side by side, they look really different!
  • The rotation of the center spinner driling can be either bottom spinner arm facing straight down to the valve stem hole (my choice - 1956 orientation) OR
  • top spinner arm facing straight up opposite the valve stem hole (1955 orientation - which option you choose requires re-orientation of the center emblem by 180 degrees).




(original test cover.jpg)



(one of many.jpg)



(colored and center cut out.jpg)



(special tools, drilling bunk, and templates.jpg)



Attachments
----------------
Attachments original test cover.jpg (231KB - 466 downloads)
Attachments one of many.jpg (219KB - 449 downloads)
Attachments colored and center cut out.jpg (218KB - 458 downloads)
Attachments special tools, drilling bunk, and templates.jpg (193KB - 485 downloads)
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2020-05-07 10:13 PM (#597923 - in reply to #597922)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



5000200020005001002525
Location: The Mile High City

For a guy who didn't quite like the standard wheel cover and didn't like the wire wheels, I think I found my happy place! 

 

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Powerflite
Posted 2020-05-08 12:13 AM (#597929 - in reply to #597718)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



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Posts: 9604
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Location: So. Cal
It's a very good choice, and much better than the other two options, IMO. Why did you have to cut the centers on the hubcaps?
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firedome
Posted 2020-05-08 12:41 PM (#597952 - in reply to #597929)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



Expert

Posts: 3153
200010001002525
Location: NY & VT
Great job on fabricating custom wheel covers, very creative!
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2020-05-12 10:19 AM (#598134 - in reply to #597929)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



5000200020005001002525
Location: The Mile High City

Powerflite - Why did you have to cut the centers on the hubcaps?

Thanks fellas!

My "test" wheel cover came to me with the clip holding the wheel center installed upside down.  Based on the marks on the back of the wheel center emblem, it had been that way for a long time.  I thought that's the way it was suppose to be.  It made installing the test spinner on the test wheel cover easy!  However, I did notice that, once installed, the center emblem seemed too loose.

The 1956 Windsor cover had the center blank and (although my images don't show them well at all) tabs surrounding the center hole.  When the restored spinners arrived, they had the clip installed correctly, with the convex arc.  As I tried to install those, it was evident that the 1957 De Soto wheel cover center portion had to be either mashed down or removed.  





(test spinner showing clip how it came.jpg)



(clip how it should be.jpg)



(1956 Windsor wheel cover front.jpg)



(1956 Windsor wheel cover back.jpg)



Attachments
----------------
Attachments test spinner showing clip how it came.jpg (233KB - 441 downloads)
Attachments clip how it should be.jpg (216KB - 452 downloads)
Attachments 1956 Windsor wheel cover front.jpg (225KB - 431 downloads)
Attachments 1956 Windsor wheel cover back.jpg (201KB - 478 downloads)
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Powerflite
Posted 2020-05-12 10:48 AM (#598140 - in reply to #597718)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



Expert 5K+

Posts: 9604
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Location: So. Cal
My wheelcover came the same way as your first picture. The second way does hold it tight, but may scratch the emblem, but it does seem better to install it.
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2020-05-13 1:13 PM (#598204 - in reply to #598140)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



5000200020005001002525
Location: The Mile High City

Nathan are you making a set of these too?

 

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Powerflite
Posted 2020-05-13 1:28 PM (#598206 - in reply to #597718)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



Expert 5K+

Posts: 9604
500020002000500100
Location: So. Cal
Yes, but the Chrysler version, not the DeSoto.
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2020-05-13 7:31 PM (#598236 - in reply to #598206)
Subject: Re: De Soto New Wheel Covers



5000200020005001002525
Location: The Mile High City

Always impressed! 

 

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