Chromed and Reversed Wheels

Joe Castro's 1955 Ford Thunderbird of Hayward, California. Known as "The CandyBird," Castro's Thunderbird was restyled by Joe Bailon at Bailon's Custom Shop in 1957. The CandyBird is believed to be the second car to have been painted Candy Apple Red. The earliest version of the car ran 15" chromed and reversed wheels with a standard Ford dog-dish hubcap. These were later changed to 1949 - 1950 Chevrolet dog-dish caps with 2-1/2" chrome bullet centers.

Jerry DeVito's 1957 Ford Fairlane of San Jose, California. The second version of Jerry's Ford, known as the Maze, was completed in 1958, featuring a radical scallop paint job by Bob Heinrichs. This version of the Maze ran on chromed and reversed wheels.

Larry Ewing's 1950 Oldsmobile 88 Coupe of Redwood City, California. Larry got the Olds in April of 1959. A typical late 1950s street racer, he gave it a 1959 Cadillac Kensington Green paint job, chromed and reversed the wheels, and installed big and little tires. Larry separated the rims from the centers himself before he took them to Santa Clara Plating. "$75 for all 8 pieces. Then I went to a welding shop in Palo Alto and had them welded back together for $6 as I waited. I did not change the valve stem location so now the stem was on the backside of the wheel. It looked cool but was a pain to check the air."

Doug Osterman's 1957 DeSoto of San Jose, California. Doug's DeSoto was restyled by Flyer Tabata at Flyers Body Shop in 1959. This version was fit with chromed and reversed wheels that Doug fit with 1957 Dodge center hubcaps.

Bill Shelley's 1957 Chevrolet Corvette of Oakland, California. Named "Bali Hi," the car was restyled by Bill and Bob McNulty. The build was completed in 1960, featuring chromed and reversed wheels.

Gerald Zielinski's 1955 Chevrolet of St. Louis, Missouri. Gerald was a member of the Road Angels of St. Louis. His Chevrolet was restyled in the late 1950s or the early 1960s, and it ran on chromed and reversed wheels.

Ron Price's 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe of San Jose, California. Built in the early 1960s, the car made its debut in 1961, at the Grand National Roadster Show. Back then it rolled on chromed and reversed wheels.

Gene "Clean Gene" Sadoian's 1934 Ford Four-Door Sedan of Fresno, California. The car went trough several iterations in the 1950s. In 1956 it received a Candy cold and red scallop paint job by "Screwy Looie" of Fresno. Late 1960 or early 1961 Roy chromed the wheels on Gene's ford. The rear wheels were chromed and reversed.

Donn Conway's 1950 Oldsmobile Four-Door Sedan of Stockton, California. Donn was a member of the Cameos of Stockton car club and the Olds was his first car. He bought it in 1959. By 1961 he had repainted it AquaMist and dressed ut up with a Tijuana upholstery, chromed and reversed wheels, and dual dummy spotlights. Photo courtesy of Donn Conway.

Jim Beeson's 1960 Ford Starliner of Paramount, California. Jim was a member of the Dutchmen of Paramount car club, and the bought the car brand new in the Spring of 1960. Circa 1961 Jim installed chromed and reversed wheels on the car.

Ron Volpe's 1957 Ford Convertible of La Salle, Illinois. Ron was a member of the Illinois Valley Mis-Fires. Between the years 1960 and 1963, he took the car through five different stages. This photo shows an iteration of the car that debuted in 1962. This iteration ran chromed and reversed wheels.

Don Provance's 1957 Ford Fairlane of Oak Lawn, Illinois. The second iteration of the car, known as "Gold Digger," was completed circa 1962-1963. This version was upgraded with dual headlights integrated with scoops containing forward-pointing sunken antennas. It did also roll on chromed and reversed wheels. Ed purchased the old custom in 2007.

Leon Kendrick's 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe of Houston, Texas. Featuring stacked dual headlights and a panel paint job, the "Wild Deuce" iteration of the coupe started appearing in magazine in 1963.

