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Does anyone know if unpainted small hubcaps are available for a 52 f1? My truck had a set when pulled out of a 40 year barn rest period. However they were off the truck and upside down outside and rotted through. Thanks all.
Argent Painted hubcaps with red letters were stock on 53 to 56 F100s. Reason to change from stainless to steel in 53? Korean War effort. War ended in 54 but Ford kept the painted caps on their trucks until
1956 and beyond. Stainless with blue letters were stock on 48 to 52 F1s. So the PO of this truck must have put on the later caps at some point. Unless the PO painted stainless caps with white paint.
It's a shame that the truck was in a dry barn but the hubcaps were left to rust away.
Abe, I just noticed you described 53-56 F1's as having painted caps with red lettering, and 48-52 F1's as having stainless caps with blue lettering. To be honest, I never saw my truck back in the day with hubcaps on. I just know the three hubcaps in my picture were always in my Dad's garage, and I just leaped to the conclusion that they were original to the truck. They may not be.
Argent Painted hubcaps with red letters were stock on 53 to 56 F100s. Reason to change from stainless to steel in 53? Korean War effort.
War ended in 54 (May 1953) but Ford kept the painted caps on their trucks until 1956 and beyond.
Stainless with blue letters were stock on 48 to 52 F1s.
6A-1130-A (replaced 6A-1130) .. Hubcap-stainless steel with painted blue FORD letters / Reproduced
Late 1947 & 1948 Ford Passenger Cars; 1948/52 F1.
IMO: The KW had nothing to do with the painted hubcaps first installed in 1953. 1948/52 F1's used 'carry-over' passenger cars hubcaps and these were still available from Ford in the 1970's.
Stainless steel side mouldings were used on a gazillion 1950's cars. If stainless was in short supply, the mouldings would have been base metal, then painted.
Chrome and copper were a different story since both were in short supply. Korean War "chrome" ~ Automakers plated nickel onto bare steel, then sprayed it with clear lacquer to protect it.
The lacquer soon turned brown and began to chip off, the "chrome" began to pit. Not pleasant!
6A-1130-A (replaced 6A-1130) .. Hubcap-stainless steel with painted blue FORD letters / Reproduced
Late 1947 & 1948 Ford Passenger Cars; 1948/52 F1.
IMO: The KW had nothing to do with the painted hubcaps first installed in 1953. 1948/52 F1's used 'carry-over' passenger cars hubcaps and these were still available from Ford in the 1970's.
Stainless steel side mouldings were used on a gazillion 1950's cars. If stainless was in short supply, the mouldings would have been base metal, then painted.
Chrome and copper were a different story since both were in short supply. Korean War "chrome" ~ Automakers plated nickel onto bare steel, then sprayed it with clear lacquer to protect it.
The lacquer soon turned brown and began to chip off, the "chrome" began to pit. Not pleasant!
Maybe I was assuming too much. You know what happens when you ***-u-me!
So Bill was it simply a cost cutting move by Ford to go with painted hubcaps rather than the stainless?
Abe, I just noticed you described 53-56 F1's as having painted caps with red lettering, and 48-52 F1's as having stainless caps with blue lettering. To be honest, I never saw my truck back in the day with hubcaps on. I just know the three hubcaps in my picture were always in my Dad's garage, and I just leaped to the conclusion that they were original to the truck. They may not be.
Jim
Well Jim, according to what I think I know and what Bill has confirmed those are 53 to 56 caps. Knowing the USCG like you do, do you think shiny stuff was removed from your panel truck and maybe your Dad was collecting hubcaps to put on his truck and never got the fourth one?
Abe, you are probably right. The 3 pictured caps were not the only ones kicking around in my Dad's garage. He was a "collector". Now I have more than a dozen miscellaneous mis-matched caps kicking around in my garage, as a result.
I have only one picture of my Dad's CG truck from my high school days, and it doesn't show it with hub caps. The truck is pictured with my Dad's 55 Olds.
Jim
P.S. RiKi, if you could use one or more of my "original" caps, I could probably help you out. Just send me a private message.
I went with black powder coated stock wheels with red pinstripes, stainless caps and big and little black walls. Looks OK to me. I went with black because the original owner had told me they were that way when he bought it however the body was original light green, truck was stripped to bare metal in 71(last time it was on the road) and repainted 71 Ford red. I’m not changing that.
Last edited by RiKi5156; Jan 15, 2018 at 10:27 AM.
Reason: Change text
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(May 1953) but Ford kept the painted caps on their trucks until 1956 and beyond. 
