Chrysler Hubcap design,,,, interesting.

[harmony]

With that recent post by MarcDesoto about the Desoto hubcap needing adjustment, it reminded me about my hubcaps on my 48 Chrysler.  I happen to have a Desoto cap very similar in shape but it doesn't have the same feature.  I suppose it's not really a feature, more like an oddity. 

I'm actually wondering if it was an available "corrective part"??

There is a double skin over my hubcaps.  All of them.  They have the typical Chrysler script.  Mine are painted black, but I think I have seen them painted red as well.  On the inside of a couple of mine, but not all of them, there are some sizeable dints.  But not on the outside. 

On all my hubcaps there are double skins.  I'm not curious enough to peel them off, even though it looks like it could easily be done.  I slipped a tiny micro slot screwdriver under the outer skin and it will move. 

Has anyone heard of a dealership, back in the day, offering the skins to go over damaged hubcaps?

[busycoupe]

i think that this was a common way to make hubcaps in the 40's.  My '48 Dodge has hub caps with polished "skins".  I' m not sure if they are chromed, or if they are stainless.  I had one come off on the road. I heard it go skipping off the side of the road.  Later I went backtothe spot and found it. I  reattached it with epoxy. that was 8 yrs sgo and it is still there.   Andy Bernbaum used to advertise repro skins, I'm not sure he still does.

[Andydodge]

The original 1940 D15 Dodge hubcaps for my car are the 2 piece, the original outer skin is chromed & stamped brass on a plain steel hubcap...........I had them rechromed when I was restoring the car around 1972/73 but once I decided to hotrod the car in 1973 they ended up as garage wall hangings.......they need a hit with some polish again but they provide a home for the bugs, etc to live in.......lol.......if you look carefully you can see the "Dodge" lettering which I repainted back then............lol..........andyd   

[harmony]

I'm curious about the availability over the years of that skin.  Since a couple of my caps have dints showing on the inside and not the outside I'm guessing the skins could be purchased at the Chrysler parts counter perhaps?  But it looks like that skin was pressed on with a machine and not done by using a rubber mallet to round over the edge. 

Another curiosity is in the trunk of a 47 Royal I recently reconditioned was a Chrysler hub cap with the same script as my 48 Windsor has but it was 10 inches in diameter, and my Windsor caps are 11 inches in diameter.  Do you suppose that the Royals came with smaller hub caps?

[Andydodge]

I read somewhere years ago that there were two sizes of the hubcaps due to the use of a dressup piece that needed the larger diameter hubcap to hold it onto the wheel..........I've seen picks of USA cars with both a white coloured and chromed/polished insert between the hubcap & outer rim which is what I inderstood the larger cap held........ andyd

[harmony]

4 hours ago, Andydodge said:

I read somewhere years ago that there were two sizes of the hubcaps due to the use of a dressup piece that needed the larger diameter hubcap to hold it onto the wheel..........I've seen picks of USA cars with both a white coloured and chromed/polished insert between the hubcap & outer rim which is what I inderstood the larger cap held........ andyd

That might be a good explanation.  My 48 Windsor has the wide beauty rings.  So about an inch of the inner diameter or perhaps a little less is under the hub cap and the rest of the beauty ring covers almost the entire rim except for about maybe a half inch.  I suppose that area was left clear for adding any lead weights for balance.  So perhaps the smaller cap ( 10in.) was designated for the narrow beauty rings.  Perhaps if you went for the option of the wide beauty rings, it was just understood that you would get the 11 inch hub caps.