Does anyone have a 56 hubcap handy that they could measure the ID for me? I've looked high and low and can't find mine. mine look like this.. http://www.ctcautoranch.com/Used Parts/Hubcaps/Ford/1955 - 1956 Ford Fairlane Hubcaps 2.JPG
I can't find my '56 caps either; I must have sold them. I'm quite sure that all the Ford dog dish hub caps are the same diameter '49-'60 (and probably later, too). I measured a '49 and a '51 and they are both 10 3/16" at the innermost ID.
Yes, Ford full-size car hubcaps are all the same diameter from 1949 through at least 1969. While some may measure slightly larger, the inside diameter listed as 10-1/8".
Bomb it is the stock/standard hubcap. Thanks NMC. I was unsure what range of years they were the same. I want a bigger rim for the rear of my 56 but when I called around (awhile ago) I was told I could not use the OE hubcap yet Wheel Vintiques shows an OE 10 1/8" steel wheel. I bought a wheel hoop from Speedway and knocked out the center of my stock wheel. I think that will work but the finish of the Speedway is rather poor IMO so I am still looking at alternatives.
Well, there will be some cutting involved. Essentially where i am going can be seen below. No beauty ring and no green. Lol
Is there enough meat on that original center to support that wide of a hoop? I'd sure love to see the fixture and how those pieces will be mated up and centered to minimize excessive runout.
I can say with confidence 50s Ford hub caps will fit on Wheel Vintique Type 62 wheels: (also have used them with 55 and 56 caps but this was the picture handy)
There has been a few thread on the HAMB and other forums about doingit. It doesn't seem to hard but we will see. If not I'll just go a different route but I sure would like to keep my stock look.
It is not at all hard if you have access to a lathe with a large enough swing and an axle flange with about 6" of axle. Chuck up the axle, mount the center and once you get the hoop where you want it tack it to hold in place for welding. This OT Land Cruiser wheel ran truer than the original.
NMcarNut where did you get those hubcaps from or did you just redo the originals? Mine are in typical old shape.
I actually got those going through the cars at A-1 in Roswell (RIP) and Carl's in Aztec. The closing, auction, and crushing of A-1 this last fall dealt a huge blow to our 50s Ford parts supply (to name just one parts line) although Carl's still has some good stuff. A snippet of what A-1 used to have:
Be sure the wheels on your Ford are Ford! Back in the 70's when the chrome wheels became popular we found out that Plymouth wheels fit the Fords. Big difference was the hole in the center was larger.
I don't see a problem with a larger hole If it was smaller then it might not fit over the stub on the end of the acle.
The larger hole works fine. The problem was that the Ford wheels won't work on the Plymonths and that's where it got con fusing when someone wanted to trade wheels.
Update: I finally got around to working on this wheel project. Prep: I buffed the edges of the center and gave the hoop a quick sand with some 100 grit to smooth it all out. First I cut off an old axle I had to 12". I measured the desired Back Spacing and marked the axle. Then I bolted it to the center and put it in my press. You could just beat it in with a hammer and wood block but I just found the press to be much smoother. It did want to wobble with the press. I pressed it in to about 1/8" from where I wanted it. From there I used a block of wood and a hammer to tap it into place. Tomorrow I will dig out an old spindle I have in the shed and mock it up to check for run out. So far the whole process was very easy. One 15x10 wheel with 6.5" BS.
I also have a similar post on the main board here. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/wheel-widening-question.957946/#post-10875874
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