So the last hubcap is finally done for my Royale. "Finally" you are wondering? Its a hubcap, how much work can go in to that? ahahahahahahahaha. Well, when you have it rechromed and it won't fit anymore you have some work ahead of you. Check out my restoration thread on the Royale club site. Started it in 2014, its been going on for a while.
https://reoroyale.com/forums/5/topics/2352
There is no such thing as a 5 minute job…. Looks great.
Yes. Nothing is easy. Those hubcaps look great. Too much copper in the chrome process?
I need to get a picture of a wheel mounted with the tire and hubcap. We need to make a tool to spread the snap rings. @Edinmass tried to convince me to rebuild them as drop center and I wish I listned.
@alsancle
educate me, what exactly do you mean by drop center?
@JohnBloom A drop center wheel is one piece and the upper and lower rims hold the tire on. A snap ring wheel uses a separate snap ring to hold the outside edge of the tire on to the rim. The transition in automobiles happened around 1931/1932.
@alsancle would your choice be deemed incorrect if it wasn’t as original at Pebble or would they “overlook that”?
@JohnBloom It should be considered incorrect but the chances of a REO Royale expert wandering on to my judging team are small, and even so I don't care too much about the judging. It is very hard to distinguish the two types unless you are looking for it.
@JohnBloom With a drop center rim you can often use a machine to help get the tire on. Snap ring wheels typically are just a lot of muscle and swearing. Also, every once in a while you will see a snap ring break. They can be dangerous to mount.
