Dented Grease caps, Tool used to install them without damaging the cap

[desoto1939]

OK, most of our older cars and including some of the modern cars that do not have from wheel drive would have grease caps, or in the old days know as hub caps, becasue they covered over the spindle hub, have been hammered back on to the spindle by the mechanics that did brake work.

 

I have seen on Ebay several metal tools that are used to insert the grease cap back into the end of the spindle but these run around $25 plus shipping.

 

I figured there must be a cheaper tool or way to get such a tool for our individual tool box and since we do not do brakes jobs every day it has to be a reuseable tool.

 

So I took one of my older grease caps and went to my local Hone Depot and found in the plumbing Dept a Plastic end cap that was a perfect fit and had  enought of a lip so that it held the sealing edge of the grease cap inplace.  The cost was around $2 for the cap might be more now.

 So now I just place the cap in the tool and use a rubber hammer to drive the cap back onto the end of the spindle and eliminate any denting.

 

refer to the attached document that shows the tool and might save your caps.

 

You can also send the document onto your local clubs to publish in their monthly newsletter

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

 

Grease cap mounting tool.docx Grease cap mounting tool 1.docx

[Dodgeb4ya]

I use large 12 point sockets. 

You can also use any piece of pipe plastic or metal...cap the end.

KD tools used to make tooling for intalling grease caps

[Plymouthy Adams]

I thought everyone was already using a piece of PVC or other piece of hollow round stock....but if not in past and fail to do so in the future...then for sure, be it on their heads.   Good post....hopefully will be read and heeded to some degree.

[capt den]

i don't mind the dents. at least you know the bearings may have been greased.    dennis

[Sniper]

The socket that fits the bolt holding the pulley/balancer on fits those hubs nicely.

[Eneto-55]

We just always used a wood or rawhide mallet, or even just a ball peen hammer, working slowly around the cap, hitting it only on the edge.  Maybe the newer ones are made of thinner steel, and collapse more easily.  (We called them 'grease caps", and used the name "hub caps" to refer to the wheel caps that covered just the lug circle area, like on the P15s.  Then 'wheel cover" meant the ones that cover the entire wheel, as were used on vehicles like the 53 DeSoto.)

[Dan Hiebert]

Nice post, good info for those who may be looking for such a solution.  Whether it was actually necessary or not, me and Dear ol' Dad would repack the wheel bearings on the family cars every year.  He taught me to remove and reinstall the grease caps so they wouldn't get all beat up.  I get annoyed when I work on old cars with beat up grease caps, especially if the prior "worker on-er" was supposed to be good at it.  My brother-in-law's car ('57 Ford sedan) is a victim of such, grease caps beat to almost being unrecognizable, but I had a real problem finding replacements, so I had to fix them the best I could, mumbling expletives the whole time.