Hubcaps-- Don't Lose 'em!
RL Chilton
Administrator, Member
I thought I would share with all of you a very easy and inexpensive cure for the wandering hubcaps with a (seemingly) mind of their own.
Why are there errant hubcaps?? Did Hudson (or many other manufacturers of the day) really do such a bad job that they couldn't design a cap to stay on a wheel? Of course not! This is one of those modern day changes that we have brought on ourselves, and it's just an easy adjustment away to eliminating the problem of the wayward lids.
There are two main reasons for hubcaps to take a dive:
1. Paints used back in the day were a nitrocellulose-based product, along with a lacquer top coat. The only factor about that that we need to know for this venture is that nitrocellulose lacquer was a very soft paint. Those ribs on the backs of the hubcap are designed to dig into your wheel, and get a good "bite" into the paint. That, along with the compression nature of the way the lips on the back of the hubcaps are designed, are what held the hubcap to the wheel. It was designed that way to be easily removeable, and easily mounted. Modern day paints, and especially powder-coating are quite the opposite, meaning that they are very hard and/or brittle (again, especially powder-coating). This means simply that the hubcap cannot get a proper "bite" into the edge of your wheel.
2. The other main culprit in these modern times is the use of radial tire. Radial tires differ from your original bias ply tires in that firstly, they have a steel belt mounted underneath the tread and very flexible sidewalls. Bias ply tires have very stiff sides and a much more flexible tread. The only factor here that concerns this discussion is that because radials have a very flexible sidewall, the tires will roll somewhat into corners, flexing your wheel, along with the tire and in turn, flexing your hubcap. This means the hubcap will move in the only direction it can (path of least resistance), which is out and off of your wheel!
So, now you know the "why". What can we do about it? By all means, use the radials if you prefer them, and powder-coat or paint your wheels and before assembly, try this easy trick:
Get some 2" black Gorilla tape. Gorilla is a brand name and can be found at your local hardware store, or even Lowe's or Home Depot. It's basically really tough duct tape. Make a cut on the end of the tape about 3/4"-7/8" wide and rip off a strip about 40" long. This tape will rip in a straight line all down the length of your strip. Then you are going to mount this tape on the lip of the wheel where your hubcap mounts:
Make sure your wheel is very clean and dry. I use a small roller to make sure the tape is stuck really good with no bubbles or edges that are coming up. This tape is going to give your wheel something to "bite" into and hold it securely in place. If, after taking your wheel on and off several times, and the tape becomes too tattered, simply pull it off and install a new strip. It's pennies worth of valuable insurance.
This discussion would not be complete without mentioning the other, annoying problem that one gets with hard paint on wheels: the dreaded "Creep". If the hubcap cannot "bite" into the paint, not only will it work it's way off of the wheel, but it can also "creep" or shift around the wheel, meaning that the hubcap will rotate on the wheel. This wouldn't be such a problem, except for the valve stem. If your hubcap rotates enough, it can start to move, bend or otherwise loosen your valve stem until it starts to leak, and/ or shear off if left untended. Now the tape you have installed will GREATLY REDUCE creep, but will not eliminate it. One good fix is to install steel-sleeved valve stems. Another is to install a plate right on your wheel that fits in-between the teeth on your hubcap. This will absolutely keep it from "creeping".
This fine tip shared with me by my good friend, Mr. John Forkner.
Actually, a little plate turned 90-degrees and shaped like an 'L' would work even better.
Hopefully, this tip will be of some service and peace of mind for some of you.
This is a cure I always employ and then I have no fear of losing this cool set of NOS hubcaps I recently acquired.
Why are there errant hubcaps?? Did Hudson (or many other manufacturers of the day) really do such a bad job that they couldn't design a cap to stay on a wheel? Of course not! This is one of those modern day changes that we have brought on ourselves, and it's just an easy adjustment away to eliminating the problem of the wayward lids.
There are two main reasons for hubcaps to take a dive:
1. Paints used back in the day were a nitrocellulose-based product, along with a lacquer top coat. The only factor about that that we need to know for this venture is that nitrocellulose lacquer was a very soft paint. Those ribs on the backs of the hubcap are designed to dig into your wheel, and get a good "bite" into the paint. That, along with the compression nature of the way the lips on the back of the hubcaps are designed, are what held the hubcap to the wheel. It was designed that way to be easily removeable, and easily mounted. Modern day paints, and especially powder-coating are quite the opposite, meaning that they are very hard and/or brittle (again, especially powder-coating). This means simply that the hubcap cannot get a proper "bite" into the edge of your wheel.
2. The other main culprit in these modern times is the use of radial tire. Radial tires differ from your original bias ply tires in that firstly, they have a steel belt mounted underneath the tread and very flexible sidewalls. Bias ply tires have very stiff sides and a much more flexible tread. The only factor here that concerns this discussion is that because radials have a very flexible sidewall, the tires will roll somewhat into corners, flexing your wheel, along with the tire and in turn, flexing your hubcap. This means the hubcap will move in the only direction it can (path of least resistance), which is out and off of your wheel!
