I was wodering if anyone has had any luck finding a center cap for the xb wheels. I want to do a 40's style ford hotrod thing with a centercap and beuty ring. Any suggestions?

I am doing the same thing....I am having chrome plated brass custom made center caps with a Japanese character (Prosperity!) acid etched into the chrome - they will be ready in about 4 weeks (I am having them done overseas). If you want a set of 4 reply ASAP.......Bradford

To clarify, are you looking for something like baby moons to cover the lugnuts, or a small cap for the hole in the center of the wheel to use with chrome lugnuts?

I did a search for "center caps" and came up with several options. I don't know if any of them fit the Scion steelies, but it's a start.

Can i get some more info about the custom caps saicow?

Yes, im looking for more of a cover than a cap for the bolts to go over. I was thingking of finding some old mercury caps or something similar.

It's the fit that is tricky....how will they stay on, etc.? I have rings and chrome bolts and the center cap covers the exposed axle ends, just inside the bolts and I will design the cap to fit right under the bolt lips securely......they will look perfect and very unique with the Japanese character - not some adapted existing design that won't look right.....anyway, if you want a set I need to order now....they will be $60.00 for the set of 4.......Bradford

I dont think this is what you are looking for, but it just might be:
http://img25.photobucket.com/albums/v75/tiberius0716/Oldtown/100_0478.jpg
Its one of the members rides here, just cant find which one right now.

OK, the thing is, standard American steel wheels are made with little lobes around the inner ring. The center caps/baby moons snap over those lobes. The Scion/Toyata wheels don't have those lobes. So these seem to be your choices:

1: Use the kind of center cap that bolts on with the wheel lugs

2: Use adaptors so you can use American wheels

3: Have someone like Stockton Wheel Service modify American wheels to fit a 100x4 bolt pattern

4: Have some kind of cap specially machined.

5: Something I haven't thought of

OK, the thing is, standard American steel wheels are made with little lobes around the inner ring. The center caps/baby moons snap over those lobes. The Scion/Toyata wheels don't have those lobes. So these seem to be your choices:

1: Use the kind of center cap that bolts on with the wheel lugs

2: Use adaptors so you can use American wheels

3: Have someone like Stockton Wheel Service modify American wheels to fit a 100x4 bolt pattern

4: Have some kind of cap specially machined.

5: Something I haven't thought of

5. Use a wire welder to build up three "nubs" in the correct locations to hold the cap in place. If you don't have a wire welder, just drill the wheel and install a round-head self-tapping screw.

I checked out one of my old VW hubcaps (late style, not early style) and they would fit nicely if the nubs were there. You can buy these caps without logos for a reasonable price from VW suppliers.

I'm using salt flat discs that cover the entire wheel but the lip. I built a bracket in the center of the wheel and use a center screw to secure the cap. There are two holes already in the center of the wheel that allow you to fasten a bracket without drilling.

George

Something like this http://www.wheelvintiques.com/wheels/nostaliga.html ??

double post.....but thanks....saving the link now....might pick up one of those these days...

Yeah, all you guys are on spot with what i want, but the only problem is that, as you all probably know, american wheels have different spacing, so they wont work unless i want the lowrider look and a big ticket.

Those full moons look _____en, that would be an easy thing to do as well.

Maybe just beauty rings for a 60's stock dragster look?

HEY, I had a 79 camaro berlinetta. The fastes inspection violation on the east coast.

I dont think this is what you are looking for, but it just might be:
http://img25.photobucket.com/albums/v75/tiberius0716/Oldtown/100_0478.jpg
Its one of the members rides here, just cant find which one right now.


Thats Tstrel's ride.
Very smoooooov I might add! :D

Very nice Box. What kind of rims are those? That looks awesome.

Stock steelies with full moons! :shock:

There are snap-on Moon Discs:

http://69.20.111.53/ProductImages/parts2/md1143.jpg

or a little blingier...

http://69.20.111.53/ProductImages/parts/Md1159.jpg

From Mooneyes:

http://www.mooneyes.com/

The thing that I don't like about the snap-on disc is that they extend past the lip of the steel wheel. I know from my stock hub caps that it is very easy to get curb rash if the cap extends past the lip.

