Replacing wheel hub cap clips/rivets

[vladve]

Hi all, this is a quick summary of how to replace broken hub-cap clips with rivets. Not sure if this needs to be related to any previous posts/stickies. Apologies if I'm repeating. It is a fairly trivial process, however it requires correct tooling.

I made a mistake initially and asked the shop doing powder coating to replace the clips. I gave them bag of clips and rivets, yet, instead of riveting - they simply welded new clips. When I got the wheel back and tried to fit the cap - all new welded clips simply snapped. I assume this is due to a thermal stress it was under during the welding process, which ultimately weakened the spring effect of the clip.

So this is how I had to do it myself, the second time:

Step 0 - make sure you have new clips (originals are highly recommended - all repros sold online aren't the best choice - got mine from Samba), correct rivets and the riveting tool:

Step 1 - drill out the rivet of a broken clip (in my case it was a welding spot) and make sure the surface is flat. I used 4mm drill.

Step 2 - inserts clip and a rivet

... which looks like that from inside

Step 3 - with the wheel turned round and ideally placed on a solid surface (mechanic's vice is the best), put the riveting tool like pictured. Make sure the clip is positioned correctly - it will be very hard to adjust it after the riveting is done.

Step 4 - With a punch and heavy hummer start riveting it from the centre to the edges, and then around the edges, trying to sort of "spread" the metal as wide as possible.

Step 5 - all done. Because this side goes to the drum, the surface must be flat and smooth. It can be grinded a bit, but I'd recommend to simply hit it a bit more with a hummer and not to weaken the rivet:

For a clip to hold hub-cap properly it should be standing straight, touching just a little bit the surface of the disk, like pictured. It also makes it much easier to remove the caps when all clips are positioned correctly.

Cheers!
Vlad

[EverettB]

Thanks.

Here's a nice thread in Bus that was recently updated with a video as well:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=535871
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