Hey guys, I just recieved a sew set of wheels and tires. Thru past experience with new wheels, when the center cap gets pushed thru the hole in the wheel, it gets those strait line scratches that looks hideous!

How does one go about pushing the cap thru the hole without this horror show from happening?

The wheel is aluminum and the center cap is steel chrome plated.

Thanks for any ideas,

Joe

Maybe a little blue painters tape on th caps before puting 'em on, then peeling the tape off once you have the wheels on?
Maybe checking if the rims themselves have a sharp edge or a burr on the hub center you can smooth out just a tiny bit?
A combination of the two?
Thats my .02

Other than opening up the center hole... I have no idea. :confused:

I've made that mistake once or twice or 4 times..:o A brand new set of Mickey Thompson Alcoas. I wasn't pleasant to be around after that happened.

I would try the tape method if I were to do it again. Taping only up to the location that will be visable so all the tape can be removed after they are set.

Think about it...
Hole is so tight it scratches the cap... tape will only make the cap bigger (even .001) which I don't feel will help. Just my opinion.

If it's scratching because the hole is too tight, then I think the only choice would be to either just be extremely careful inserting the caps, or maybe use a die grinder and make the hole about a mil larger around, but not enough for it to become loose. Maybe try some type of lubricant to make it slide in easier if it's tight.
If it's not tight, then the tape should work I would think.

Think about it...
Hole is so tight it scratches the cap... tape will only make the cap bigger (even .001) which I don't feel will help. Just my opinion.
I would, wet sand and buff inside the hole first.
Then,
I would try the tape method (IMO)
I found some "super-slick" tape with teflon. Tape is 0.005" thick including adhesive. www.Mcmaster.com (http://www.Mcmaster.com) item # 6305a13. Available with acrylic or silicone adhesive. Otherwise, they have hundreds of other tapes.


If I couldn't do it without scratching them, I'd get different wheels and caps. (Alright, I am kidding about this part)

Have you ever tried Vaseline before installing? Back in the day we did this to help with scratches and make it easier to install. Cleanup was minimal compared to grease. Also might try wrapping a strip of plastic bag around the cap before inserting and once on a heat gun to curl it back.

Hey thanks for all the tips guys. What I did was test the first one with no mods other than making sure the hole was absolutly clean. It slid right on thru with no scratches at all. I guess the nice work American Racing did with the CNC machine made it nice and smooth with no burrs.

Again, thanks guys,

Joe