Technical Screw on MOON caps

Might be a dumb question, but here goes.
Do you drill and tap holes in the rim and run tubes OR weld nuts on?
Thanks

 

Drill and tap holes.

You don't need tubes, unless the tires already required them.

The holes are outside the beads.

 

I welded (4) threaded tab on the lip of the rims, used 10-32 button head fasteners to hold them in place. Modified a set of stainless steel disks, added ribs, polished, painted and made center caps out of aluminum.

 

Hello,
These moon discs will make any car look so cool. It might make your car that much faster, just by the look...ha! Make sure you do not use sharp screws as they may puncture the tire and cause a small leak. Or...The flat tipped screws will hold the moon disc in place, but push the tire inwards causing a small leak. Measure the thickness of the rim and disc. Get the right size screw with a flat end. We went through many flat tires before we realized what was causing the leaks. Check (weekly) how hard the screws are when in place. The Moon discs made the this car in the movie clip and other cars we put the discs on look very cool and fast. On one friend's car, it did not matter what we did, it still leaked, so we put in a tube-type tire (with new tubes) and that solved the leaks.
Jnaki

 

I've always drilled and used self tapping screws. HRP

 

Drill and taping with 10-32's are correct for steel rims. 10-24's if your using aluminum. Do not tighten the screws as you can bend the aluminum distorting the disc on a wheel that's not flat. A small amount of RTV can hole the screws. The screw threads past the end of the threads isn't doing anything so keep the screws short. I've seen discs pop riveted to beauty rings so they can be easily removed to check air temps. 6 holes are better than 3. Button head Allens look the best. Good luck.

 

Pop rivet onto trim rings.

 

I did a set on my old truck years ago. I think 8-32s The one problem I had was either the rims were not balanced enough or something else was going on. I had trouble with a hole either loosening up or the threads would not hold enough. The cover would tick as it went around and drove me nuts.

Make sure if you tap them to not go over size with the bit. maybe some locking juice too. I did rotate and retap more holes and then added a spot of silicone on each side of the hole and I seemed to solve the problem. The cover still came off without a fuss for what ever reason you needed.

 

Me to. These are on my kart. I used self tapped flat screws that came with from moon in the package from 1960

 

as stated, drill and tap the rim for 10-32 screws, don't worry about leaks. I had them on my Hot Rod Datsun pickup in the 80's for a couple years. never had a leak, never had a screw loose (on the wheels) drove it every day everywhere.

I was so cool back then......

 

WELL.... (and it's a 'deep one'...) I've had Moon discs on 3 of my cars, and innumerous on friends' and customers' cars.
I've used 'em from '57 or thereabouts, and always used what Dean (Moon) referred to as 'Moon Screws'.
Drilled the rim, started a tap, then turned in the special slotted pan headed Moon screws.
Last time I saw Dean was at Fathers Day (Pomona) 1985. He turned around in his booth and handed me 25 Moon screws, by that name.

Bonneville has required Moon discs to be fastened by no less than 6 screws per wheel (since when? '76?)
I've seen some neat installations using Dzus fasteners, too. Very sani, when the hole perimeters are stamped, really clean.
"Snap-On Moon discs" look like some 'undercover Police weekend shammer', to look like a 'Racer'.
There was a nerd, Curtiss Kilgore, that used to use his Dad's stock '53 Chevy 4 door, snap these discs on and go downtown. Everybody noticed.

San Jose Police used to use 'undercover' ('Felony') cars downtown, to entice, then arrest serious street racers. We could spot 'em with the Poverty caps, wide (Factory Special) steel wheels, fat tires...
So, one night up rolls this '65 Chevy 'plain Jane' with the wide wheels, fat tires...and a set of Snap-On Moons! I could see how high they were above the rim edge, then the driver: He had his nighttime Patrolman jacket on with the shoulder patches visible!
I just looked at him and waved...I was the last guy leaving the light... Lug, lug, lug...

