I decided the new Alcoa wheels needed something better looking than the small hubcaps used by the previous owner. I liked the look of the hubcaps from Alex Sirum so decided to try and duplicate that look.
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Here is the look with the original hubcaps without the lug covers. |
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The surface mount hubcap must sit under the small chamfer at the base if the swivel washer on each lug nut. The hubcap must be just the right diameter. If it is too big it will interfere with the seating of the washer; too small and the hubcap will rattle or fall off. I used two business cards to get an indication of the required diameter. I put double sided tape on the back of one card then placed the ends of the cards into the chamfer and stuck them together. |
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Armed with the required diameter I went searching through the local automotive recycling center. Here is what I came up with. The following pictures show you how to do it. |
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Once you acquire the appropriate raw material and tools you are ready to cut into the project. All the tools you need are: a file, cleaner, paint remover (unless you like the faded red), and a pair of shears. Trust me you need good shears. If you are right handed you will need shears that cut to the left, left handers will need shears that cut to the right. |
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Cutting through the ridges on the donor hubcap can be tough. Just cut up the rim every few inches and then bend up the tabs. |
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Now just cut a spiral up to the outside edge of the red ring. |
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This is what you will end up with. As you can see by the cards there is still a bit to trim. You can make one final pass with the shears then file to the final size. It is important that the final size be exact. It must be large enough to fit snugly into the chamfer at the base of the washer but not so large that it interferes with the seating of the washer. The washer must press flat against the wheel when the nut is finger tight. Spend some time with the file and try to get the hubcap as close to round as possible. The edge of the hubcap will fit better if it is filed to a 45 degree bevel. When you are done the hubcap will fit snugly and not shift or rattle. The first one is the hardest, after that it takes only about 15 minutes each. |
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Here is the final product. My total cost was $8.99 Canadian. It actually cost me more for these pictures than it did for 6 hubcaps. |
Last update December 10, 2004