My own salt flat discs recess into the wheel within the lip. It would take a tall, square curb to harm them! I got mine from EMPI:

http://www.empius.com/

http://www.empius.com/w/wheelcaps.html#salt

and painted them to match my white box. Check the Canyon Breakfast photos for August to see them.

George

I had the berlinetta for like 3 weeks before it died due to a blown engine block. =\

Too much of a hassle to get it fixed up. But goddamit it was a hot cruising car.

Helporb, is that short for Highland Falls??

Well, it really has no explination. I feel that i can be a Hovering Ball of assistance to this board, or even be a receiver of it. But i Do live in High Falls, which is 7min away from highland falls, over mohonk mountain. Lets start a club! We can call it the Roundout Rhombus's (Although some sheet metal work would be required!)

On my 79 camaro, you could see the floor through the floor pans, and i had a rock that i painted a big "P" on becuase there was no parking pin. It did have a outlaw engine in it though! Ho Boy!

Thanks to all who responded!

http://69.20.111.53/ProductImages/parts2/md1143.jpg
http://69.20.111.53/ProductImages/parts/Md1159.jpg


Be careful when buying the type of covers as pictured. The wheel covers above have teeth to secure to the wheel. However this is not a secure fit to our stock wheels. You want the same cover secure system as the stock covers...clips, and a circular wire. I had something like those and one fell off.

Not sure how Tsrel's covers are secured. But he PMed me back stating that since it is metal, it will make a lot of noise. Steel wheels on steel covers=noise :D

[quote="fr130
Be careful when buying the type of covers as pictured. The wheel covers above have teeth to secure to the wheel. However this is not a secure fit to our stock wheels. You want the same cover secure system as the stock covers...clips, and a circular wire. I had something like those and one fell off.

Not sure how Tsrel's covers are secured. But he PMed me back stating that since it is metal, it will make a lot of noise. Steel wheels on steel covers=noise :D[/quote]

yes mine is also making noise, and i have to tweak those clips to hold better(still unsure if it really going to hold),
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TQAjAPEVnDvhRhkXqZr0JiIi1u*HxYPq!WqZUJIedriNSxi*QdUYA!OoFl*auStmC2nXDemu3cncfkSNGbJsbOi*sn89506Dl879W6idU9Au5yXYrZLAXw/IMG_0457.JPG?dc=4675483491096648386

What kind of hubcaps are those? They look great!

What kind of hubcaps are those? They look great!
those are just full moons you'll see on ebay. one problem with those, it won't flush in on the steelie lip. out stock wheel has that round curve after the lug holes that is touching the cap, so i can't recommend this caps. with this problem, i would not also recommend the flipper moons that you'll see on ebay.

http://69.20.111.53/ProductImages/parts2/md1143.jpg
http://69.20.111.53/ProductImages/parts/Md1159.jpg

Be careful when buying the type of covers as pictured. The wheel covers above have teeth to secure to the wheel. However this is not a secure fit to our stock wheels.
Moon has only been selling those caps for something like 50 years and the all-metal spring clip design has been around for a lot longer than that! As long as the wheel has a cylindrical surfact for the clips to slide over (and the scion wheels do) they should work as well as they do on any other car.
You want the same cover secure system as the stock covers...clips, and a circular wire.
Secure? You can pull them off with your hand! The stock caps are so flexible that you have to push them in all around their circumference to get them on and even then they tend to have uneven gaps between the wheel and cover. When I was running the stock caps I kept having to push the caps back in when part of the cap started to slip out. If I hadn't, I'd have lost the whole cap!
Not sure how Tsrel's covers are secured. But he PMed me back stating that since it is metal, it will make a lot of noise. Steel wheels on steel covers=noise :D
Never had any noise problems with steel caps. If they are making noise, then there is probably a clearance problem between the wheel and the cap that isn't letting the cap seat all the way. This can be a problem with the large-offset wheels on FWD cars, but as long as the cover has about a half-inch of "dish" it should be fine.

