Loose Hubcap

Y-Blockhead

Y-Blockhead

Well-known member
Newbie question... I have a couple of loose hubcaps. What is the best way to tighten and/or secure them so they don't rub off the paint?
 
Thanks Charlie. I tried that they still seem (to me) to move around quite a bit. I thought they should be tighter than they are.
 
This is not the right way as Ford did it... however I put a couple small drops of silicone sealer from the inside to hold them tight. Out of sight and worked for me. There are special crimpers some parts sellers sell that are supposed to help getting the tabs tight, never tried them..
 
I bend all of the tabs in a V shape with pliers so that the hub caps will snap on and off similiar to original. There is a pricey tool that does a similiar operation but the instructions recommends only bending some of the tabs and there have been reports that the hubcaps sometimes fall off and are lost. I've tried all of the mentioned methods such as removing the wheels and bending the tabs over inside the wheel, rubber bands and silicone , all with less than satisfactory results. The 28-29 hubcaps come with V shaped tabs that will snap on and off. Its just the 30-31 hubcaps that people have problems with. No hub caps are made of spring steel on any car that I know of and this makes NO difference. If the tabs are correctly bent and shaped, the hub caps will fit tightly and will snap on and off, just like the 28-29 hub caps do.
 
I have replaced all my hubcaps with a large degree of disappointment. I used a tool that is suppose to make the cap fit tightly. I installed them per the instructions (using only five tabs of the ten) After installing them I went out for a drive to check other things and when I arrived home I discovered I had lost one hub cap. I ordered and installed the lost hub cap. I had a similar experience again when I lost another. Several day later I went to a club event and when I arrived discovered I had lost two caps. Again I ordered and installed the new hub caps but this time I used the tool to bend the five tabs as instructed, put silicone on each cap and after a few days of drying of the silicone I bent the remaining five tabs over. I have since driven numerous miles without loosing a cap. I was absolutely convinced that the tool was the thing to use as after bending five tabs the caps fit very tightly on the wheels. I have read several people use only five tabs and my question is why what are you saving the other five for? If there is a problem with the wheel bearing you would surely take the wheel off rather than working thru the opening of the wheel. Use all TEN tabs plus the silicone. Just my three cents worth!!
 
Mike V. Florida said:
Take the O rings off, tighten then the best you can (DO NOT BEND ALL THE TABS) Then place the O rings on to tighten the last little bit..
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Mike, I'll try it again the way you suggest with the o-rings.

Cape Codder said:
Several day later I went to a club event and when I arrived discovered I had lost two caps. Again I ordered and installed the new hub caps but this time I used the tool to bend the five tabs as instructed, put silicone on each cap and after a few days of drying of the silicone I bent the remaining five tabs over. I have since driven numerous miles without loosing a cap. I was absolutely convinced that the tool was the thing to use as after bending five tabs the caps fit very tightly on the wheels.
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Cape Codder, Are you referring to the tool I see in the venders offering for ~$55.00. So you think the tool is worth getting?
 
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I gave all mine a little twist with the bend and also use the "o" ring's they fit very tight now and come back off like I feel they should.
 
Bend all the tabs with the tool and use O-rings. It takes a little to form the tabs right. It only seems to work with the 10 tab caps. A shim behind the tool works sometimes.
Hank
 
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