hub caps

bigd1101

bigd1101

Senior Member
Silly question. How do the hub caps come off on the 28 Model A? One rattles and I want to put rubber seal behind it. I don't want to force it and break something and I don't want to chip the paint on the wheel. I'm assuming they just snap on and off, but the one in question is not easily just popping off. Thanks.......
 
Don't bother taking it off. Just put a little silicone around it from behind where it can't be seen and drive on in silence.
 
Some of the parts houses sell an o ring that will slip over the hub cap and sit between the cap and the wheel. The wheel normally has to be removed to remove the cap as most owners bend a few of the tabs over to prevent the cap coming off to easy.
 
I bought a set of those hubcap O-rings for the 30-31 hubcaps and find they are too thick to use either with the caps on the car or when removed. I'm curious if there is some trick to installing these or they just another worthless product?
 
I think the O ring is a bad idea. I use silicone on the inside of the hub cap and wheel, and when it dries, it holds the cap fine, and no noise.
 
bigd1101 said:
Silly question. How do the hub caps come off on the 28 Model A? One rattles and I want to put rubber seal behind it. I don't want to force it and break something and I don't want to chip the paint on the wheel. I'm assuming they just snap on and off, but the one in question is not easily just popping off. Thanks.......
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What made you suspect and ID that it was the hub caps?


I have a few squeaks/rattles that are driving me nuts.. Found one, was the Hood in the hinge on the drivers side where the 2 halves hinge together. Rattles I do not mind if I know what they are. But squeaks really irritate me.


I will try taking the hub caps off, hub caps never occurred to me until your post - thanks.


When I take mine off I am very gentle and work my way a little bit around the cap a little bit at a time, also wrap prying surface of the tool with either a rag or preferably an old piece of inner tube. Just be careful the pry tool does not go through what ever you are using to wrap the tool. That is why I like to use inner tube. Another approach is use something non-metal, softer, wood or plastic - again be slow, gentle, and careful.


You could also take the wheel off and go through the back to gently push the cap off through the back of the wheel. Then you have to worry about the lug nuts damaging the paint. Some people use washers behind the lug nuts so the lug nuts tighten down and slip on the washers instead of the wheels. I've also seen where inner tube or similar has been glued/attached to the back of the washers to further protect the paint. The washers are orderable, and are made for wheels where the stud holes are worn from being run with loose lug nuts. The washers self center when tightened down.


You may get marring of the paint and scratches front the tangs of the hubcap, but they should not be visible once the hub cap is on. Do not know, maybe glue felt/inner tube to the back of each tang if OCD?


Always wait a couple of days, to see if there are additional opinions/dis-agreements.
 
Some time ago I had my wheels powder coated and installed NEW Hub Caps. I installed them with only HALF the tabs bent over. I lost one of them shortly after installation. I used that method twice more replacing the lost hubcap.

On my final installation, I took all the caps OFF and reinstalled them using silicon between cap and wheel. I also bent over ALL the tabs. That has to be 4 1/2 - 5 years ago with no rattle or LOSE of cap!
 
Originally from the factory, the wheels were installed and the hubcaps put on after, which means that they did not bend the tabs over as we see today. When new, the tabs held the caps tight in the wheel hub. If you cannot easily remove your cap from the outside, the tabs are most likely bent over to hold the cap in place. You will have to remove your wheel and work from the inside.
 
Gary Karr said:
Originally from the factory, the wheels were installed and the hubcaps put on after, which means that they did not bend the tabs over as we see today. When new, the tabs held the caps tight in the wheel hub. .....
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Well I never knew that! How is it that ninety years ago they managed to do that and now we have to bend bend over the tabs or use glue/silicone ? Did they rattle when they were new?Did they come off easy when they were new do you know? Or were the tabs different from nowadays?
 
2manycars said:
I think the O ring is a bad idea. I use silicone on the inside of the hub cap and wheel, and when it dries, it holds the cap fine, and no noise.
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Concur, O rings useless and not sized properly. They hold nothing nor prevent rattles.
 
johnbuckley said:
Well I never knew that! How is it that ninety years ago they managed to do that and now we have to bend bend over the tabs or use glue/silicone ? Did they rattle when they were new?Did they come off easy when they were new do you know? Or were the tabs different from nowadays?
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Yes, I believe they were. A friend of mine carefully bends the tabs so that the caps push on with the tabs springing out behind the wheel to hold them in place. I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised to learn that Ford did the same thing but we haven't been smart enough to cotton onto the subtltey (spelling?) of it.
 
What is the factual evidence that FOMOCO installed hub caps after the wheels were on the cars?



Starting in 1932, the lug nuts were under the hub caps, so FOMOCO made the caps easily removable.



Waxed string works much better than the o'rings to snug hubcaps on the Model A! Silicone is too messy, so best done while the cap is being installed.
 
Originally the tabs were bent in a wave shape (sorta like a speed bump) so they could be popped on and off.
 
Bob Bidonde said:
What is the factual evidence that FOMOCO installed hub caps after the wheels were on the cars?



Starting in 1932, the lug nuts were under the hub caps, so FOMOCO made the caps easily removable.



Waxed string works much better than the o'rings to snug hubcaps on the Model A! Silicone is too messy, so best done while the cap is being installed.
Click to expand...

If you look at original factory assembly line photos, you will see 1928 chassis' going down the line with wheels mounted without hubcaps.
 
I might add that when I mounted the hubcaps on my early-28, they went on without bending the tabs. They are NOS hubcaps. I had a little trouble initially but cleaned the paint off of the hub inside edge, then using a block of wood and a hammer, I popped them on. They are on super tight and don't rattle.
 
Years ago I was wondering about factory installation of the hubcaps also, but as Gary said, when I saw the mounted wheels and no hubcaps on the assembly line, it only made sense that the caps had the tabs bent to be pushed on with a snap action.


Wasn't someone selling a pliers that bent the tabs to be pushed on?
If not, then I'd make a tool to do the job.
 
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