Another kick in the Lugnuts

[Ultrasummer]

1968 C10 stepside shortbed. So my project has been going on for nearly 2 yrs now. I bought 5 new wheels from Summit Racing : 15 x 8 steel. Got new rubber and everything is looking good. So with the original looking 15 inch wheels I go on Ebay and find 1968 dog dish hub caps. I'm thinking this is really coming together. I'm embarrassed to say how much I paid for the 4 hub caps. I go to put them on and they are slightly larger than the ring on the steel wheels. Hubcaps are too big. Grrrrrr. I haven't taken a tape measure to them but I think the dog dish are 10 inch in diameter. Don't know about the wheels. Anyone know of a simple fix or a "traditonal" looking hub cap that might work? I realize I should be measuring the wheel before I post this but I just got in from the garage and had to vent. Sometimes it feels like one step forward and two steps back.

[72 tigger]

10” sounds like the normal 1/2 ton size- sorry that happened- frustrating

[dmjlambert]

So, what wheels did you got from Summit? How much difference do you have in size for the hubcaps?

[Ultrasummer]

Wheel Vintiques 12-580604. 12 series smoothie wheels. It's a close fit but no cigar. Hub caps fit about a 1/2 inch larger

[ThreeQuarter]

The factory wheels (that I’m familiar with) on a ‘68 C10 would have nubs that fit a 10-1/8” cap. Are you dealing in the cap style pictured below? And I take it you are fitting over nubs, and not clips?

[Ultrasummer]

That is the hubcap I bought on Ebay. They are supposed to fit over the nubs. No clips are on hub caps or wheel.

[ThreeQuarter]

Originally Posted by Ultrasummer

Wheel Vintiques 12-580604. 12 series smoothie wheels. It's a close fit but no cigar. Hub caps fit about a 1/2 inch larger

That wheel looks like it has inside nubs. The more common ‘68 PO3 caps you’ll find are made to fit onto clips, but that clip mounting ring might appear as though it would work for inside nubs. Is that what is happening here?

[Ultrasummer]

I'm not sure but when I look up that same wheel on Summit and scroll down to the questions people ask, someone asked about hubcap fitment and one guy answered that he bought a centercap style hub cap that fit on the inside of the circle of where I was trying to place the hubcap over the circle. If that makes any sense. I might have to go that route.

[ThreeQuarter]

Originally Posted by Ultrasummer

I'm not sure but when I look up that same wheel on Summit and scroll down to the questions people ask, someone asked about hubcap fitment and one guy answered that he bought a centercap style hub cap that fit on the inside of the circle of where I was trying to place the hubcap over the circle. If that makes any sense. I might have to go that route.

Pics would help to be certain here. There are two mounting types for P03 “dog dish” caps in ‘68: outside nubs and clips. It sounds like your wheels might not accept either of those types of caps.

My guess is the commenter bought a later-model type of center cap that is held on by the lug nuts (or plastic nut caps).

[Ultrasummer]

I'll have to go back and do some measuring and take some pics. Like I said, I just got frustrated and came back inside and sat down and posted this.. Thanks for the input.

[leddzepp]

Post pics of your wheels and the backside of your caps

[lil hoodlum]

Wheel Vintiques wheels do not have the "outside" bumps for factory or stock hub caps. They have little "inside" bumps for their own hubcaps.

[landarts]

If you are interested there is a guy that sells clips that you mount on your wheels so that any hubcap will fit. A bunch of people buy from him to mount the 10" caps on transport wheels. A few board members have used them and swear by them.

Here is the link that I finally found. https://www.mobsteel.com/shop/mobsteel_clips/

[Southcity]

Originally Posted by lil hoodlum

Wheel Vintiques wheels do not have the "outside" bumps for factory or stock hub caps. They have little "inside" bumps for their own hubcaps.

Wheel Vintiques does make wheels with outside nubs in both 5 and 6 lug. They carry a few different stock sizes but can also make custom sizes and backspacing.

https://www.wheelvintiques.com/wheel...five-15x8.html

https://www.wheelvintiques.com/o-e-6...ed-finish.html

[dagnabbitt]

Originally Posted by Ultrasummer

I'm embarrassed to say how much I paid for the 4 hub caps.

Don't be. We have all been there. If you need to sell them there will be another guy willing to pay what you did.

I agree that we need pics, I assume the wheels you bought were a custom width and backspacing?

[ThreeQuarter]

Originally Posted by dagnabbitt

Don't be. We have all been there. If you need to sell them there will be another guy willing to pay what you did.

I meant to comment on that earlier… Agreed! These caps are very rarely found in good shape and so they just cost a lot. I’ve been watching them for years because they are a finishing touch that I hope to put on my pickup someday.

[dagnabbitt]

The 68 hubcaps I recently bought literally cost me more than the truck I was putting them on. Then I looked closer and saw that the wheels I had sandblasted and painted... had no nubs at all!

Don't worry, there is always someone who made a similar or worse mistake than you, haha.

[special-K]

Without seeing what you actually have, it sounds to me like you bought "smoothie" wheels and have hubcaps for 8-lug wheels that mount with inside clips. If you had 1/2t that pop over nubs and you'd be talking about a lot more than difference in diameter. There would obvious there is no provision to even mount those caps on those wheels. Smoothies use inside nubs and take special hubcaps that only fit smoothie, or other custom wheel vintiques products like their rallye wheels. 3/4t/1t factory hubcaps also mount inside the ridge around the lug nuts, same as smoothies, but use clips and a larger diameter ridge. Nub and clip style hubcaps look the same on the front

[Ultrasummer]

Better late than never. Finally got around to taking a pic of my wheels. If you look closely, the nubs to fit a hubcap are on the inside of the ring rather than on the outside. OE hubcaps were made to fit on the outside of the ring. Still haven't solved the problem. Bought little clips that are to attach but that was a bust because there is no flat surface to attach them to. Oh well, I'll figure out something. I appreciate all the input from everyone.

[Ultrasummer]

Since I was taking pics. Here's the rest of the truck

[Ultrasummer]

More

[67swb72klb]

Nice stepper!
I bet the car style rally caps will fit those wheels

[dagnabbitt]

That is such a nice truck. The good news is that they are not completely smooth, and since you have nubs, something will fit. As noted above, a car cap might be the way to go, maybe something like this, check out the reverse side of these caps. Someone more knowledge about Impala caps and/or whatnot might chime in and confirm.

[Ultrasummer]

maybe. I'll have to keep looking