I posted some time ago about fitting 32-36 hub caps on Mclean & probably other aftermarket chrome wires, & because the repo wheel hubs are of heavier gauge metal than the Ford hubs (hard to believe I know) the (2) spring clips do not properly grip inside the lip of the hub & can be easily pulled off by hand or be dislodged by a pothole. The remedy is to simply & slightly trim the spring clip to permit it to index properly. As much as I dislike the cleaning chore associated with wires, I thought it neat that Mclean did their homework to at least got the hole size that accommodates the Ford caps. However, found that not be the case with all chrome wire manufactures. Having a rear mounted plain steel wheel for a spare I jumped at the opportunity for a pair of super cheap wires of unknown brand only to find the hole size was too large for the 32 caps to even begin to index the spring clips.... But not to worry, selecting my worst used 32 cap as a sacrificial subject I drilled out the (2) rivets securing the spring clips, trimmed to account for the hub gauge & moved them from the inside circumference of the cap to the outside bridging the distance required to lock them in place. Alas now I can ditch the non-descript spare & get some shine on the rear. Not the most popular wheel combo as they once were, but thought it might get it right for a few wanting to run the specific model year caps
You were referring to your oversized centers. I had a set of wires in the late 70's that required an adapter ring to use the stock 32/34 sized caps. I wish I could remember the manufacturer?
I believe those adapters were & possibly are still available from Oklahoma vintage parts, listed in an older catalog however not in the most current, it's been a year ago via email they confirmed they were still in stock at that time. All I can add is anyone faced with a similar situation & the intended cap covers the opening a mere 15 minutes or so per unit moving the clips will get it to fit.
I noticed after some spring maintenance which involved wheel removal, that my original 32 caps looked loose on two wheels. Luckily they hadn't popped all the way off during the test drive. I took them off and noticed the spring clips had twisted slightly so only one point was grabbing. After I straightened them, the two points once again grabbed fully.
My son ran McLean wires on his Model A for several years.......with '32 caps........McLean supplied a "spacer" to keep the caps from falling off.
Ron...like you, I put the spring clips on the outside rim of the cap for the front wheels. [53-56 chrysler wires] bur rgw rear wheels accepted the cars as-is with the spring clips on the inside. Weird...... but installed the caps looked the same , front and back. It wasn't perfect and I lost a few hubcaps on rough roads.
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