oes any one know if Ford changed the color of the wheels from body color to black. I have seen 57's with both body colored wheels and black wheels. I have a brochure dated 8/56 and the wheels in the illistrations are painted the color of the lower body. I have the same brochure dated 3/57 and the exact same illistrations the wheels are black. I have a 57 that was built in 6/57 and the wheels are black. Was there a change made later in 57 to paint all fords wheels black only?
I can only base this on cars I've seen or owned from Somerville, Mahwah, Chester, and Dearborn , the rims were painted lower body color, however factory replacement rims were black.
Are your rims stamped Ford or KH? Kelsey-hayes made a lot of stamped steel wheels for Ford.
My Dad bought a 57 Fairlane 500 in 1960 with the big hubcaps still on it like nothing had been changed. It was a blue and white car and the wheels including the spare were all Black.
Barry
My car was built in Atlanta and I am the second owner since 1966. All of the wheels including the spare are black.
From what I've seen with 58's. On the ones with a smaller dog dish hubcap, the wheels are painted lower body color. The ones with full hubcaps have been painted black. Just a thought but maybe all the wheels started out life black and were painted body color if the dog dish hubcaps were used?
My 58 Villager wagon had sunset coral wheels and had full wheel covers. It was two tone, sunset coral and guns smoke grey.
Not much help for us 57 Ford owners but they did run down the same assembly line together.
The Retract club judging calls for black wheels on 57's. 58-9 had body color on hubcap cars.
Ron.
You've no doubt all seen this transporter photo showing the body color wheels on new 1957 Fairlane 500's that came standard with full wheel covers. The question is when did they change to black wheels, or more probably, did it depend on the assembly location.
Another thought is that all Skyliners were late production as well as having production problems, which may have made them exceptions.
Skyliners first came out in Apr 57, most were built in may,june and july.
I have seen a black & white photo of a transporter w/a Skyliner that had black sidewalls and white wheels.
Don't know the time frame though.
Maybe they were all black after a certain date.
Unless someone was there this is lost to history.
Ron.
"Unless someone was there this is lost to history."
LOL...I couldn't miss this one...Alot of us were there...it's still lost.
Quote from: RICH MUISE on 2015-09-03 06:06
"Unless someone was there this is lost to history."
LOL...I couldn't miss this one...Alot of us were there...it's still lost.
lol x 2
I have a early production 57 Skyliner.. The wheels are still with factory paint and they are Corral Sand in color.. Early production Skyliner is easy to tell as the roof does not have a Skyliner emblem by the rear window..
I have 2 early production Skyliners and 1 late and they all have black wheels and
they are the original no vent, 5.5" wheels.
Ron.