Hubcaps

[Cecil]

I have a right front hubcap that comes off after driving a short distance. After the first time it came off when I put it back on I checked to make sure that it was on all the way around. I was wondering if anyone knew what could be causing this to happen.

[Dave Owens]

Do you have a radial tire on that rim?

[Cecil]

Yes. I do have radial tires.

[Dave Owens]

Cecil,

Since you are using radial tires my next question is are you using a original rim? Radial tires put more load on the rim when than bias ply tires. The original rims will take the load of the radial tire but will deflect when doing so. Hubcaps coming off is not a new problem.

Dave

[Cecil]

Dave, Yes, they are the original rims. Do I need to to replace the rims to keep this from happening in the future? Or just leave them off until I get where I am going.

[leonard b]

cecil, Ihad this same problem with my 59, iwent to the salvage yard got rims from 70"s ford torinos. leonard b.

[Art]

I had the same hubcap problem on my 58 shortly after installing Coker wide whites. When the first one happened, I assumed it was installed wrong. I checked them all and the valve stem wasn’t coming through the hubcap hole on one of them. Eventually I discovered scratch marks on the rims from the prong that hold the caps on. For some reason, using radials on these rims causes the cap to want to rotate on the rim. The torque must be a lot to bend over the valve stem. The scratch marks show that once the stem is under the cap, it pushes outward causing the cap to unscrew until it pops off. My solution was to put a small amount of RTV on the rim where each hubcap prong will sit, and install the cap. It’s been ten years and I’ve had the caps on and off many times and had no more problems. The original RTV is still keeping them from rotating. I’ve since met a friend with a fifty’s Chevy who solved his problem by running a small weld bead on the rims in several spots. Anything to stop the caps rotating should stop it.