I'm running 52 Roadmaster caps on my 56 Century. For some reason they don't stay tight against the rim. After every drive I have to push them back in. I took them off and straightened all the tabs out and let them form to the wheels. Also, I cannot seem to get any one out of the four onto one of my wheels. I tried sanding it down with no luck. The wheel looks straight. The stock caps attach just fine. Any tips?
Use silicone...glue 'em on...small dabs in about four places...let dry...they're a bitch to get off...but they'll stay...!!! No help here on the other one...must be wrong wheel, has a different lip. R-
It's on both front and rear, but probably a bit worse in the front. Yes, I'm running radials on original wheels.
I have the same problem on my 'bird.... The Radials will "flex" the Front Wheels,especially while turning and I can "hear" the Hubcaps coming loose. I have bent the tabs for a tighter fit,however,they still come loose. It's just something I've learned to live with. I'll try and find the thread about it from the tbird forum.
Hmmmmm, I run radials on all my cars ('40 Stude w/15" Chev rims-'56 Olds Fiesta 'caps, '60 Pontiac w/ 15" stock rims-aftermarket '56 Olds Fiesta 'caps, '55 Caddy w/15"stock rims- '53 Olds Fiesta 'caps)...and I've never had hubcaps pop off because of a wheel rim "flexing"...and I put a lot of miles on my cars. Could it be because Olds made better caps...??? R-
I had a similar problem on my 55 Safari with stock hubcaps.I never lost one but I would notice that a couple of them would have a gap between them and the rim after driving.Also a couple of them had a tendency to "walk" around the rim causing the valve stem to bend and almost pull out. The tabs on the Pontiac hubcaps had almost a sawtooth edge to them and they had become worn from being removed and installed over the years.My solution was to use a small triangular file to put the points back on and re-bend the tabs to fit slightly tighter.I also keep a rubber mallet in the car to install the caps.As they are pretty flexible I usually have to press on the caps with my knees(at the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions) and tap the cap into place at the 12 o'clock position and gradually work back and forth across the cap(like tightening lug nuts)until it is seated properly.Since doing this I haven't had any trouble whatsoever.
not hamb freindly but one of my other cars is a bug and i run the wide 5 rims and everytime i put hubcaps on they fly off a few miles away, its rediculas, iv done everything i can, now when they fly i just leave the bastards on the side of the highway. i now have no hubcaps. iv done all the 'bending tab's like century has done as well to no luck
I 've lost 2 moon style full disc covers off my 65 chev truck..same back wheel. bent the tabs .and so far, it's staying on.. I like the idea of silicone..years ago they used to say,paint them,and install when wet. Oh, If your south Indy I -65,around ex 105, and find one ,send it back. Other one is near London Ontario.. Good thing I bought 2 sets.. Rick
You can try this. Put a layer of Duct tape around the rim where the hubcap meets the rim. Gives it a bit more to hang on to.
This is exactly what's happening on the front. The damn thing looks like it's about to cut off the valve stem after driving. I just got back from my lunch break. I lost a cap in the middle of a busy street. Luckily I had someone with me that ran out and grabbed it. I bent out all the tabs and allowed them to press fit inside the wheel on their own. I'm thinking maybe I'll do it again but this time sand the rim smooth - the spots where the teeth are a bit corroded. The Duct tape idea seems good too.
CORRECT. wheel flex AND I HAVE A PERMANENT FIX. Radial tires in older rims will often make the wheels flex where the hubcaps will start walking off the rim. There used to be a warning sign in some tire stores back in the early 70's when many people were switching to the new radials. You can stop yours by getting later model wheels that don't flex as bad. Here is a sure cure if you really really need to keep the same flexi-wheels. I took my arc welder and turned up the amps. With the tires on the wheels and the wheels on the car I ran a very fast "bead" around the rim where I could see the scratches from the wheelcover "fingers" where I could see they tried to get a grip but failed and slipped. The weld speed was quite fast, enough so that all I got was a line of spatter that dug int to the metal a small amount, and left "dingleberries" all around. When you go really fast with a lot of amps, with little or no noticeable weld bead being deposited, and a lot of spatter, the wheel doesn't get hot at all, so I didn't even need to take any tire off. Make sure you scratch it and make a little bit of a rough surface or you've wasted your time. Don't make the spatter too big or the hubcaps could get hard to pry off. But you must make sure that many of the smaller dingleberries stick or the covers may not get a good grip. Not too fast and not too slow when you pretend to weld the rim. Look to see what small traction-bumps you leave behind. Rough up the surface with the arc, then put the wheelcover back on. This time it will stay. The spatter is completely hidden by the covers, so you can't tell that I did anything. The spatter and small bumps gave the caps a very good surface to grip. I completely stopped losing Avanti and Studebaker hubcaps after I did that. One or two at a time I started switching over to BrandX wheels made in the late 70's to take advantage of the thicker steel and wider rims. Originally 4-1/2 inches wide compared to the much better 6" wide BrandX wheels. The wider wheels and radial tires completely transformed the cars into great riding and great handling cars, and they still looked stock. No longer did the tar strips or cracks in the road, or potholes pull the car back and forth. They actually rode like modern cars with good manners. And no more lost hubcaps!
Now that I'm home from work.... Here the link I promised, (Scroll down to the response from Alan Tast) http://www.vintagethunderbirdclub.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3903&highlight=hubcaps+staying
If anyone tries this they better make sure the welder ground is attached to the wheel! Grounding thru the chassis and welding on the wheels will destroy the wheel bearings and possibly do other damage. I can see it working...but I'd pull the wheels from the car before trying it.
Yep, wheel flex is what causes the caps to come loose. My wheels flex, but I don't have the problem with my caps coming loose, they thread on.
I Siliconed mine right to the wheel. Carry some razor blades if you need to change the wheel but I never had a spare so I just carried a triple A card.
I had this same problem on a set of '55 Olds wheel covers on my '55 Buick Special. I cured it by carefully bending each of the little "teeth" on the backside of the wheel cover just a little bit so that they would "bite" into the wheel rim more aggresively. Worked fine. No more problem.
It didn't even occur to me that anyone would NOT hook the ground to the wheel, or dust cap, or tight lug nut. You don't want any current passing through a wheel bearing. I took that for granted. Good to point it out.
Please don't fix! I'm the one that comes along and picks up all those orphaned hubcaps on the highway! I have quite a collection. What I'M trying to find is the original CLIPs for the dog dish for the '55 Buicks.. Can't find them. I think I'm going to have to pickup clips from something else and make them work.
My hubcaps fit tighter than a snare drum, they're really difficult to get off.... until.... I was on the way to the HAMB drags and while trying to avoid a tire in the road, I put the left side on the rumple strips on the shoulder of I-35.... and lost both of them.
i had the same thing with my 55 poncho with original caps and rims with radials i bent the tabs out and had to smack em back in with palm of my hand but they dont come out anymore...........so far
hey me too i hang em up in my yard with all the old doll heads i find too keeps the bad spirits away.
I had the same problem on a Chevelle I had years ago . I tried everything but found out the rim was too smooth and the tabs wouldn't take hold . I used heavy sand paper and scuffed the rims up real good . They never came loose again . So is your rims powder coated or have many layers of paint on them that causes a slick surface ? Just a thought ! Retro Jim
Which way do you bend the tabs to grab I took mine off to remove the wheel and now can not get the wheel cover back on.
...Could be the tabs are tweaked a little too much outward. They are "springy" as well. Keep trying...carefully.
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