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Baby Moon Hubcaps - Do it Yourself

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.
 
#32 ·
I'm brand new to this forum and actually found it looking on Google for ideas to makeover the stock steel wheels of the Fiat we just bought for my wife. Like some of the others, I'm curious about which 10" baby moon from HubCapMike's was actually used. It looks like it has a somewhat shallow depth & curves right into the wheel face without that flat 3/4" thick looking rim that I see on some of the standard baby moons. Is it one of the "wheel clip baby moon hubcaps" versions for an AirStream Travel Trailer or '47 to '70 Chevy Truck that HubCapMike sells?
 
#34 ·
Thanks. A couple of weeks ago, I sold my old '49 Ford truck, and the next day, my wife found a green '13 Fiat on Craigslist that she fell in love with. I did a little Googling to see what you could do with one (I just can't keep a car stock... lol) & found this thread showing the green Fiat with the rings & caps on painted steelies. We both loved the look, so we're trying to duplicate it. The previous owner at some point bent one of the steelies pretty bad on a pothole I'm guessing and lost some hubcaps, so they put some cheap, plastic AutoZone 5 spoke / 5 "lug" hubcaps on it. I ordered a new steelie, a set of Eibach prokit springs, and now we're still trying to figure out which baby moon to get, so I can order up a set along with some trim rings. Looks like I'll probably have to call HubCapMike's or something to figure it out. Should turn out pretty cool when we get it all set up, though!
 
#39 ·
#42 ·
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.
View attachment 21953 View attachment 21961 View attachment 21969 View attachment 21977 View attachment 21985 View attachment 21993
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.
The front center axle nut is there a cover like on the rear wheels or is this supposed to be left open.
I blamed crew when I changed tires for loosing them .i am wrong
 
#43 ·
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.
View attachment 21953 View attachment 21961 View attachment 21969 View attachment 21977 View attachment 21985 View attachment 21993
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.
 

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