Technical What wheels/wheel centres are these?

I'm a bit stumped...the more I read, the more I am confused?
These wheels are on my 39 coupe. They've had the centres reversed and I suspect the rears widened old school style but I am at a loss as to what type they are?

They are 15" rims and 40-48 hub caps do not fit, they are just a bit too small.

Suggestions/answers?

With thanks

Gavin

 

Are your hubcaps originals, or are they repros? They look like 50's Ford pickup wheels to me.

 

They don't look like any Ford factory center with that raised bump around the hubcap mounting area.
How wide are they?

 

I have some of those but in chrome. They are patterned off Ford, but are not ford. Aftermarket of some sort, but I have not tried the 40-48 center caps either. I dig em.

 

1st off how do the hub caps not fit? Do they hit the axel nut and not touch the rim? Or do they clear the axel shaft and do not fit the 4 hub cap nipples? If the ford hub caps bottom out on the axel nut/shaft, then I would bet they are mercury rims. Mercs had deeper hub caps. I'm not sure if there is any difference there in the wheel width but I do know merc had some deep caps. Fatter wider or how ever you want to say it. My 15" wheels are 3" from the lug nut flat area to the end of the axel nut shaft on my 32 with a 40 rearend. What's is your distance? Could be the drums also. My wheels are 15" and fit 46 ford hub caps. I'm not sure so I'm just giving you some ideas. I have a set of 49 merc reversed rims on my 53 Packard kustom. And a set of 40 merc wheels on my 32 ford roadster. If you look close at the two wheels you will see the top picture has a raised up ring around the hub cap nipple area. It's about a half of an inch all the way around it. 40-48 hub caps don't fit these wheels. The 39-48 merc wheels don't have this ring. They are smooth like the second picture. I hope this helps yea. I bet it's just the difference between 39-48 and 49-53 rims and could both be ford and merc. Good luck

 

You posted this in another thread.

 

This was my initial thoughts but the more I read and looked the more I was confused...

 

The caps were repro. They could be F100 Wheels?? They share similarities with a friends Mercury rims and several people thought they were....the search continues.

Thanks for all the food for thought. The caps clear everything but do not clip in to the 4 "nipples" on the rims. I think the rims are 4" up front and 7" in the rear...I suspect that the rears have been split and two wheels welded to make one?
Pondering the points given within the replies, as the wheels are yellow and there are of moon eyes stickers on the car, and that it last saw registration in Dec 1989, did Moon Equipment make wheels?

 

Neat chrome wheel there! Looks the same centre, rim and offset...any thoughts on origins?
I'm curious, what rubber are you running on your wheel in the image...I am having a hard time trying to find tyres over here that are clean/plain sidewalls, everything in the market place here is just plain ugly to look at.

 

Another hour on ole Google and it brings be right back to the HAMB.
I think you are right on the money Alchemy;
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ford-steel-wheel-tech.115542/
Am guessing 1953-64 Ford Pickup rims with reversed centres on the rear.

 

You won't find anything at regular tyre stores. You need to look at John Cain in Newcastle who sells Diamondback, Antique Tyres in Melbourne who sell Coker or go to the Coker site and look at what they have and work it from there.

Normal stores only carry stuff for late model cars, and they have no place on an old car.

 

The O.D. of an early Ford 15" center is 12 5/8", exactly. Early '60's Rambler rims had a 4" hoop that would fit right on an early Ford 15" center. The centers don't get reversed; the hoops do. Your hoops are reversed. Don't try to run beauty rings on those reversed hoops.

 

Tires are 8.20 Firestones...