The thing that I don't like about the snap-on disc is that they extend past the lip of the steel wheel. I know from my stock hub caps that it is very easy to get curb rash if the cap extends past the lip.







Curb rash?
The last thing you should worry about as Scion guru is curb rash!
Try to keep from curbing these!Cost just a lil more than a hubcap!

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/12/web/588000-588999/588082_5_full.jpg

The thing that I don't like about the snap-on disc is that they extend past the lip of the steel wheel. I know from my stock hub caps that it is very easy to get curb rash if the cap extends past the lip.

Curb rash?
The last thing you should worry about as Scion guru is curb rash!
Try to keep from curbing these!Cost just a lil more than a hubcap!

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/12/web/588000-588999/588082_5_full.jpg

Dang, those things remind me of the chariot wheels in Ben-Hur! :shock:

I suppose that if you go for the bling, you have to make sacrifices, in the same way as some women insist upon wearing stiletto heels and then develop a first-name relationship with podiatrists.

I'm a bit more practical, so I want some sidewall outside the lips of my wheels!

George

"I want some sidewall outside the lips of my wheels!"

Some tires have rim protector ridges on the sidewalls.

[Never had any noise problems with steel caps. If they are making noise, then there is probably a clearance problem between the wheel and the cap that isn't letting the cap seat all the way. This can be a problem with the large-offset wheels on FWD cars, but as long as the cover has about a half-inch of "dish" it should be fine.
you just got lucky you don't have the squeek. i search on the net why it squeek,
read here what other people say:
http://www.motorhomemagazine.com/cforum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/12903355/gotomsg/12904025.cfm

Sid! nice find and I LOVE those caps!
I figured it was the load bending the steelies, and ive tried to tell people thats what i thought it was.
Good to see some other forums backing up on that!

To any one considering the caps, they are the non wire ring style and stay on WAY better than the plastic stock caps, (I have had problems taking mine off). I.E if you like the look do it!! :D
...BUT, as the do stick out over the steelie lip i have gotten a few road dents, nothing big, and no curb rash (practice parking) :oops:. If it gets bad ill go back to and pick up another whole set for $67. :roll:

They will continue to be my daily driver wheels as i will be moving to much more dangerous ground very very soon!! :twisted:

-T-

ooooh oooh BTW Sid, diggin the mirrors !! 8) Keep up the awesome work!

[Never had any noise problems with steel caps. If they are making noise, then there is probably a clearance problem between the wheel and the cap that isn't letting the cap seat all the way. This can be a problem with the large-offset wheels on FWD cars, but as long as the cover has about a half-inch of "dish" it should be fine.
you just got lucky you don't have the squeek. i search on the net why it squeek,
read here what other people say:
http://www.motorhomemagazine.com/cforum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/12903355/gotomsg/12904025.cfm

If I "just got lucky" then several million other people also "just got lucky"! Remember that hub caps of this design came stock on most cars of the 50's, 60s, and 70s! Their wheels didn't squeak any more than those of "modern" cars. The only reason that the wheel cover design changed to plastic was to decrease cost and to spur sales of accessory alloy wheels.

A couple of squeaky aftermarket caps on motor homes is hardly corroboration of any ongoing problem. The concept of "wheel flex" on the motorhome forum shows a lack of understanding of how pneumatic wheels support their loads. If a steel wheel flexed enough to make a hub cap squeak it would crack from metal fatigue within a few miles!

George

The thing that I don't like about the snap-on disc is that they extend past the lip of the steel wheel. I know from my stock hub caps that it is very easy to get curb rash if the cap extends past the lip.







Curb rash?
The last thing you should worry about as Scion guru is curb rash!
Try to keep from curbing these!Cost just a lil more than a hubcap!

