pc'ed wheels and full wheel cover question question...

[jocko]

Quick question for y'all. I am considering powder coating some 72 stock steelies. The truck came with PO3 hubcaps originally, and I can get those on/off without damaging pc too much (have this on my 66). My question is whether or not i't even worth it when using full wheel covers. my 72 full wheel covers pretty much destroy the painted wheels when taking them on/off and wondering if anyone out there uses powder coat WITH full wheel covers and how the pc lasts under the abuse of the frickin' metal shredding attachment points of the full wheel covers... I'm afraid I know the answer, but just curious. Wish the hubcaps weren't so fragile, they are hard to put on without damaging them (mine are 73+ alum ones wiht blue bowtie) - but my full wheel covers are actual 72's with chrome. I may powder coat regardless just because it helps keep the inner wheels easy to clean and powder coat is pretty cheap where I live - and it will certainly scratch at least a little less than with paint.

Problem is that once I install a full wheel cover, I can never go back to the hubcaps, beacuse it is going to scratch the snot outtt the wheels...

Thoughts?

How do you all keep your wheels from getting scratched to pieces when installing full wheel covers?

How do you all install the smaller caps without damaging the caps?

Simple stuff, but when you consider how trashed most of the used caps and wheels are, it's no wonder, kinda lousy attaching design, but no worse than any other trucks/cars of the day.

Thanks!

[slikside]

I have p/c'd my steelies and caps. I have mounted the rims, but have not yet attempted to mount the dogdish caps (In the middle of a brake system restor). One thing for sure....the p/c is much thicker than paint, which seems obvious, but I did not anticipate having to remove the p/c from the inner surface of the hub area on the rim. But I had to do this in order to get the rim to slide easily on and off the front rotors and rear drums. The p/c reduced the clearances to practically nothing. I used a dremel tool and just ground it off all the way around.

This makes me think I will need to grind off the "nubs" on the rims to which the dogdishes attach for much the same reason. If that alone is not enough, then I think I will "spot" grind along the inner edge of the cap where it slides over the nubs on the rims. And make a point of putting the caps back on in exactly the same spot each time.

And I just imagine I will be using much more care in the removal of the caps in the future. There is no getting around having to pry them off, but I'll be trying to use some material (as yet undetermined) between the prying surfaces and those of the rim and cap.

So I can't answer your full wheel cover Q's, but these are the issues I'm facing w/ p/cing rims and dogdish caps.

Good luck w/yours!

[special-K]

I powder coated a set of 8 x 15 5-lugs red with the intention of using stock wheelcovers. I have yet to use them,but I figure they may get scratched up some but noting like paint will. I doubt they'd hold up to wheelcovers well enough to have the option of switching back to hubcaps and look good. This,and I decided it was a waste of a rare wheel,is why I've decided to run hubcaps on those wheels and just use some 8" rallyes for the PO3s. I will powder coat those