What is the preferred method for not damaging the beauty rings when taking off dogdish center caps? I have been using a folded newspaper and a brake adjustment tool. There must be a better way.
Take the rings off First......................If Trim Rings are behind Caps you could use Narrow Rings that would Clear the Caps.
Thanks Hotrodprimer Here is a link I found for that one. On the Plymouth with wire wheels I don’t this it would work for me. But on the Caddy. This looks almost like the factory tool. Will add to the toolbox! https://www.amazon.com/Steelman-750...t=&hvlocphy=9031033&hvtargid=pla-449404247929
Good question, the 51 merc trim rings are unlike any others i know of, since they fit behind the caps and depend on the caps to hold them on, but unlike similar caps on an early 50s Chevy, the caps snap over bumps on the rim instead of clips. You can pull a Chevy cap off but a Merc cap has to be pried. I think making a tool would be best, with a wide flat blade to get behind the cap, and a rubber pad at the fulcrum point that would rest at the lip of the rim instead of against the trim ring. What works on other cars isn't going to work on the 51 Mercury. Sent from my LG-M153 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Maybe add a slide hammer to the wide flat blade. Wouldn't think it would have to be real big.are heavy
Make one of these out of a very stiff bondo spreader or something similar. File a taper on the front edge like you would an ax so it slips easily under edge of cap. Fold a piece of sheet metal pop riveted in place over one end for hammer contact. Just a couple of light taps around the perimeter of cap. No scratches and no dents. This worked great on my 40 Ford and 51 Merc.
Yes, it works fine and is just as you described. https://www.bobdrake.com/FordItem.a...Category=528ae21e-9931-472a-8aa3-11ebd3c96410
Hello, From the time I started driving the 58 Impala, it had black rims with black wall tires.(whitewalls turn inside) But, as racy as that look was/is, it left a lot to be desired. By this time,1959-60, the Impala was used for the tow vehicle on our 1940 Willys Coupe build. So, the simple black rims with a small hubcap, was put on each wheel. My favorite Moon Discs made the Impala a huge Bonneville race car, one look I did not want at the time. In 1961, I was still deciding what my meager income would do for some nice wheels. My friends already purchased some chrome wheels, but, I wanted American racing mags. The thing was, I could not afford to buy them. So, it was back to the drawing board to see what would look the best on my 58 black Impala. When I finally decided on using the small Chevy center hubcaps, I had black rims, then it looked too stark, so I painted the rims, silver. That made it look like a business model. So, I went to the local Chevy dealer to see what trim rings were available. Once I settled on some Chevy slotted trim rings, they looked great on the 58 Impala. Now, there was no need to get mags, or chromed rims. Jnaki But, once the small center hubcaps were on over the trim rings, it was hard to get them off without damaging the trim rings. So, in our HS metal shop class, I made a flat head curved tool that was as long as a foot long hot dog. One of our early tools to be made for a metal shop class grade was a chisel. Only this time, the chisel head was heat treated, curved, looked like a flathead screwdriver hooked, and made out of a long rod. The rod fit inside of a flexible, rubber tubing and that allowed me to pop off the small center hubcap, before anything scratched or dented the beauty trim rings. 1962 Now, those tools are made for anyone, in any situations, like the ones shown on Amazon. Gee, maybe I could have made a killing back in 1960 if I was a market driven person. But, who thinks like that? It was a school project to solve a problem. I got an “A” for that project… and no dents in the hubcap or beauty trim rings.
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