Stainless Steel Hubcap Repair

[jhwkns]

I recently bought a set of 8X15 steel wheels from a fellow board member.
I've been wanting a different look for my truck. It's been the same for the last 13 years. I'm due.
It seems hubcaps are becoming quite trendy lately, and all the more harder to find.
The 10 3/16 inside diameter of the truck caps is common to many GM hubcaps. Some of them are pretty cool.
These are I believe 66/67 Chevelle caps that I'm restoring. I think they'll look great on my truck.



First we'll need a few tools. Nothing fancy, just a few blocks that I cut and shaped, a piece cut from a paint stir stick to use as a sanding block,
a small hammer, and various grades of sandpaper.



It's a nasty little dent. Using the blocks I made I was able to get it fairly smooth.



Go slow and easy when you are knocking out the dents.
Be careful to not go too far and stretch the metal.
Once you start sanding it's easy to see the low spots, and work the metal as needed.



I started with 400, and worked up to 1500 grit.
If you use a small sanding block like the stir stick it will level the metal out nicely, and make the dent disappear.

[mbgmike]

looks good
just a tip in polishing stainless steel use a Beartex wheel from Norton or ones from 3M. makes stainless polishing easy and fast.

[jhwkns]

Here's the caps on the truck. They turned out looking great. I'm up to three full sets now of different caps.
My G/F is already talking about intervention before this gets out of hand

[jhwkns]

I'm up to five sets now. The most recent are what was described on ebay as 1980's police car caps. Far left in the picture. I paid 5 bucks plus shipping for 6 of them. They were pretty battered, but cleaned up well. As of yet the only caps that I have sanded on are the ones pictured on the truck. My dent smoothing skills are becoming much better.

I'm about done shopping for caps. I would however like to find a set of 60's COPO caps, and a decent set of 67/68 style Stainless steel truck caps.


This is what they looked like when I got them.