 

The best way to install MQQNs is by welding Dzus tabs to the rim and use quarter turn buttons,
After a while the screw head fatiges the aluminum and crack around the head. Pointy screws causing leaks???? well I guess if you use a 1" long screw, Racers have been screwing tires to rims for decades with short pointy screws. What ever you do make it very easy to remove, one d

 

Thanks everyone.


Never heard if moon screws, I'll look into it.


What type of head was in the screw in the 1950s, slot?

 

are these "Moon screws" just self tapping screws? seems that's what mine came with, and I switched over to drilled and tapped later now that I think about it. so the self tapping moon screws must have failed in some way. probably the nut that connects the screwdriver to the screws.

 

Does anybody remember moon disc that were louvered. Back in the 60's, l seen some that were. I did a set for my 34 Ford. There were 20 on each disc and cost $.10 a louver. They sure looked great, I only wish I had a picture of them. Are there any old timers that might remember this?

 

All the non-Dzus fastened Moon discs that I ever installed came with screws that looked like this:


I think they were 10-32. I always tapped anyway.

 

I once had a squeaking moon disc so I put a few dabs of clear silicone around the rim and screwed the discs down on it. The clicking and squeaking stopped!
A few weeks later I needed to add some air and tried to get the disc off. I finessed the thing and then gently pried around the edges...finally had to get medieval on it and ended up ruining the damn thing!
Go easy on the silicone.

 

Attached is a picture of a Moon disc on one of my cars. I used a long tubeless stem, and drilled a hole in the disc, eliminating the need to remove the disc to add air.

 

The louvered discs were KOOL!
Especially when they were painted by Dean Jeffries! Cover of Car Craft, around 1956 ish!

 

Coupla things here...

1. The screw should be short enough to just go thru the rim of the wheel and no farther. A few thousandths too long is ok, but not 1/16" of an inch. You should have received screws with the discs.
The screw will be going into the "bead" of the tire, so no problem, no tubes are required. No air lost.

2. After a time, depending on how you drive, the Moon disc WILL start to rattle. This is because, believe it or not...the wheel bends / flexes while going around corners...the Moon disc (by nature of the shape) does not.
After having Moon discs on several daily driver cars over many years, I found that a slightly longer screw and a nylon washer did two things.
1. The washers allowed a little flex in the "joint" (wheel to disc), and 2. after the the Moon disc does start to loosen up a little, the washer still quiets the mechanical noise. Every coupla months of "daily" driving requires a retighten. Just a fact of running Moon discs. It won't be nearly as bad if it's only a weekend car.

Some of the Moon discs have/had two screw holes at each of the three locations. This will also extend the "Moon disc rattle" a long way. You can add a screw location yourself. Just drill a second hole about one inch from the existing holes.

Mike

 

Mine did not come with screws as they're second hand/old.

I'm want to use the right head in the screw that they would have used in the 50s.

 

Will put a sett of moondiscs on ny 61 Stude. I have a set of old ones but no screws. What size screws u use? Planing on puttin some tubes in to be shure it will not leak.

 

You know whats funny, i have a set of new moon discs for sale here on a local selling site and the only people showing interest are VW fanatics who are scared of drilling their rims and probably don,t want to weld tabs either.

 

Im a Swede and have no probleme drilling hooles in the rims

 

I've always screwed mine on with the "Moon Screws" as well. Tapped 10-32. When I wanted to be fancy I did use chrome button head Allens, 3/8" long for a special touch. Never had any loosen up as long as I drove them. This set came off a famous car, (at least the guy that sold them to me said so), now in my buddies possession.

 

My current set I drilled and tapped the rim, then ran a button head fastener from the back side of the rim with loctite, added a flat nut with loctite, put on Moon disc then used a nylock nut and washer to hold them on.

 

Moon discs with Dusz fasteners




Pep Boys snap ons in 1958

 

My Moon discs we fastened with three Dzus fasteners. They held up very well at over 200 mph.

 

Weld on Dzus tab and use Dzus fittings. Best to make jig for welding tabs then any cover will fit any wheel