Hi all, Anyone have any suggestions on how to tighten the hub caps on my '26 with steel wheels? they became loose when i rebuilt the rea axle a couple of years ago and i didn't put them back on for fear of loosing them. they seem to have a weird "spring like" tabs (a couple of the tabs have fallen off from being bent through the years) when i pop them on they rattle, is there a fix or do i need to replace them?
I have a vague recollection that this has been discussed before, so do a Google search of the forum. One suggestion I do remember is to use only a few of the tabs at a time and save some for later.
Stretch an O-ring over the cap to fill the void between it and the wheel hub. Rattle gone...
I bent all the tabs down and then added four dabs of shoe goo pressed into the space between the tabs and wheel. I have no rattle or looseness and the tabs should not wear of break off over time. Also some have used some kind of flexible caulking or gaskets sealer.
Jim
If you only bend a few tabs over, the rest are available for the next time you need to do it.
The suggestion I used from an earlier post (a month ago?) was to take a piece of pipe insulation material and cut into 1 inch pieces. It seems to be working so far.
If they still make Nerf balls, they might work too.
The jingle my 3 chrome and 1 nickel make makes me think of Santa and his Reindeer. That sweet melody fills me with Joy and thoughts of Model T Presen(t or se)s!
Thank's for the suggestions!
I bend down just three tabs and then run a bead of silicone rubber around where the tabs are on the inside of the wheel. I let the silicone set up while the wheel rests on the hubcap. Woiks poifectly!
Can you cut new tabs out of the same gauge steel, with the same shaped tab with a long enough tail to go behind the hub so as to be secured by Aluminum Devcon Putty epoxy? Be sure to clean the area thoroughly, it will be attaching to, behind the hub and rough up with a dremel tool grinding wheel to aid the adherence of the epoxy. I did this with the 4 tabs on my instrument panel switch enclosure which broke off years ago and it worked great. Jim Patrick
Thank's, I thing I am going to go with the silicone in case I have to get at the hubs, it looks to me like the spring metal tabs are just weak from being taken on and off over the years. When I tried to bend them out to expand it for a tighter fit,, a couple fell off so I didn't want to continue and wind up breaking them all, but if I glue the caps on with silicone, I guess it really won't matter if the tabs break off. It is amazing what I will do to save a few bucks while working on the t, I guess it's the "thrill of the challenge" of trying to do the "unconventional" thing!!!LOL
How do you suppose Henry did it.