Bloody hubcaps

I have a 1971 super beetle which was given to me very nicely by a lady down my road who is very genreous (thankyou)........it is however not in tip top condition as u can expect. I am going to attempt to restore it back to its origional greatness (or at least to road worthy)......however my first problem is Hub caps .....i cant for the life of me get them off ......this might sound stupid to all u hardcore dubbers out there but i hav no idea......it has the origional VW chrome hub caps and i would like to remove them to paint the wheels (let alone if i hav to change a tire).......if any one can please help me i would be very greatful:thumb

If you have a look around the rim of each hubcap, you will see two small holes.

Get yourself a coat hanger, and cut it to about 4 inches in length....then fold it in half.

Get yourself the rod used to raise / lower the car jack. Bend the coat hanger around the rod, and hook it into the two holes. Using the tyre itself for purchase, pull the rod, making sure the coat hanger wire is in the holes deep enough. If you don't have the lever, grab a long screw driver, and put it under the rim of the hub cap, and gently prise it up.

Squiz........

Masive big screw driver i have. tip under the lip of the hubcap and push hard with the rim being a fulcrum.
original caps have two little holes.
i had a screwdriver that was more like an awl - it was a point no head
grind of an old small screwdriver to a point and then put a 90% bend half inch from the end.
poke point in one of the holes on the hubcap and pull hard.
of course there is probably a genuine tool just for the job but ive never owned one

regards and happy dubbing

david

thanks guys ill give that a go tomorow

big help

Grab a baseball bat make sure its aluminium then proceede to bashe the hubcap and about one minute fo bashing the hubcap should fall off

i`m glad that he asked the question
i have not got any on yet but intent to ..i though you would lever them off like holden hub caps now i know ,he just saved me swearing like a salior and impressing the neibours again:bounce

i think ill pass on the baseball bat techniuqe black math but thanks n e way

It depend do you want to keep the guards or not? and if you do you can just hammer them out again witn your trusty bat:thumb

[Edited on 10/1/2003 by Black_math]

uhhh he said he's restoring it. therefore he would want the hubcaps in good condition....psycho

i got the hubcaps off (i used a crow bar it worked good) however when i was removing the last one on the passenger front.....i turned the steering to get better leverage on the tire.....this resulted in the steering locking up...so i got the keys and went to start the thing and now the key wont turn in the tumbler......wont even go to the on position.......i sense this may be a major problem .....perhaps a new ignition is in order?

dam its always god to smack something with a basebal batt.......and lee your the physco with all of your crazyness.

have you unlocked the steering? it helps
as for the wheels, a nice set of mags will solve all your hubcap problems, both now and in the future hehehe

congrats on the new bug i see it is making its personality very apparent

yeh my mate told me about the turning thing the afternoon it happend and we fixed it........i spose it seemed like a bit of a stupid question to u guys

No not stupid just one of thos questions that everyone has to ask someone

trust me i have aksed some stupid and i mean really stupid questions hmmm like about pressure plates for automatics

Hay you dont ask you dont know

[Edited on 4-10-2003 by Mrs M]

Ah dont worry I drove around in my first beetle for a few months complaining that reverse didnt work.....

DUH

Push DOWN and back.

Needless to say that was a little while ago.... Honestly...

I stil cant drive my 57' but i still do have the original hubcaps

i`m supprised they are still in one peice Black_math ... (hubcaps that is )

I always just lever the hubcaps off with a large screwdriver.
There used to be a special tool (I have one somewhere) a round bar with a flat lip on one end to prise the hubcaps off..
whatever You do don't dent the hubcaps good ones are now getting hard to come by.... Good German chrome that is...
Lee

Well when i was checking out the bug i was using them as frisbys but i dont need em so im gonna sell em at a later date, but firts of all i gotta get soem kool mags

[Edited on 4/10/2003 by Black_math]

thought u would hav bashed the shit out of them with a base ball bat by now black math

My preferred method of removign hubcaps of any vintage on ta VW is to utilise those hooks one uses to hang tools from in the garage? (kapeisch?) They look like a double ended hook with one end being larger than the other. The gauge of this wire is something like twice the thickness of coathanger wire and wont bend when taking off the hubcaps. Use a cloth to hang onto the larger hooked end and slip the smaller hook into the hole in the hubcap..... and Bob's your uncles brother! No scratched rims or sore hands!


BO SELECTA!

are kombi wheels the same as those on a bug?

Kombi wheels are differant but the hub caps are the same.

One wire coat hanger died in the production of this device...

i am thinking that some beetles in the 70s had IRS can someone tell me which models these were? plz

All super beetles 1972-2 (1302) and 73-75 (1303)

Standards i think were 1970 semi auto's and 1976's

thanks

All semi autos had the true IRS same as the 1971> superbugs and 1976 torsion bar Beetles.
Standard beetles, even 1972 models still had the old swing axles and drum brakes all round.
and to the person who mentioned Holden hubcap pullers... Yes they are the type I use... My hubcaps were on VERY tight also... takes a bit of pulling off... I don't think a piece of wire would have gotten mine off. The brazillian ones are a bit easier to pull off... Brazillians themselves aren't as strong as Us Aussies....
Lee