Center caps

[Cobrajet]

Would standard center caps work on Mirage steel wheels? I'm picturing something like these that you would see on something like a Crown Vic Police Interceptor...

Attachment 14109

These are kind of what I was thinking. Something that just snaps on over the lug nuts, or is a simple friction-fit.

[Scratchpaddy]

Ooh, I see. Fancy dog dishes! Sorta. Shallow ones.

So that's what they're called! I didn't know. Thank you! I will update the thread title for clarity.

Would standard center caps work on Mirage steel wheels? I'm picturing something like these that you would see on something like a Crown Vic Police Interceptor...

These links talk about different wheels and how to measure them for conventional center caps:

https://www.cokertire.com/blog/center-caps/

https://hubcapmike.com/vintage-hubca...hubcap-wizard/

You would think, but I cannot find anything that would fit the wheel or lugs of a Mirage.

The vintage car part links show how steel wheels used to be made, with nibs around the center area for retaining a cap. Here is the back side of the Crown Vic cap, courtesy of an eBay listing:



The Mirage wheel is all smooth in the center area, with no nibs or anything else to retain a cap. The slope of the wheel's surface would push a cap right back out.

I've seen other caps for trucks and cargo vans that grab onto the lug nuts, but these are all 5-, 6-, or more lug nut patterns. "Dog dish" caps for 4-lug patterns are extremely rare, and they still mostly seem to attach with a feature unique to the car they came with. For example, Toyota had some nice caps in the '80's, but as far as I can tell, they snapped onto a lip on the hub part of the rim, which the Mirage wheel also does not have.



I've given up trying to find one that will fit. I'm making my own. I'll post the details here as I figure it out.

[Mark]

I've never heard the term "dog dish" or "baby moon" before, but I don't mind that look at all.

Look forward to whatever you come up with.

[MetroMPG]

Conventional dog dishes are actually deeper, not flush. But they cover the same part of the wheel - same diameter. And have that same base model vibe. More of a thing on 50's to early 70's cars.

[Scratchpaddy]

I remember now. We had a few dog dishes laying around in the boneyard behind the body shop where I used to work. They really do look exactly like the name when flipped upside-down.

Courtesy of hubcaps.com...



So I guess that's not exactly what it is, but I wouldn't call it a baby moon either, since those are smooth (no logos, no visible hardware).

Mark, the screenshots in post #7 are what I designed on the computer, and what I'm printing now. I measured and made a model of the wheel to get a better idea of how it fits, and how it looks, as I was working on it. Apparently my measurements were a little off, since the one I printed last night was too small, and sat too low as a consequence.

I'll fill in the logo in the center with nail polish, either white or red, depending on the color of the plastic I print it in. The prototypes are red just because I have a lot of red filament.

[MetroMPG]

And then sell copies to other forum members!

(Seriously. Feel free.)

[Top_Fuel]

The Mirage wheel is all smooth in the center area, with no nibs or anything else to retain a cap. The slope of the wheel's surface would push a cap right back out.

OK...I went back and reviewed post #7. Now I understand what you're trying to do...and I understand why conventional caps won't work on Mirage wheels.

Very cool idea. Looking forward to the finished product.

There was a time when even the baddest musclecars came standard with painted wheels with "dog dish" hubcaps. Or what are sometimes referred to as "poverty caps" as displayed on this 1970 Hemi Cuda...

[Mark]

Have you found an internal thread bolt to make this all happen? You don't have a lot of extra thread to work with, but it shouldn't take much to hold lightweight plastic in place.

[Cobrajet]

I've never heard the term "dog dish" or "baby moon" before, but I don't mind that look at all.

Look forward to whatever you come up with.

These were also called "cop caps" because they were found on nearly every police cruiser from the 1950s to 1980s, and "poverty caps" because they were normally found on base model cars.

I personally always loved the look, and it is a shame manufacturers have moved away from them.

[Cobrajet]

OK...I went back and reviewed post #7. Now I understand what you're trying to do...and I understand why conventional caps won't work on Mirage wheels.

Very cool idea. Looking forward to the finished product.

There was a time when even the baddest musclecars came standard with painted wheels with "dog dish" hubcaps. Or what are sometimes referred to as "poverty caps" as displayed on this 1970 Hemi Cuda...

I always wished Chrysler had offered some variant of this wheel style on the new Challenger. It would really complete the look, particularly on the already-retro T/A version.

Hemi cars are very often stripped-out base models because that engine was an $800 option on what was a $3000 car! A high-option '70 Challenger with the Hemi would have been over $5,000...that is getting up into Cadillac territory.