hub caps

[samos]

can any one tell me how to keep my full wheel original hub caps on. every so often while driving one or two pop off.this happens with the original four ply and my spare radials.   the car is a manhattan 1953 and i drive it often.   thanks

[Fid]

The same thing happens with the Henry J full wheelcovers. The fix is to "adjust" the "teeth" on the clips that hold them on (the teeth on the wheel cover itself, not the rim, those are for fastening the small caps). Most are bent way over, almost flat.  You need a large, strong needle-nose pliers to get on them and bend them so they are almost straight up and down. Then, place the cover in place at the bottom and judo-chop it into place or use a rubber mallet to. Make sure it is completely and snuggly fastened all the way around.  I did this on my J back in '05 and I've driven it all over the place - put over 3000 miles on it since and never lost one.  I think there was a KF service bulletin about this too in 1951 or 52.  I'll see if I can post some photos.

[Gordie]

That is not just a Kaiser Frazer problem as many cars from the forties and fifties lost their full size wheel covers.  That is the correct fix for all of them!  Some people put adhesive tape on the rims too where the teeth dig into the rim.

[Buster]

I have read on the Studebaker club site ,that radials tires should not be use on wheels that where made for bais ply tires, the radials cause the wheels to flex causing the hub caps to come off, they can also cause wheel failure, wheels that are made for radials have a code number stamp on them.

[Gordie]

That is very true yet many people do not realize it and those old wheels are not even made for tubeless tires let alone radials.  You can buy replacement wheels that are made for radial use.  Thanks for the good tip!