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Mike Edwards
Samba Member
Joined: November 17, 2003
Posts: 44
Location: Charlotte, NC
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 Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 4:21 pm Post subject: Hub Cap Clip / Rivet Install |
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Ok, this may seem like a dumb question, but this thing doesn’t seem very intuitive to me. Does anyone know how to use the hub cap rivet install tool? Here is a link to the one I’m talking about.
http://www.800luvbugg.com/shop?frame=1.3919
Thanks,
Mike |
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mstatedog
Samba Member
Joined: January 11, 2003
Posts: 242
Location: East Coast of Mississippi
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| Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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the u-shaped item fits into the two holes on the hubcap to remove it by pulling. The other one looks like it is a bit for your drill to remove the clips on the rim by drilling from the backside.
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EverettB 
Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000
Posts: 71556
Location: Phoenix 602
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Captain Spalding
Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2005
Posts: 2519
Location: . . . in denial.
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| Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 9:50 pm Post subject: |
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That's such a valuable reference I've taken the liberty of reproducing it below. As written by Samba member LHG in the Split Bus forum:
________________________________________________________
Here is my version of the often told story.....
"The Hubcap Clip Installation"
When I bought my current project, the wheels were already painted but without any hubcap clips. All it really takes to install them without damaging the wheels are the proper tools, a good work area, and a steady hand. The series of photos that follow take you step by step thru the process. It's a quick job and one wheel can be done to a very high standard in about 20 minutes. To avoid problems use original VW clips and rivets.
The tools I used for the job were, 5lb sledge, a large punch with fattened end, rivet mandrel, a right angle grinder, and eye protection. The rivet mandrel was purchased from ebay and the clips/rivets from Ronnie (splitpile).
This frame shows how the mandrel holds the rivet and clip in place.
The tricky part is to get the wheel level at the correct height where you can work on the rivet accurately and with some precision. I found a very stable way to hold it using a large vise mounted on a work bench. I could put the mandrel on the flat part of the vise and used a 2x4 in the vise to hold the wheel. You can adjust the wood to level the tire and wheel.
With a little practice you will figure out exactly where the mandrel should be placed all ready to go with the rivet and clip in place. You can now gently lower the wheel into place.
Here is a view from the bottom showing the proper placement of the mandrel, rivet, and clip.
IMPORTANT: Use eye protection from this point on.
Now comes the fun part. I used the sledge for the first couple of whacks before it gets down to the level of the rim. After the first hit, take the wheel off and make sure the clip is at the proper angle.
I use the punch to adjust the clip after the first hit. If you wait till the end, the rivet holds the clip so tight it's very difficult to make any adjustments.
After about 4 hits with the sledge it's time to get out the punch. I custom ground the bottom of the punch to have a flat surface. Give it a few more hits to really set the rivet.
After examining an original wheel I noticed the rivet height was very low, lower than the surrounding wheel surface that mounts up to the brake drum. You can see in this photo the square dimple made by the powerful rivet tool the Germans used in the past. At this point I take the rivet down a bit with the grinder, not a lot, just enough to make it easier to get the rivet to the proper height.
After grinding, I finish it off with a few more shots with the punch. The punch smoothes out the grind marks and takes it down to the finished height. If you work carefully there is no damage to the finish of the wheel.
Double checking the height. I don't want any marks on my drums from high rivets.
The finished product, a nice tight clip ready to accept a beautiful hubcap. As you can see from the date stamp, this is the perfect wheel for my project.
New clips all around. Now I only have four more wheels to do! Thanks for checking this out. The End.... Finally!
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