Hubcaps or nah?

[Rusty Dawg]

Howdy,

 

Just picked up a set of dog dish hubcaps for my truck and I don't know if I should go with or without them.  What do you think?

 

Kind regards!!

[bilzbobaggins]

with

[Icehouse]

With and super low is my vote

[320 Newb]

I love that truck so much. I'm in the minority but I say no unless you come across a factory set. When you need tires I'd slap a tall set of bias ply tires on there with the pie crust sidewalls. 

[datzenmike]

With. Looks original and complete.

[Rusty Dawg]

3 hours ago, 320 Newb said:

I love that truck so much. I'm in the minority but I say no unless you come across a factory set. When you need tires I'd slap a tall set of bias ply tires on there with the pie crust sidewalls. 

Well I agree, but finding originals are very tough(only have one so far that I found in the weeds next to where she was sitting), so I went for second best.  I installed those tires right after I acquired her so I could roll her around and I then learned after the fact that I should have put on something different🤦‍♂️ 

[difrangia]

Looks like the little pickup had some real loving caretakers over it's sixty years. Generally pickups have at least a few battle scars to the bumpers, grille, lower edges/rockers, and bed top edges. Looks like even weathering was it's worst enemy over the years. Great subject for preservation.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

With hubcaps, but get some taller tires.

[Thomas Perkins]

17 hours ago, Rusty Dawg said:

Howdy,

 

Just picked up a set of dog dish hubcaps for my truck and I don't know if I should go with or without them.  What do you think?Yeah look's great,love your truck,wish it was mine...Took me 27 years to get mine where it is...Bet you get a lot of attention...

 

Kind regards!!

 

[Duncan]

+1 for with.

[wayno]

I am not trying to be negative, I use them Datsun 620 disc brake rims on just about everything I own and 620 SS dogdish hubcaps go with them rims, I would find a set of original rims for the truck(320 rims??) and buy tall tires like already suggested for Datsun shows/meets.

What do the stock hubcaps look like, 320 hubcaps?

Edited December 18, 2021 by wayno

[Rusty Dawg]

2 hours ago, wayno said:

I am not trying to be negative, I use them Datsun 620 disc brake rims on just about everything I own and 620 SS dogdish hubcaps go with them rims, I would find a set of original rims for the truck(320 rims??) and buy tall tires like already suggested for Datsun shows/meets.

What do the stock hubcaps look like, 320 hubcaps?

What do the hubcaps look like Wayne?  I will not be attending any show/meets, but what tires are you referring to?

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Stock 320 hubcaps are smooth. Starting with the 521, they had the two rings inside them.

 

The only difference between 320 wheels and 620 wheels is the width, so if you want a slightly wider wheel (and tire) the 620 rims are perfect. All of the stock hubcaps (320 or 620) will fit either wheel.

 

This was my old 320 with 320 wheels up front and 620 wheels in the rear. If I didn't tell you, you wouldn't know the difference.

 

These were the tires I used. These were bias ply, but you can also get them in radials, though the look is less era correct. I have owned many vehicles with bias ply tires and don't understand what the fuss is all about.

[Rusty Dawg]

That's a clean truck you had there.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Yeah it was. It still exists and was for sale again last year. I wonder who ended up buying it.

[wayno]

This is what a stock 320 hubcap looks like.

 

 

The rim in the second photo of Stoffregen Motorsports last post that has photos looks like a stock rim, the ones you have on your truck in the photos of your truck are 620 disc brake rims, they have them 6 oblong holes in them, I like them because they clear disc brakes without having to modify them with a hammer, I have made 320 rims clear disc brake calipers with a grinder, 320 rims are put together with rivets(might need to use tubes because rivets can leak), everything after the 320 are welded together(tubeless).

 

[Rusty Dawg]

What do you mean when you say "rivets can leak"?

[wayno]

I do not have all the answers, I will do the best I can to explain how it works in my mind.

 

 

Here are two 320 rims, the top one you can see the rivets, the bottom one has the rubber band that covers the rivet heads, as far as I know all 320 trucks came with bias ply tires and they used tubes, I believe the rubber band is to protect the tube from the rivet head and they always used tubes in rims that had rivets, a tire place told me that 40+ years ago, when I asked why it needed a tube when putting radials on the rims they said the rivets could leak.

I have no idea if this was true, but it made sense at the time (I was in my early 20s), I suppose over years of being driven the rivets could start working loose but these rivets in the top rim look airtight to me.

Them rivets go all the way thru to the outside of the rim and hold the center hub on the rim, the roads were not as nice back then as they are now, fact is a lot of roads were dirt/gravel with potholes.

 

 

[320 Newb]

21 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Yeah it was. It still exists and was for sale again last year. I wonder who ended up buying it.

 

I love that truck. If it came up for sale and the price was OK I might have to find a good divorce lawyer. 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I did not grind any rivets to fit the stock 320 wheels onto the 720 brakes. I think I used a 1/8" thick plasma cut steel spacer, but did no grinding of any kind.

 

If you go back through my 320 balljoint conversion thread, you might see what I did there.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

1 hour ago, 320 Newb said:

 

I love that truck. If it came up for sale and the price was OK I might have to find a good divorce lawyer. 

I can find out for you.

[320 Newb]

2 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I can find out for you.

about a good divorce lawyer?

[difrangia]

I fitted the disc-brake front conversion from 'Bluehands Mike' on our 320 with his spacers ( 3/16" or 1/4" thick ) and had to do a light grind on a few of the rivets to get them to clear the calipers. Highly recommended upgrade for the old 'ox-cart' 320 chassis, in my opinion. When I can finally plug in a 4:11 third member on the 320, I'll be done with the mechanical part. Probably never live long enough to get all the bodywork done, but it's a sweet ride now if you're not in a hurry and don't have far to go.

[Thomas Perkins]

Your truck is great.I would never ever return my 85 to stock looking,to me it was ugly.Now it is one of kind and I will never ever part with it.May get buried in it...Love my tires and rims...

[nicklp]

A picture of the single original (assumed) rim I got with my 222, wearing a beauty ring and a Toyo Dream Master “Deluxe” tire in 5.60-15. Other pic with 2x4 to show tread width. I once saw a trailer wearing Datsun 15 inch rims, I think with round holes like a phone dial. I’d like a set of those; not sure I’d really like to drive it on those narrow originals. 

Edited December 20, 2021 by nicklp
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