Wheel covers walking

[DH Comet]

I went for a nice drive the other day in the '53 Manhattan, all good, and when I looked out at the car the next day the left rear tire was flat as the proverbial pancake.  The wheel cover had walked around and pushed the valve stem right out of the wheel.  I had my tire shop put in the steel truck-style bolt-in valve stem, and I'm hoping that will solve the problem;  the covers can push as much as they want against those things!
Is the wheel cover walking thing unique to Kaisers?  Is there any way to really stop it?  I've tried silicon on the edges, and prying out the teeth etc.

[G.B. (All Vinyl Dragon)]

I have Spoke Wheels. So a different design. You have to watch puting the Cap on that Valve Stem is center.

[r1lark]

DH Comet, are you running bias play or radials? Are the wheels a stock K-F wheel or later wheels from another vehicle?

Reason for all these questions is that there has been a lot of discussion in the Studebaker community the last two years or so regarding the use of radials on older cars that originally had bias ply tires. The discussions in part were that older wheels flex more with radials than with bias play tires. Sometimes the additional flexing causes the full wheel covers to "walk" around the rim. In extreme cases the flexing can cause cracks in the wheels.

Having bias ply tires does not, however, garuntee that the wheel covers won't "walk" - Studebaker even put out a Service Letter about this problem and their recommended fix in the '63/'64 time period. 

[WillysTom1]

  I have had the same issue with my 55 Willys Aero.
  Several years ago Ed Vensel gave me a tip that helped a lot.  He told me to clean off the lip of the rim where the wheel cover fits really good and tear off strips of duct tape and stick it on there. That does make a tighter fit and it does help.
  Despite that help, last year one valve stem was almost cut of by the rim. I told Richard Forgay at our national convention about the problem and he explained that the rim and the wheel cover have a bump and lip that has to be matched up when the wheel cover is put on and that should hold it in place and stop the spinning.

[G.B. (All Vinyl Dragon)]

I was wondering about the Value Stem. I thought one Time You could get plastic valve cover that protect the stem from cutting so Easy. On Bicycle Tube You put it on before pushing it on the Rim.

[joefrazer]

It's important that the tabs are bent properly to keep the wheelcovers in place. The gripping end of the tab should be at a 90 degree angle from the larger part of the tab. It'll make installing the covers harder to do, but they will stay put. Also, later covers had two small tabs at the valve opening that straddle the knobs on the rim. The tabs need to be bent parallel to the cover's outer lip to be effective.

[G.B. (All Vinyl Dragon)]

I’m going to check My Other Kaiser For This.

[ldladyvt]

Late 53 through 1955 Kaiser rims have a raised tab at the valve stem hole and the later full wheel covers that have those extra tabs Jim Lape refers to line up on either side of the raised piece on the rim and finally ended the cover walking.  Bob

[Thomasso]

A friend who restores high dollar 50s Cadillacs is addament  about not using radials.  Says they will eventually throw the expensive wheel covers.  i however haven't had any problems with my Aero, of course its a much lighter car.

[G.B. (All Vinyl Dragon)]

If don’t have Power stearing I Hear it’s Easyer to start with Radical Tires.

[DH Comet]

Yes, I'm running radials.  I like the way the car rides and tracks with them, although parking lot maneuvering is no picnic.  I can see that they might cause the wheels to flex more.  Although all of the covers "walk", I only have trouble with the cover coming off on the left front wheel, so much so that I'm thinking that that individual wheel might be an issue;  maybe I should try using the spare wheel instead.  I wonder if there's much inconsistency between individual wheels?
I'll try the duct tape idea - it sounds promising!

[r1lark]

Although all of the covers "walk", I only have trouble with the cover coming off on the left front wheel, so much so that I'm thinking that that individual wheel might be an issue;  maybe I should try using the spare wheel instead. 

Consider jacking up the front left and rotate the wheel to see if it's bent. Steel wheels can be straightened if you can find a place that does that. For example, in our smallish city, there is one place that can straighten wheels.

Another thought if the duct tape doesn't work on then left front wheel, try moving that wheel to the rear if that's possible. Rear wheel covers tend to come off less compared to the fronts (since the fronts turn side to side and those forces impact the wheel cover).

Keep us informed on what you find and what works & doesn't.

[DH Comet]

So I put the spare wheel, which is in much better shape, in the troublesome front left position, used a spare wheel cover and put duct tape on the rim and it seems to be all good now - the wheel cover has found its groove and is staying in place.  The only trouble, of course, is that I did three different things, so now I'm not sure which one actually fixed the problem!  Just changing the wheel with the same cover didn't work, so I suppose it was either the different wheel cover or the duct tape (or both).

[Bob L.]

Had similar problem on my 54 Manhattan with full covers and radials.  First I've heard of issues with radials was here....interesting theory...not sure it was so....guess might have been.... 

What I did, was install metal valve stems.  Since doing that, no problems.  Before: cut 2 or 3 rubber ones off, had one cover leave rim.  Bending tabs didn't help, but sure took the paint off the wheels.

Go metal, that's my 2 cents.

Bob L.

[dusty]

As stated some 53's and all 54's had the fix of putting a raised tab on the rim at the valve stem location also the later rims had a Chrysler style groove in the outer diameter of the rim to prevent the tire coming off the wheel in the event of a flat while driving. I have used my M.I.G welder to put a bead on the rim at the valve area to prevent walking. the best help is bending the cap teeth to have more grip on the wheel.  (2) in the years prior to RADIALS the wheels were  of a much softer material than the wheels since Radials. on 1878 Ford wheels the information about the harder material is stamped on the wheel at  the rim. right now i am running 87 6" Lincoln wheels and the fit fine in the wheel opening and Good Year white walls on my 53 A.V . Dragon