Just how are you supposed to remove those chrome caps without scratching the aluminum wheels. I notice several members have had scratched rims and I want to avoid that (Mine are 17" cast aluminum)

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2000 F-150, XLT, SC, 5.4, 4X4, 355 LS, ORP, Black/Silver, class III, single CD, sliding glass, med. gray, keyless, elect. shift, engine date 8-18-99, '93 Harley Fatboy Black & tons of chrome

 

My lug wrench/pry bar came with a rubber tip to prevent just what you're talking about.

When I insert the tip into the slot I just twist the bar slightly and the cap pops off.



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99 Lariat Normal Cab 2WD 120"WB 5.4 3.55LS, Tow,
Dark Toreador/Gold, Line-X
raoul_oba@hotmail.com
F150's of Virginia
Just cause we're from Virginia don't mean we're(well, you know)

 

Vinyl tape at the end of the tool you're using. Also put your hand at the fulcrum, under the tool.

 

I don't use any tools. There is enough of a gap between the cap and wheel to get a hold with my finger tips. I just wedge my finger tips in there and pull. Pops right off, no scratches! A bonus is, you already have a grip on it when it desides to release. So there is less of a chance of the cap skipping across the ground like a stone across a pond. There again, no scratches!

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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto. Superchip, Gibson sing. cat-back, Airaid, 80/100w German head lamps. Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount. Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries. Torsion bars cranked up 2 turns. Needs one more door and a lot more power. I think I need to talk to Mr. Whipple.

 

I think the depth might be different for the different rims. I don't know exactly what ones fit what, but I had tried swapping them once to a vehicle whose hubcaps had become "missing" and they were the wrong depth, so I had to find them from the same rims.

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1997 F-150, 4.6, automatic, Dark Toreador Red, Supercab, Flareside, 4X4 Off-Road, Towing Package, Ford hvy dty rubber floor mats, Kenwood 10-disk cd changer, Ford bugshield, Chrome Grizzly Wrap Around Push Bar with 2 KC 100w Daylighters, Ventshades, Ford bedliner, cab and bed professionally undercoated, Code Alarm Sure Start RVS remote starter, Ford alarm, Realistic CB with Wilson Little Wil antenna and Astatic power mic, ported MAF sensor, and Lots of TLC!! (Besides being an F-150 nut, I am a Ford auto technician.)

 

Do the hubcaps from the 17" rims . . .


. . . fit on the XLT 16" rims?


I like them much better. Anyone got spares?


[This message has been edited by Jimb (edited 02-10-2000).]

 

I am a Ford technician, and to this day have not scratched or damaged a rim. The best tool I have found in my tool box for removing center caps is a brake spoon. I fold a shop rag in half and use it to pry against, the center cap comes off every time with no scrathes to the wheel or cap. Regarding the 17" cap fitting on the 16" rim, physically it will fit but it won't look right. The 17" cap is meant to fit flush with the wheel, while the 16" cap was designed to stick up.