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/12/web/588000-588999/588082_5_full.jpg


Off topic, can I see more pics of those rims? Me likey :shock:

You sure can.
Just click on the link in my sig.
Lemme know what you think.
I havent curbed them yet!

A couple of squeaky aftermarket caps on motor homes is hardly corroboration of any ongoing problem. The concept of "wheel flex" on the motorhome forum shows a lack of understanding of how pneumatic wheels support their loads. If a steel wheel flexed enough to make a hub cap squeak it would crack from metal fatigue within a few miles!

Glad you know it all, as a matter of fact every car that had full size metal hubcaps that I've owned since the late 70's squeek it's a fact that wheels flex and the cap moves around as the wheel turns. Yes if the wheels were made of hardened steel they would crack but since wheels are made of mild steel they flex and bend rather than cracking! FACTS get them straight. :o

You sure can.
Just click on the link in my sig.
Lemme know what you think.
I havent curbed them yet!

Alltogether very very nice.

How much were the rims/tires?

Not to thread jack of course :)

(quoting repaired)
A couple of squeaky aftermarket caps on motor homes is hardly corroboration of any ongoing problem. The concept of "wheel flex" on the motorhome forum shows a lack of understanding of how pneumatic wheels support their loads. If a steel wheel flexed enough to make a hub cap squeak it would crack from metal fatigue within a few miles!

Glad you know it all, as a matter of fact every car that had full size metal hubcaps that I've owned since the late 70's squeek it's a fact that wheels flex and the cap moves around as the wheel turns. Yes if the wheels were made of hardened steel they would crack but since wheels are made of mild steel they flex and bend rather than cracking! FACTS get them straight. :o

I've never claimed to know it all, but I do know:

1. The stresses on a pneumatic rim due to the internal pressure of the tire are much greater than those due to the road load. The rim is designed to handle the inflatiion stresses which means that the load road cannot make it flex very much.

2. The road load is distributed around the circumference of the rim, which also reduces any tendancy of the rim to flex due to road load.

3. The spring fingers of the hub cap are far more flexible than any wheel, so they will easily conform to any microscopic flexing that the wheel might do.

4. All steels, mild and hardened, have a fatigue life. If the wheel had a strain sufficient to make a hub cap squeak it would have a very short fatigue life even when built from mild steel. Remember that wheels are designed for an infinite number of strain cycles, so the strain must be kept very small

5. If full metal wheel covers caused chronic sqeaking, they wouldn't have been used for 30+ years as standard equipment in most cars, including luxury American and European cars.

Before you tell others to "get their facts straight", you should get out your caliper and measure the flex of a wheel as it turns.

Hint: You had better have a _very_ accurate caliper if you want to see any flex at all!

[quote=jethro b]
Hint: You had better have a _very_ accurate caliper if you want to see any flex at all!




All this hubbub because of a few squeaks!
Just to add to the mayhem,wouldnt a dial indicator work better in this case?
Not to mention be more acurrate??

[quote=jethro b]
Hint: You had better have a _very_ accurate caliper if you want to see any flex at all!




All this hubbub because of a few squeaks!
Just to add to the mayhem,wouldnt a dial indicator work better in this case?
Not to mention be more acurrate??
thats what make an arguement really interesting. how boring would it be if theres no exchange of opinion/knowledge. he got a point? but the other got experience.

Hint: You had better have a _very_ accurate caliper if you want to see any flex at all!
All this hubbub because of a few squeaks!
Just to add to the mayhem,wouldnt a dial indicator work better in this case?
Not to mention be more acurrate??

A dial indicator would do the trick if mounted securely to the wheel center and measuring the strain in the flange. It would be a tricky thing to set up, though.

A caliper could be used simply by measuring the diameter of the wheel horizontally, rolling the car forward, and then measuring the same diameter vertically.

Both instruments will read to about .0005 inch, and both are unlikely to show any flex at all.

If you really want to see flex, you could affix a pair of mirrors to the wheel and use a laser interferometer... :)

George <--proud to be a geek!