How do I remove the hubcap

[Guest Boldenz]

I have a wire hubcap  that has a flower in the middle and I don't know what kind of hubcap it is  and I'm wanting to take it apart 

[Terry Bond]

Post some photos.  Why do you want to take it apart?

Terry

[Guest Boldenz]

I'm wanting to take it apart cause I bought it at a church sale and it's very dirty 

[Guest Boldenz]

it has a bolt on the back side of it that's rusted 

[misterc9]

That's an aftermarket wire cap from the eighties.

[Guest Boldenz]

how do I remove the bolt on the back 

[CarlLaFong]

10 minutes ago, Boldenz said:

how do I remove the bolt on the back 

With a bolt taker outer.

[Guest Boldenz]

Do u know what brand the hubcap  is 

[MCHinson]

I am fairly certain that is a fairly inexpensive an aftermarket hubcap. It probably has a removable center section that will reveal the head of the bolt. I expect the "flower" section can be pryed outward to pop it out of the rest of the hubcap. If you post a photo of the back of the hubcap, I expect that we will see some signs of spring like devices that hold the center section into the hubcap.  

[Guest Boldenz]

The back has a bolt in the center with a washer on it but the issue is when I turn the bolt it spins 

[MCHinson]

I would guess that the center cap simply needs to be pried out. You could probably push in on the bolt and use the bolt to press the center cap out of the hubcap.

 

Please post a photo of the back of the hubcap so I can see the back of it. 

 

To get good advice here, you have to be able to describe it well enough for people to understand what you have in front of you or else you have to be able to post good photos. I have never seen that particular hubcap but many hubcaps look very similar to it. All of the ones that I have seen have a center cap that is held by friction fit into the surrounding hubcap or wheelcover. If you don't know how it comes apart, you have to show us the back for us to confirm if it fits together like all of the similar ones that I have seen.  

[MCHinson]

Here are some old photos of a similar Buick wheelcover and the center cap. Ignore the small numbered tape used to identify it but hopefully it will help you understand how the center cap would be pressed into a similar hubcap.

[Guest]

The easiest way to clean these is in the kitchen dishwasher.  Works great.  The only difficulty is to be able to run the cycle when you are alone.

[kevin1221]

2 hours ago, Tinindian said:

The easiest way to clean these is in the kitchen dishwasher.  Works great.  The only difficulty is to be able to run the cycle when you are alone.

 

Agree 100 percent. My '66 Mustang has wire wheel covers and I've used this method for years. 

 

I then used my compressor to blow air to assist in drying.

 

Kevin

[Guest Boldenz]

Here's the back of the rim 

[MCHinson]

Easy answer is that is a one piece wheelcover made in Taiwan. That does not appear to be a bolt that can be removed, it is simply a remnant of how two pieces of the assembly are put together during manufacturing. It does not need to be removed and I don't think it can be removed without breaking the part. That wheelcover simply presses into the wheel and is held by friction by the outer tabs near the edge of the wheelcover. 

[Guest Boldenz]

How should I clean it cause it's extremely dirty 

[mike6024]

12 hours ago, Boldenz said:

 

Look close at the center part where the flower is to see if it can be pried out. If so then you may see the head of the bolt under there, so you can hold that when you turn the nut it won't spin then. Maybe that center flower part can be pried out with a screwdriver, or better yet a plastic tool so you don't scratch it. 

 

It might come out like the one in this picture.

 

[MCHinson]

1 hour ago, Boldenz said:

How should I clean it cause it's extremely dirty 

As previously answered, you can put it in a dishwasher. Other than that, scrub it with soap and water with a sponge or brush like you would use to wash the tires on your car when washing the car.

 

Or you could install it on your car and run the car through an automatic car wash.

[Guest Boldenz]

is there a way I could get a brush through the spokes to clean it 

Edited July 6, 2017 by Boldenz (see edit history)

[CarlLaFong]

It must be a full moon.

Get a brush and try it. 

As already stated, that is a cheapie wheel cover. You can get a full set, all clean and shiny, from Pep Boys for around 29.95 or keep an eye on the median strip on the highway. They fly off with alarming frequency and can be had for the taking along with busted ladders and matresses

[mike6024]

 

Remove that screw on the back there. Looks like it holds on a small cover. It might give access for disassembly or at least a view inside. The screw is at about the 8 O'Clock position in the photo.

[drwatson]

Looking at the backside, it appears to be molded plastic, not metal.  What looks like a screw at 8 o'clock is a mold impression, not an actual screw.  

If flower motif was pried off and removed it would reveal access to a screw head and allow disassembly.  If flower motif does not easily pop off, It's likely glued in place and would be permanently damaged during removal.

 

Best thing perhaps, (leave intact) use a long bristle paint brush and a real strong cleaner like my favorite, Wesley's white wall cleaner.....use rubber gloves. Push bristles in thru spokes,   Hose off. 

 

 

[60FlatTop]

If you really want to clean it just take a paper towel or thin cloth and push it through the spokes while spraying some glass cleaner on it. As it cleans up, stop spraying and dry it. It should look pretty good.

 

Don't worry about its value. Those other guys must be that elitist 1% I hear about at election time. They only have good stuff. They probably donated what they didn't want to a church sale. (Maybe even got a tax credit receipt)  I'm sitting in a little home office with junk all around me. At least you are thinking about cleaning what you have.

Bernie

[Pomeroy41144]

21 hours ago, CarlLaFong said:

 

Get a brush and try it. 

 

 

 

Great advice.

[Terry Bond]

I clean the wire wheels on our MGTC using McGuires chrome cleaner and soapy water with a soft bristle brush.  Don't even have to work too hard.  Just spray it on, let it set a few, attack with the soapy water and brush (gently).  I hose it off thoroughly then use compressed air to bow dry everything.  Looks great without too much work.  Yes, the MGTC has chrome wire wheels on it - not the usual painted ones. 

[Buffalowed Bill]

If it's really greasy, why don't you just use some brake clean on it, and give it a high pressure wash at a hands on car wash? 

[mike6024]

He had wanted to dis-assemble it so the spokes could not only be cleaned, but spray painted gold front and back. With that bolt sticking out the back it seems obvious it should come apart somehow. That's how this thread was started, "I'm wanting to take it apart."  Not should I hose it off or put it in the dishwasher.

 

On 7/6/2017 at 7:22 AM, Boldenz said:

is there a way I could get a brush through the spokes to clean it, 

 

Cause what I'm thinking of doing with it is shining it all up and painting the spokes gold 

 

[victorialynn2]

I just had to post this. 

Edited July 7, 2017 by victorialynn2 (see edit history)

[auburnseeker]

My wife wouldn't care if I used the dish washer while she is here,   Atleast one of us would be using it then.   She still prefers to do it by hand.  Doesn't trust the fangled new devices.  She's not very old either. 

[SC38dls]

If my wife cooks I do the dishes. If I cook I do the dishes!  I can put anything I want in the dish washer, as I feel it is just another one of my tools.  Besides my wife is a cook cook. 

Dave S