So, now you know the "why". What can we do about it? By all means, use the radials if you prefer them, and powder-coat or paint your wheels and before assembly, try this easy trick:
Get some 2" black Gorilla tape. Gorilla is a brand name and can be found at your local hardware store, or even Lowe's or Home Depot. It's basically really tough duct tape. Make a cut on the end of the tape about 3/4"-7/8" wide and rip off a strip about 40" long. This tape will rip in a straight line all down the length of your strip. Then you are going to mount this tape on the lip of the wheel where your hubcap mounts:
Make sure your wheel is very clean and dry. I use a small roller to make sure the tape is stuck really good with no bubbles or edges that are coming up. This tape is going to give your wheel something to "bite" into and hold it securely in place. If, after taking your wheel on and off several times, and the tape becomes too tattered, simply pull it off and install a new strip. It's pennies worth of valuable insurance.
This discussion would not be complete without mentioning the other, annoying problem that one gets with hard paint on wheels: the dreaded "Creep". If the hubcap cannot "bite" into the paint, not only will it work it's way off of the wheel, but it can also "creep" or shift around the wheel, meaning that the hubcap will rotate on the wheel. This wouldn't be such a problem, except for the valve stem. If your hubcap rotates enough, it can start to move, bend or otherwise loosen your valve stem until it starts to leak, and/ or shear off if left untended. Now the tape you have installed will GREATLY REDUCE creep, but will not eliminate it. One good fix is to install steel-sleeved valve stems. Another is to install a plate right on your wheel that fits in-between the teeth on your hubcap. This will absolutely keep it from "creeping".
This fine tip shared with me by my good friend, Mr. John Forkner.
Actually, a little plate turned 90-degrees and shaped like an 'L' would work even better.
Hopefully, this tip will be of some service and peace of mind for some of you.
This is a cure I always employ and then I have no fear of losing this cool set of NOS hubcaps I recently acquired.
0
Comments
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Russell - For your information this was a problem from day one that the disc cap was made available. We had a local Doctor who wanted the latest style cap on his new '51 Hollywood, so we provided the new disc style cap. He was back about two days later to purchase two more, as he said the two front caps took leave of absence on his way home from the lake. After he searched the fields along the road where they had taken flight for over two hours, he gave up, but still wanted the newest and latest hub cap! This story was repeated several times, until my Dad suggested that Hollywood would look great with chrome wire spoke wheels on it! - Sold!0
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That's cool, Jerry. This post was actually designed for the Mark II guys on their board, as they often lament about losing hubcaps and Mark II hubcaps generally run about $300 when and if you can find them.
Wires would certainly eliminate the problem! That's the route I'm going on the convertible.0 -
Russell, great tip, thanks. Richie.0
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Buy a Jet - they have special lugs on the wheel that prevents the cap from creeping!0
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Geoff-
Hudson finally got wise! They also included a special little bracket on the '54 bigger cars' wheels that prevented the "creep".0 -
I remember my dads new 51 Hornet sedan loosing full hubcaps on the highway. They would pass the car on their way out to never never land, never to be found by us.
Ditto to 53jetmans story, my dad also bought wire wheels. What a coincendence
I used the tap method years ago. I should have remembered that before I lost one of the rear covers a few months ago. It made a terrible racket getting out between tire and skirt. Didn't find it either.
RL Chilton. Thanks for the reminder.
Lee O'Dell0 -
Steel valve stems in place of rubber also stop a full wheelcover from walking. Radial tires have nothing to do with it IMO considering the problem existed decades before radials stared getting installed on US cars.
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Didn't know that, Geoff. Now will check out the wheels on my Jet.0
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One think you can do is to write on the inside with a felt pen " If found please contact ( name & phone number)." There is a chance you might get it back!0
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They did put lugs on the full size wheels also but you needed the new style hub caps that fit the lugs. See the difference between the two.
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Hi John! I was wondering when you'd be ringing in on this thread. Fortunately, I have the bottom style hubcaps. Unfortunately, I only have the one wheel with the tab on it. Had I known about this unique feature, I would have remedied that before I did the powdercoating. I've got the original wheels that came with this car and I think I will add the tab to them before they get powdercoated.0
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John-
Please e-mail me a picture of those two hubcaps. Thanks.0 -
I made a hard left turn in Baton Rouge (LA) some time back, only to lose the right front hubcap - not a full one, from the '51. Being of the age that "selective hearing" had kicked in I didn't know it had flown the coop until a mile or so down the road, a cruiser came up behind me with the gumballs on. Pulled over only to have the officer hand me the hubcap with an "I think ya'll lost this..." Only cap I've lost that has ever been recovered. WaltLA
) 0 -
Walt-LA - What no ticket for littering!!!!!!!
)
Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN0
This discussion has been closed.
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