Dave Willis' 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe of Port Alberni, Bristish Columbia, Canada. Originally built by Gary Stermer of Vancouver in the 1950s, Dave purchased the coupe circa 1960. Dave spent two years of spare time turning the coupe into a showstopper. By 1963, the car had been dressed up with chromed and reversed wheels.

John Viggianelli's 1963 Ford Galaxie of Pacoima, California. Viggianelli's Galaxie was mildly restyled before it around 1965 received a Candy Ruby over Pearl Silver, Red, and Maroon Metalflake custom paint job by Larry Watson at Watson's House of Style. After the car had been painted, a Mexican gentleman in Glendale installed hydraulic lifts up front.

Christer Lundberg's 1937 Ford Coupe of Stockholm, Sweden. Built in the early 1960s, an early iteration of the coupe was shown at the 1965 Hot Rod Show in Marmorhallarna in Stockholm. A photo in the souvenir program from the show shows it running chromed and reversed wheels.

Jim Robertson's 1961 Ford of Simi Valley, California. Jim's Ford was restyled in 1969, and it featured a fadeaway paint job by Bill Carter of Carter Pro Paint and pinstriping by Walt Prey. This version rolled on chromed and reversed wheels.

Justin Hocking's 1951 Ford Coupe of Melbourne, Australia. Originally owned by California customizer Johnny Miranda in 1980s, the car was sold to Australia in 2015. Rumored to be an old Barris Kustom, it came with a Certificate of Authenticy signed by George Barris.

Henrik Forss' 1955 Chevrolet 150 gasser of Sacramento, California. Known as the "Hollywood Hustler," Henrik's Chevy looked sharp running chromed and reversed wheels, Firestone 560-15 1 inch whitewall tires up front, and 10" Towel City slicks in the back. More cars featuring Firestone 560-15 1 Inch Whitewall tires - Check price and availability on these tires on Amazon.com.

Cristina Dudley's 1955 Chevrolet of Huntington Beach, California. Known as "Daddy's Girl," Cristina's Chevy blends the classic car culture of the 1960s with modern enhancements. The car was restyled by Cristina's father, Gordon Dudley, in tribute to the familial legacy and his enduring passion for the 1955 Chevy model. The build was started in 2006 and completed in 2019. It soon debuted at the 2019 Grand National Roadster Show, where it won first place in its class. It was dressed up with chrome reverse rims.

Hot Rods Featuring Chromed and Reversed Wheels

Leon Kendrick's 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe - Wild Deuce
Dave Willis' 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe
Ron Price's 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe
Gene "Clean Gene" Sadoian's 1934 Ford Four-Door Sedan
Christer Lundberg's 1937 Ford Coupe
Larry Ewing's 1950 Oldsmobile 88 Coupe

Custom Cars Featuring Chromed and Reversed Wheels

DeWayne Iverson's 1949 Mercury
Donn Conway's 1950 Oldsmobile Four-Door Sedan
Justin Hocking's 1951 Ford Coupe
Cristina Dudley's 1955 Chevrolet - Daddy's Girl
Gerald Zielinski's 1955 Chevrolet
Joe Castro's 1955 Ford Thunderbird - The CandyBird
Bill Shelley's 1957 Chevrolet Corvette - "Bali Hi"
Doug Osterman's 1957 DeSoto
Don Provance's 1957 Ford Fairlane Victoria - Gold Digger
Jerry DeVito's 1957 Ford Fairlane - The Maze
Ron Volpe's 1957 Ford Convertible - The Golden Eclipse
Bill Leslie's 1960 Ford Thunderbird - The Golden Gem
Jim Beeson's 1960 Ford Starliner
Jim Robertson's 1961 Ford
John Viggianelli's 1963 Ford Galaxie

Gassers featuring chromed and reversed wheels

• Henrik Forss' 1955 Chevrolet 150 - "Hollywood Hustler"