Technical ?Fitting old hubcaps to modern rims?

I have some 1940 ford 10.5” hubcaps that I want to use. I have ford 5x4.5 lug pattern and 16” crown vic steel wheels. I could use a 17”or 18” wheel but not smaller than 16”. The hubcaps dont fit the wheels I have now. I have looked and cant find a wheel in the size I want with the lug patten I need that will take the hubcap.
What options/methods do I have for making these hubcaps work?
Thanks

 

Can you fasten them to the CV caps?

 

I have thought about this for a while. I have a 60 chevy with 14" wheels and I want to use 15's. I hope to use trim rings and pop rivet the original wheel covers to them.
In your case, I would maybe use small hub caps that fits the wheels and cut the lip off the back of the 40 caps and pop rivet them together.
The other more drastic deal is to get centers from junk 16" wheels and spot weld them on the later wheels. Cut the centers out of course to get to the lug nuts.

 

From the center of the cap to the lug nuts is 9” deep. Originally I thought I could use the f150 or police center cap that clips onto the lug nuts and some how make this hubcap attatch to it.
But at this point I am out of ideas. The 2 problems I have is there is no recess in the rim for the lip on the hubcap to go in so I cut the lip off the hubcap now the distance from the police center cap to the old hubcap is huge

 

Would these help?https://www.ebay.com/itm/1753650911...MIsMe_teD5-wIVMRPUAR2n9w6yEAQYASABEgITpvD_BwE

 

I haven’t seen caps with the Ford script like that before, they be old aftermarket replacements.

 

I got them on the presumption they were 1940 Canadian 1 ton truck hubcaps

 

oh, you just need to look in the right place. 48-56 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, perhaps?

 

Drill 3 or 4 holes in the appropriate spot, then tap them and put in a stove bolt. Then the cap fits over them like a clip. Put some silicone in the hole if you are worried about them travelling.

 

On my '38 Ford pickup, I used Chevy Caprice 15" steel wheels (70's vintage) I attached '36 Ford wide five caps. I got a set of cheap dog dish caps off an S-10, Centered them in the '36 Ford caps, drilled and attached with 8-24 machine screws.

 

These early VW hubcap clips are available cheap and could possibly be adapted to fit your wheels and caps.

 

If they don't work for you,I'll be happy to but them from you depending on price for my 3/4 ton van

 

I'm looking for same solution for chevy wheels. Ability to run a 16" steel wheel and use a 14" or 15" factory style hubcap. @Jim Bouchard I like the clips

 

I would need to get different rims for those to work. Getting different rims is an option if I could find a rim that would work

 

Mount one of these to the wheel and bend a piece of flat stock to fit inside the hubcap. Bend it in an arch to closely follow the dome of the cap but on the inside and weld a stud in the middle, then screw on the hubcap till it’s tight against the wheel. It would take some figuring but fairly easy, once you figure out the first one the other three will be easy.

 

A 50’s International Harvester pickup has a wheel that will take a 40 Ford cap, and it has 4.5” pattern. They are 15” by 5 I think.

 

30 years ago there was a man making Magcaps, stainless circles that took an early Ford hubcap and were held on by shank lug nuts.

 

Did not the 49 Ford passenger cars come with 16" rims? The bolt circle is 4.5 so maybe thats an option for you, maybe. If to skinny, have the centers welded to wider hoops. Mitch

 

buy 16 by 7j aftermarket steel wheels in the stud pattern you need that take the 8 1/8 hub cap
go and seek professional assistance in them altering the wheels so as to match the crown vic wheel ET or positive offset.
what year do you have
Ford Crown Victoria 2001 - Wheel & Tire Sizes, PCD, Offset and Rims specs - Wheel-Size.com

 

I used a set of 1940 Dodge 16' X 5' rims on my Sedan Delivery when I first built it . 30's-40's Mopar rims use a 4.5 bolt pattern same as later model Ford 8', 9' rears (& Mustang II's) and bolt right up. The Mopar rims use "clips" to hold the hubcaps on, so I simply cut the centers out of the Mopar and Ford hubcaps and mounted the Mopar centers (with PL400) into the Ford caps so they were held on with the clips.

 

I am not understanding this bit

 

The Dodge and Ford hubcaps are almost exactly the same size.
I gently pried up the edge of the Ford caps and removed the centers.


I did the same with the Dodge caps...
...and installed the Dodge centers into the Ford Caps, gently tapped down the pried-up edge...and they now clipped onto the Dodge rims.

 

Also, I used some PL400 to guarantee that the Dodge centers were tightly secured to the Ford caps. Ran them for years with no issues.
Hope this helps

 

^^^^^
thanks,
I am using the same wheels, although I removed the clips for a better sandblasting job.
I may have to reinstall them.
I had wondered about just tweaking the hubcap with pliers.

to remove them instead of a screwdriver, I use a 3” - 4” plastic filler tool for gybsum board/ dry wall.
.

 

I'm thinking that the issue here is that the OP is wanting to use wheels that aren't Hamb friendly on his ride.
The fix might be to come up with some junk wheels that the caps fit and do some dilligent trimming of the centers saving just a ring that the caps will fit and then weld those rings to the late model wheels. A buddy with access to a big lathe would be great too have for this though.
If Jim is correct, this being the original wheel that those caps fit.

 

uTube video
Lots of paint info but installed clips on NEW rims for old caps.

 

and we also have 16”x 5” over here, so probably in the USA as well ?

 

I am sure I am not the only one on here with an 8.8 rear end and IFS

 

You are the only one who would admit it.

 

I like to weld the caps directly to the wheels then I just install the lug nuts from the back of the wheel. You end up with a very clean look and a bonus too, it confuses a lot of people at shows