Having trouble putting on hubcaps.

[MarcDeSoto]

I just put on one of those plastic white beauty rings on the rim of my 48 DeSoto Deluxe.  Looks great and I can save some on not buying wide white walls.  But when I tried to put on my hubcap, it wouldn't go on.  I sprayed WD40 on the hub springs and hubcap and used a rubber mallet, but still no go.  Maybe the springs have stiffened up over the decades?  Any ideas?  Thanks, Marc.

[Young Ed]

Not all of those trim rings are created equal. Make sure it's tight to the rim where the hubcaps sit

[MarcDeSoto]

Thanks.  Maybe I need to put grease on the clips and hubcap rims?

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

I am sure your problem is the fact that the plastic at the center where the cap snaps into place and hold everything snug is way too THICK  be they shiny or painted, the originals are thin metal at this point of construction.  This added thickness is not allowing you to position the cap below the apex of the retaining feature of the clip and thus they are NOT POPPING into the cap opening.  I would think I would find some metal originals...if you cannot and wish to continue the course with the plastic one...you may have to remove the clips from the wheel and add shims to get the clips high enough to enter the hubcap opening.   You will need to be minimum the thickness of the plastic in your shim selection.    Lot of work for sure.....there is the very likely chance that if you did manage to hold without mods put in place, odds are first chug hole and there goes both cap and insert....

[oldodge41]

 This is another style. I used to run these white rings when I used my 16" wheels. As you can see they did not reach to the hubcaps. They are also metal and attached very firmly on their own. 

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by oldodge41

[allbizz49]

Are you sure they're trim rings and not Port-A-Walls? If they are whitewall inserts, they go between the bead of the rim and tire. 

[Tom Skinner]

Marc,

Hit them like you live - Fast and Hard. 

Tom

[MarcDeSoto]

I should say that I can't put the hubcaps on even without the plastic ring on.  Maybe I'll have trouble with the rings too, but I haven't got that far yet.  I'll take a picture of what I have.  Are mine original or were the originals metal?  Anyway, instead of WD40, I'm going to try white grease on the clips to see if that will help.  I'm using my old hubcaps instead of banging up my NOS ones!  

 

[RobertKB]

Don’t waste your time with oil or grease. Won’t make any difference. Hubcaps either fit of they don’t. For my dog dish hubcaps I usually get one side started and then using the heel of my palm I give it a good rap on the higher side and it pops on. I once worked on a ‘47 Chrysler and one cap would not fit but the other three all went on that rim. Upon looking closer, there was a slight difference. Maybe DeSoto was the same. Try an NOS one. 

[OUTFXD]

Weld the hub caps in place and sell the car!

[MarcDeSoto]

I can't believe all of these complex solutions to a stupid easy fix.  All I had to do was take a chisel, push it between the clips and rim and bend it in a quarter of an inch.  Bingo, the hubcaps go on with just a slight push of my palm and they are on tight!  

[Plymouthy Adams]

I can't believe you run here before even trying any solutions for yourself first.....but hey, you got cap on now....!

[MarcDeSoto]

Yes, I have to use self-reliance as Ralph Waldo Emerson writes.  

I bought these plastic rings back in the 80s.  They were still in the box and this is the first time I tried them on.  If I use these, then my next tires will be black walls.  If I don't use them, then I will buy white walls, but I won't use both.  Looks like overkill when you do.  I have seen a set like this that were metal too.  I wonder which ones are original Mopar?  OldDodge, I admire your 41!  In fact, when I bought my 48 DeSoto, I was looking for a 41 Dodge 3 window.  

Edited January 26, 2022 by MarcDeSoto

[Merle Coggins]

Keep in mind, if you make it so that they go on easy they'll come off easy... probably when you don't want them to. I once lost a hub cap on I-94 in Michigan. It was a construction zone with absolutely no place to pull over. I saw it in the mirror as it spun itself down the road, ending up against the median wall. I had to say good-by to that one and keep moving. When I returned home I worked all of the clips outward for a tighter fit. Haven't lost one since. 

[oldodge41]

I lost a cap once too. Coming home from a cruise-in with my daughter at twilight on a remote 2 lane. Hit a pot hole and heard it go. It disappears into the wooded area that is posted with no trespassing signs on every other tree. We looked around a bit and had no luck. Long story, short version. Some time later, on a routine trip through that area, there was something sitting atop a tall stump. It was my hubcap! I got it back. Good Samaritan must have put it there.

[Young Ed]

Side note I've seen a good tip to sharpie your phone# into the inside of your caps. 

[DonaldSmith]

I lost a hubcap from my DeSoto on the way to the 2003 DeSoto convention.  Days later I searched the roadside with no luck.  I put an ad in the National DeSoto Club magazine, and got a hit.  One of the home owners along the road found the hubcap and notified a fellow employee who was in the club.   Reunited with my hubcap, I sent the home owner an club member a DeSoto mug.  

I since marked the back of each hubcap with my name, address and phone number. 

 

 

[Kilgore47]

There are several clips that are broken on the P15 wheels.  I only put the hub caps on when I get to a cruise night or show.  Then hope I remember to take them off before I leave.  Ordered the new clips and now they just need to be installed.  Then I can leave the hub caps on.

[bluefoxamazone]

I have lost a couple of them too... 1st ...Write down your telephone number at the inside . 2nd; look for a spot where you can stick (preferably) a few strong neodymium magnets between rim and hubcap. They got to have the correct thickness, so take a blob of clay and squeeze it between the hub and rim/ This blob of clay will tell you the exact thickness of the magnets to buy. The hubcap will stick like you have welded them to the rim ? .

greetings from over the pond!!

Franky

[MarcDeSoto]

I should say that even though I made it so the hubcap is easy to push on, it is not so easy to remove.  I still need a prybar to get them off, so I'm not worried about losing them.  Thanks for all of your comments and ideas!  Marc.

[Marcel Backs]

Looks like you are puttin the nose to the grindstone Marc. CONGRATS!

[harmony]

On 1/26/2022 at 6:30 AM, Young Ed said:

Side note I've seen a good tip to sharpie your phone# into the inside of your caps. 

That tip actually does work.  My friend did that to all of his caps.  One day he noticed he was missing one after a long trip to California, from Vancouver Island BC.  Sure enough he had a message on his home phone when he got back from the trip and not only did they find the hub cap, but they mailed it to my friend and refused to be compensated for the shipping.