3 Different Size Wheels?

[History]

I know I read this on here but can’t remember the details. Can someone explain the three different style/types please?? I purchased five 19” wheels with tires and when I put them on my 1930 the hub caps were slightly pushed out. They didn’t do that with the 19” wheels I had on it before that. I plan to have my wheels that fit correctly blasted and powder coated and out back on. I know they are thicker at the dish where they bolt to the hub than the later set I have.

[Synchro909]

The 19" wheels on the back on my Tudor do the same - hub caps pushed out by the end of the axle. Dunno why, just is.

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Use your fingers(2 or 3)side by side and measure between the spokes. There are different widths between manufacturers.

[Marshall V. Daut]

No matter which company supplied the wheels for Model A's, the wheels must have been within spec's when new so that the hubcaps would not be pushed off when the wheels were mounted to the brake drums. I can't envision a situation where the center of a wheel has been pushed inward so far by an accident that the hub cap is pushed off the wheel. Such damage would be readily visible to the naked eye, let alone result in a badly out of balance wheel. One wheel might possibly be damaged that much, but all four wheels? Not likely. I would not think the new set of wheels is your problem, especially if all four lose their hubcaps when mounted to the brake drums.
Are you using the same hubcaps between the two sets of wheels, or are the hubcaps two different sets? Over the years, there have been many reproduction hubcaps made for the Model A all over the world. Some are excellent quality and look and fit well, while others are the scum of the earth and are a pain in the tutu to fit to a wheel - and stay fitted. Often they are too shallow. There is not much distance between the center of the hubcap and the end of the brake drum hub with bearing (in front) to begin with, so a shallow repo hubcap might not have the depth to stay put. Try a different hubcap that does not belong to the one or two sets you are using between wheels. The hubcap SHOULD fit regardless of who made it, but one never knows with repo parts, especially from Dark Age of Model A repo parts made in the 1970's by the usual global suspects. Some are of unbelievably poor quality. That your previous set of wheels didn't have this problem, but your new ones do, tells me that possibly the hubcaps are the culprits - if we are talking about two different sets.
Should no hubcap fit and stay put on your new wheels, however, cast a suspicious eye at the four brake hubs themselves. In the cases I have encountered over the years where the hubcaps were pushed out and the hubcaps were not at fault, the usual cause was that some well-intentioned modern restorer/owner had put V-8 outer bearing covers in the front brake drum hubs in an effort to keep grease from squeezing past the outer wheel bearing. Yet another unnecessary retro-fit part vendors LOVE to sell to unsuspecting Model A owners. Model A's did not have these grease seal caps from the factory and don't need them if the proper amount of grease and the correct grease are used. The extra outward length that these unnecessary caps impart is just enough to push the hubcaps off the wheels. If your Model A has these hub seal caps in the front brake drums, remove them and try your wheels again.
Moving to the rear brake drums, sometimes when a rear end is overhauled, the mechanic does not get the ring gear-to-pinion gear lash correct, which pushes the left side axle out too far. You can actually see that the threaded portion of such an axle sticks out way farther past the castellated nut than the other side. That's just enough to push off a marginal quality hubcap in some cases.
Also, sometimes the bottom of a rear backing plate has been pushed upwards when the rear end dropped on a hard surface. Very common with this heavy component. To compensate for this extra inward "bump" on the bottom of the backing plate, some guys simply install one or two axle shims inside the rear hub. This pushes the brake drum outwards on the axle shaft, placing the large lock nut closer to the hubcap. Off comes the hub cap when the wheel is mounted. Naturally, if this is the case, only one side should push the hubcap off, not both sides. Check that both of your rear axle shafts have the same amount of thread showing past the large castellated nut. If one side's hub cap stays put and the other doesn't, then either the center carrier with ring gear is not set properly or there are too many shims in place inside the hub.
In the front, a similar problem can be created by placing a spacer either between the inner bearing and the steering arm's center or between the inner bearing race and the hub's center. These shims are often installed to compensate for a rubbing brake drum against the backing plate or by worn bearings and/or their races, placing the brake drum farther out on the steering arm's threaded portion. That will pop off shallow hubcaps, too.
The best of all worlds for you would be poorly-made shallow hubcaps. An easy, albeit not cheap repair by buying and installing quality hubcaps. A worst case scenario in the rear would entail disassembling the rear end to equalize the axles vis-a-vis the ring gear-to-pinion gear distance. In the front, you may need to remove the brake drums and straighten out a bent backing plate that has caused a previous owner to install shims in an effort to move the brake drum away from the inward bump in the backing plate. Remove any shims that push the front brake drums outwards after straightening a bent backing plate.
But my bet is that if you are using two sets of hubcaps, the second set is too shallow. Easy to check and repair if that turns out to be the problem. If you do in fact have two sets of hubcaps, take one hub cap from your previous set of wheels that fit properly on a brake drum and put it on one of your newly-purchased wheels. Test the fit, front and rear, both sides. You'll know what to do there if the hubcap still pushes off. The cause most likely lies in what I have suggested above.
Marshall

[rotorwrench]

I have to assume that these cars have original type mechanical brakes. Folks run into problems when converting to hydraulics. New replacement drums & hubs may have problems with dimensions that can affect stuff like this.

The hub is usually swaged to the drum so the only thing that can have an effect is if a new hub has been used and it has a different thickness or dimension on the hub to wheel flange or it has a new drum that is thicker or thinner in the bolt circle area. Thinner will allow more axle protrusion and thicker will have the opposite affect. Worn tapers in the hub or on the shaft itself can affect how far the hub moves inboard as the shaft nut it torqued up. A lot of wear there can affect how far the axles protrude and whether the drums contact the backing plates or not.

[History]

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Original mechanical brakes and only the fronts are hitting the hubcaps. No idea if they are repos or not. I am 100% certain I read on here there are three different wheels, just not sure what the differences were or if the statement was factual.

[rotorwrench]

Ford generally had more than one source for parts like a wheel. Subcontractors may have had variance in their product. It would likely not be very noticeable. Ford held patents on welded spoke wheel manufacturing processes but they would share info with subs if they could get a good deal on the product.

[Bob C]

Somebody didn't put dust caps on the front hubs did they?

[History]

Mine is a 30 and has screw in dust caps. Original?? I have no idea.

[Marshall V. Daut]

Bob C -
Check posting #4, paragraph 3 beginning with: "Should no hubcap fit..."
Great minds think alike, don't they?.
Marshall