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Baby Moon Hubcaps - Do it Yourself

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113K views 44 replies 31 participants last post by  Kldowning08  
#1 ·
After months of pondering and contemplation, I have finally mounted Baby Moon Hubcaps on my fabulous 2012 Fiat 500 Pop! I'm a big fan of the "old school" look.

I used hubcap clips from a early 1960's VW bug (found them on Ebay). The baby moons are 10-inch hubcaps from hubcapmike.com. The 15-inch "beauty rings" are also from hubcapmike.com. The wheels are painted with Rustoleum "Almond" gloss lacquer. It is a three-coat job.

Have a look at the close up shot of the clip mounted on the wheel. I used a 10-24 tap and cut a thread in the beautiful steel wheel. Use a half-inch length screw and a lock washer and the clip will remain secure (hopefully). It was easy and straightforward. Just four clips per wheel and those hubcaps stay put--even 6,000 miles later.

The beauty rings have a spring/gripper that holds them in place. They just snap on with a bit of light pounding with your palm. A gentle rap around the ring is all that is required.

Yes, these are the stock 15-inch steelies that are standard on ALL Pop models. Just pull off those not-so-beautiful plastic hubcaps that came with the car and you will find these same wheels (painted black from the factory).

I got a drill bit and tap (this cuts the threads) at that Big Orange home supply store. You will need to get a tap wrench. Better yet, go see the guys at your local Ace Hardware. They always have knowledgeable folks working there who can teach you how to use the tap wrench and create the threads for the screws. The Big Orange stores never seem to have decent help or experienced folks anymore. Besides, Ace Hardware stores are usually small family-run stores. We need to support small business in this country. You may pay a couple of bucks more for the tools but the knowledge you will gain will be well worth it.

If you decide to tackle this amazingly simple project, just drill the holes at the top of the circular "hump" as seen in the pictures. The Volkswagen hubcap clips have a lot of flex and should hold the baby moon hubcaps even if you aren't dead-accurate with your drilling. It is advisable to drill a smaller pilot hole first. Then drill out the pilot hole with the correct larger drill bit. Trust me on this.

Remember to use a 10-24 tap and half-inch long 10-24 screws. You MUST use lock washers! I did use stainless steel screws and lock washers. The VW clips will rust long before the wheels or screws. I strongly advise that you paint before you drill and tap the wheels.
 
#3 ·
I checked into using pop rivets but found that the common aluminum rivets can stretch. Over time, they tend to vibrate loose on the wheel. I've heard that the stainless steel pop rivets will not do this. I had no luck sourcing the stainless steel rivets; otherwise, I would probably have used them. Anyway, it took no time to drill the holes and cut the threads. I did all four wheels in about an hour.
 
#7 ·
#8 ·
I'm not sure if those old Fiat hubcaps will fit. I believe that they aren't deep enough. The clip stands up nearly 2 inches from the wheel and the hubcaps are only 1 and 1/4 inches deep. They would look good on a cinquecento!

You know, this would be an easy option for Fiat to offer. Hey, if somebody from Fiat/Chrysler is cruising this forum, give it some thought!
 
#22 ·
White walls!! And call me crazy, but color matching the chrome bits to match that color of the steelie would look pretty sweet