Hubcaps Or Wheel Covers, What's In A Name?
Cars and trucks built before about 1935 came on wire spoke
wheels with small metal caps installed to seal the wheel hub on
the axle. Those early "HUBcaps" were smaller than 3" in
diameter, made of heavy gauge plated steel hammered onto the hub
of the wheel. Their main function was to keep dirt out of the
spindle nut and the wheel bearings.
In the 1930s, automobiles transitioned from mere modes of
transportation to statements of status and style. Hubcaps became
more decorative than functional. The 'dog dish' style was born,
chrome hemispheres 9 inches in diameter, covering the lug nuts
and the center of the wheel. About the same time, wheel
technology advanced and spoke wheels were replaced by wheels
formed from stamped steel.
In the '40s, Cadillac lead the pack in adding sparkling chrome
by the acre: bumpers, grills, trim lines, window borders, hood
ornaments, hood vents, headlights, running boards, etc.
Increasing the size of the chrome hubcaps added reflective
surface.
By the '50s, hubcap diameters increased to the point they
covered the entire steel wheel with chrome. Many of this period
were flat rounds looking like chrome Frisbees, with little
design differentiation. It was during this time the term 'wheel
cover' came into use.
Over the last 50 years, the terms 'hubcaps' and 'wheel covers'
have become synonymous as the lightweight, full-diameter
decorative coverings of standard steel wheels.
One of the hallmarks of modern hubcaps is their
interchangeability. Nearly any hubcap of the correct size will
fit any standard steel wheel that will take a hubcap. This means
that changing styles is very easy. We are not limited to those
styles designed by our particular auto manufacturer.
If you would like to read this article with pictures of classic
cars that illustrate the examples given, go to http://
www.autoamenity.com/FAQ/Hubcap-Wheelcover.htm