I have been looking to replace my dust caps on my roadster and can't find out an exact ID on these brakes. The cap/bearing measures 1.9375" (1 15/16") from what I can see and I think that's early Ford. They have been re-drilled to 5 on 4.5" bolt pattern now so that's why there are extra holes. To me it looks like a '42-'45 because of the knuckles that are around the drum but the fins/rings around the edge confuse me. Plus that 1.9375" bearing does not seem to add up. They are mounted on early ford backing plates. Any idea what it is and where I can get a chrome dust cap for it?
There's a "Help" brand of dust cap that supposedly fits that, but the ones I got wouldn't stay on because they're made in China out of cheap ****py steel. I wound up putting some old rusty original ones on and covered them with hub caps. I don't know if they sell chrome plated ones anywhere, but it's a pretty standard size dust cap at least.
Mr. Gasket has only two sizes, one is like 1.7" and the other 2.1". Neither of them are a perfect fit but I was thinking about going with the 2.1" and making a small slit so that I can press it in. I just thought there would be a place that would specifically deal with early ford stuff and would carry it.
I even thought about getting regular ones and having them chromes but it seems like a lot of work for something I feel has to be out there. I just would really like to positively ID these brake drums.
had you considered getting a metal spinning guy to knock out some aluminum ones? We have a bloke here who spins up all sorts of kool gear , Air cleaners for 94's 97's etc and these caps as pictured , he makes so they push over the hub (and the wheel holds em) of so they push into the hub - like you are after
Those brake drums look like 40-something Ford. If I remember right when I went to the car parts store to get those cheap Chinese "Help" brand ones that wouldn't stay on because of low quality soft steel that has no "spring" to it, the back of the card that they came in said they were for a wide range of Ford pickups up into the '80s or something. The size was a perfect match, but the soft ****py steel they were made out of didn't have any "springy-ness" or strength to it, so you'd pound them in, and they'd just fall out again. The old ones would wedge in nice and tight. They made the new ones with the right dimensions, but just used some kind of ****er soft limp ****py steel to make them out of. I'd go to a junkyard and grab some off some old pickup or van if you need replacements. If you're going to pay to have some plated, I'd get some old ones. The new Chinese replacement ones are worthless (and I think they have CHINA stamped right into the face of them, which isn't cool). Yeah, it sure ****s that you can't buy any quality parts now. If you want chrome cones, probably the cones that press into the hole in the wheel from the backside would look better anyway. You still need some good USA made old rusty ones to keep the grease clean in the hubs though. "Wheelkid" on here has some of the cones that you press in from the backside if you know exactly what size hole you have in the wheels. I saw him demonstrating them at the Turlock Swap Meet a few years ago, and they look nice in old Ford wheels and fit nice and tight.
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