MTFCA Forum

The hubcaps on my wire wheels are somewhat loose.

And by somewhat loose, I mean I sound like Santa's sleigh coming around the corner.

Is there any trick to tightening them up?

You can take the wheels off and bend the retaining tabs tighter. Or, you can stretch an o-ring around the cap, nesting it in the gap between the cap & the wheel hub, and stop the noise for good.

I "second" the o-ring trick !

Good ole friction tape, a few wraps, then tamp down the tabs into the tape and rim.... that works for me.

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:34 pm

You can take the wheels off and bend the retaining tabs tighter. Or, you can stretch an o-ring around the cap, nesting it in the gap between the cap & the wheel hub, and stop the noise for good.

I once had an aunt who was trimming her parakeet's nails. She finished the left foot and then the right foot, and then turned the parakeet around and paused, looking for the back feet.

And that's about how I feel right now.

Two minutes with a large flathead screwdriver from the back side solved the problem . . .

. . . after you told me I could take the wheel off to do it.

And it's not like I've never dealt with the front wheel before. I repacked the front wheel bearings two years ago.

Thanks!

Perhaps your aunt had been a long time roller pigeon owner before switching to parkeets.... but you did say back feet rather than back tires....

I cut pieces of pipe insulation and stuck them behind the caps. Someone on the forum gave me that idea. It is a soft foamy plastic so it just compresses and holds the caps in place. Easier than the screwdriver trick which also works well. You only have to bend about 8 of the tabs to hold it in place. Save the rest for another day.

Suggested by more than a few Model A guys with same issue; The O ring or black silicon. (or what ever color) Few dabs abound the perimeter will hold the cap in place. Like the Model A, don't bend all the tabs over, 4 should be fine.

Mark Gregush wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 05, 2021 3:33 pm

Suggested by more than a few Model A guys with same issue; The O ring or black silicon. (or what ever color) Few dabs abound the perimeter will hold the cap in place. Like the Model A, don't bend all the tabs over, 4 should be fine.

A silicone bead from the inside wont show.

My Daddy bought a new 63 nova wagon for the family. When he was @ the dealership to pick it up. Another guy who had just bought an impala SS was complaining about the clacking of the plastic SS centers of the hubcaps. Dad "helped him out" by trading hubcaps in the parking lot. (by mutual agreement) Got home & smeared epoxy inside to shut them up. Came out way ahead with those 3 spoke SS hubcaps.

I said to myself, "Myself, what do those SS hubcaps look like?"