66 chrome hubcaps stainless or plated brass?

[HOTFUN]

Sent two original 1/2 nub style hubcaps to my stainless polisher to straighten some dents and polish and he just called and said they were actually chrome plated brass hubcaps. Said he could hardly believe they still did this process by 1966 as this was about the latest time period the car companies stopped using the brass and plating process and went to stainless or aluminum for all vehicles.

Anyone know if all the original chrome 66 hubcaps were ever stainless and polished or rather chrome plated brass? You can throw out the idea of checking hubcaps with a magnet for stainless versus steel when brass is also a variable.
Either way they can be restored to look better than NOS just twice the work and price after the plating process has to be reapplied to the straightened brass base.

Mark

[sodly]

Hey, Mark. Would love to learn more about your hubcap restoration process and who you found to do it. Any pics you can provide would be great.

[HOTFUN]

I went through and tested 6 other chrome 66 caps and they all appear to made of brass and then chrome plated. Only ones that appear to be stainless are the reproduction 66 caps I got from Jim Carter.

Sodly, I'll send you a PM when I get this figured out as I gave him the go ahead to restore the brass set and replate as original. I also have my 2 nos so I'm betting the restored ones will be show pieces and the nos will look just factory line quality. I guess you only see one side of the truck at a time.

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by HOTFUN

Sent two original 1/2 nub style hubcaps to my stainless polisher to straighten some dents and polish and he just called and said they were actually chrome plated brass hubcaps.

That is correct, original hubcaps were chrome plated brass. This was common up to 1972 on Chevy and GMC pickups, and you have discovered why they dent so easily. They went to stainless 1973 to around 1975. When to aluminum in 1976.

[HOTFUN]

Thanks that confirms that. He also said the brass is why they can split on the rolled edges easily.

[60-66]

Dumb question but why not use painted steel caps to chrome ?

[markeb01]

Once again I've learned something new. I've never heard of chromed brass hubcaps newer than around the 1930's. My earliest experienced were with late 40's Chevy caps and they had what seemed to be a carbon steel inner shell that clipped to the wheel, covered by a chrome plated carbon steel outer shell. Everything else (I assumed) had been chromed steel, stainless, or aluminum.

It would be interesting to see how those brass caps would look stripped to the brass and highly polished!

[HOTFUN]

Jon, I agree totally and I was headed down that road but spent a sizeable sum on so called nice painted hubcaps between buying and shipping about a dozen of those home. Problem is unless it was just good ole nos, the costs for what appeared to be a nice painted cap that I have bought used ended up having so many hammered on and off dings and dents even bondo under fresh paint. Then after bead blasting a few I bought even showed pin hole rust in areas that appeared to just be light surface rust. With what a nos painted set of four brings these days and then strip them and have them properly copper plated and chrome I think you could easily have $700 to $800 for the set restored.
My 2 chromed brass caps were actually pretty good shape. I'll have $250 to strip chrome, straighten, copper and rechrome not counting the purchase cost of the cores. So that's what I plan to do. Otherwise, live with the reproduction cap with the third world bow tie insignia and not be so picky! Right? But that correct bowtie is one of the most standout details on a highly restored truck so again just another open the wallet issue.

[60-66]

I respect that answer !! Now I cant wait to see the results of your efforts on the whole project. Will be awesome ! Any teaser progress pictures ?

[LT1 Burb]

What do the repops look like, I have 10 or so chrome caps and want to also get them restored. I banged one of my poorer ones onto my wheel and it dented so easily I couldn't believe it, glad I never used one of my good ones.

[1963c-10]

Ok, now Im confused. I have seen many 61-63 deluxe caps (not factory painted) that had rust. If they are made of brass (copper & zinc)which does not rust, and contain no iron oxide, how is it that they rust. Even stainless can rust in the right conditions so the rust on 61-63 deluxe caps could be expected, but not if they are brass.

[HOTFUN]

First thing I had been doing is taking a magnet to the chrome cap and if it was stainless or now brass as the magnet won't attract to it like a steel cap. I have a set of 64-65 chrome caps that are steel and the magnet sticks. I assume someone had a set of painted caps chrome plated at one time. Years ago before all the EPA rules hit the plating companies there were all kinds of garages doing local chrome plating. They did a flash chrome as I remember which didn't have the savvy copper plating to work up from. It was cheap and did the 10 foot bling thing much like the portawall wide whites did for blackwall tires. It was all about the costs to make it look cool. All those little chrome shops were shut down and only the big quality shops remain in the plating business and it's not cheap in the US under the EPA rules for chrome anymore. South of the border or overseas is a different story.

[60-66]

Originally Posted by 1963c-10

Ok, now Im confused. I have seen many 61-63 deluxe caps (not factory painted) that had rust. If they are made of brass (copper & zinc)which does not rust, and contain no iron oxide, how is it that they rust. Even stainless can rust in the right conditions so the rust on 61-63 deluxe caps could be expected, but not if they are brass.

Hope this will help 1963c-10, this is an NOS 61-63 chrome cap, as you look on the back you can see the brass peeking through where the chrome didn't take. I see this on most of the original caps.

[1963c-10]

I have to agree with you as the pic definitely shows the brass underneath. I had always thought they were SS and never put much more thought into it. I have 2 sets of the 61-63 deluxe caps and they all have touches of brass showing. I have 2 caps at home that have a light surface rust on them....Im not real familiar with chrome plated brass though, and it may just be the "brass patina" underneath that's causing the "rust like issues".

Is he going to be able to rechrome them for you?

[HOTFUN]

Yes on the replating question. Any plater can replate over brass just as they would steel. The brass is actually easy to work with being softer metal but its' just the processes of stripping the old chrome, working the dings in the metal, then starting back over with copper and chrome process. Nice thing about stainless steel is it just skips the whole plating process and it easy to repair a dent, sand out smooth and just polish back out to full bling.