Lost a center waffle from some rare wheels. Help!
Discussion
Hello! Not sure if this is the best forum for something like this so please feel free to move if req'd.
Basically I scored a set of nice 1990s deep dish Rial wheels. These came complete with all 4 centre waffles and caps. Naturally I was very pleased with them although somewhat surprised they only pressed into place and half of the caps were missing tabs etc to hold them on. However I used black silicon to improve the grip and it seemed to work fine as they became quite hard to remove without a hex cap wrench. All's well for a while until one day I am going round a fast, sweeping bend, and one of the damn things goes flying off like a shiruken, never to be seen again. Despite coming back later that day, parking up and combing through the nearby verges and fields for the best part of two hours.
Now unfortunately although many mesh wheels look OK without the centre caps on, these ones don't and unless I can solve it I feel like I'm going to end up having to relegate the wheels to 'spare set' status, at the same time the relatively low value of the wheels means I'm not motivated to spend a lot to replace the missing parts. I've combed the internet for replacements, I did find some in the US but the vendor refused to speak to or deal with, anyone outside the US, and he sold them before I managed to get an American friend to contact him.
Can anyone suggest any options, either
A: how to easily make a replacement? - I'm thinking either 3D duplication of the existing ones, or fabrication by traditional means, if anyone has any contacts?
B: how to cobble together/bodge a replacement using parts from other wheels - it doesn't have to be exact, and I don't mind repeating the same thing 4 times so that all wheels match, just so long as it looks better than running no caps at all. If I do run no caps I will have to repaint the wheels so the centre looks better.
the missing items:
[url]
as you can see the center part is made from a metal doughnut and a plastic hex cap. The hex cap pushes on to the centre spindle of the wheel where it is held in place with 4x tabs, I think originally a metal ring was deployed to keep the tension on the tabs and stop them snapping but is missing from all four covers. As you can see in the last picture, I think if I can't replace the centre cap I will have to refinish the wheels in this style as it's the only way they won't look horrid and wrong!
Thanks in advance!
Basically I scored a set of nice 1990s deep dish Rial wheels. These came complete with all 4 centre waffles and caps. Naturally I was very pleased with them although somewhat surprised they only pressed into place and half of the caps were missing tabs etc to hold them on. However I used black silicon to improve the grip and it seemed to work fine as they became quite hard to remove without a hex cap wrench. All's well for a while until one day I am going round a fast, sweeping bend, and one of the damn things goes flying off like a shiruken, never to be seen again. Despite coming back later that day, parking up and combing through the nearby verges and fields for the best part of two hours.
Now unfortunately although many mesh wheels look OK without the centre caps on, these ones don't and unless I can solve it I feel like I'm going to end up having to relegate the wheels to 'spare set' status, at the same time the relatively low value of the wheels means I'm not motivated to spend a lot to replace the missing parts. I've combed the internet for replacements, I did find some in the US but the vendor refused to speak to or deal with, anyone outside the US, and he sold them before I managed to get an American friend to contact him.
Can anyone suggest any options, either
A: how to easily make a replacement? - I'm thinking either 3D duplication of the existing ones, or fabrication by traditional means, if anyone has any contacts?
B: how to cobble together/bodge a replacement using parts from other wheels - it doesn't have to be exact, and I don't mind repeating the same thing 4 times so that all wheels match, just so long as it looks better than running no caps at all. If I do run no caps I will have to repaint the wheels so the centre looks better.
the missing items:
[url]as you can see the center part is made from a metal doughnut and a plastic hex cap. The hex cap pushes on to the centre spindle of the wheel where it is held in place with 4x tabs, I think originally a metal ring was deployed to keep the tension on the tabs and stop them snapping but is missing from all four covers. As you can see in the last picture, I think if I can't replace the centre cap I will have to refinish the wheels in this style as it's the only way they won't look horrid and wrong!
Thanks in advance!
On my hunt for replacements I have seen a few people requesting them... and someone bought the two or three that the xenophobic American vendor could have sold me. So there is probably a market. But I don't know anyone with access to or skills using that kind of equipment so anything that got done would presumably be on a B2C basis and therefore run into more money than the value of the wheels, which although rare aren't worth an awful lot. Hence I'm just wondering if the sizes are fairly standard, maybe I can adapt some bits off of some Dare RS or Calibre BBS reps and bludge something that looks OK...
If it was only the flat waffle plate that had made a bid for freedom, I would suggest using the one you have to make a plaster of paris mould, then using a urethane resin / fiberglass sheeting, etc, see how that comes out. Maybe still a possibility with the options of a different shaped center cap available off the bay?
Peanut Gallery said:
If it was only the flat waffle plate that had made a bid for freedom, I would suggest using the one you have to make a plaster of paris mould, then using a urethane resin / fiberglass sheeting, etc, see how that comes out. Maybe still a possibility with the options of a different shaped center cap available off the bay?
Ah, yeah the thought of making a mould had occurred to me but the last time I did anything like that was probably pre-GCSE art class when I was 12! What I need to do is get a look at what other people have in terms of center caps and waffles maybe from various models of BBS replica or something. I think the waffle plate is a fairly standard size, the hardest bit I think will be getting a different hex cap to seat on the hub part properly. Warning, you may run miles away from this idea, and rightly so!
Lightly glue the pancake and the hex cap together, make a mould of this.
Make a small round block with a captive nut that fits on the inside of your wheels.
Drill a small hole through the middle of the new fiberglass hex & pancake.
Before putting the wheel on your car, push the captive nut inside the center.
When you have tightened wheel nuts up, use a small bolt to tighten new pancake into place.
(leave out this bit)
Do not carry a small spanner with you, then stand next to a puncture in the rain and no method of removing the tyre from the car as the pancake cannot be removed.
I will refrain from commenting how thin some of the bits inside the hex will have to be to get it to fit over the rim center, and many other finer points.
Lightly glue the pancake and the hex cap together, make a mould of this.
Make a small round block with a captive nut that fits on the inside of your wheels.
Drill a small hole through the middle of the new fiberglass hex & pancake.
Before putting the wheel on your car, push the captive nut inside the center.
When you have tightened wheel nuts up, use a small bolt to tighten new pancake into place.
(leave out this bit)
Do not carry a small spanner with you, then stand next to a puncture in the rain and no method of removing the tyre from the car as the pancake cannot be removed.
I will refrain from commenting how thin some of the bits inside the hex will have to be to get it to fit over the rim center, and many other finer points.
Don't BMW sell those ?
I'm sure I've taken very similar things off the centre of E38 wheels before.
ETA http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/option/centre_cap...
Seems a few similar on there, they aren't cheap though !
I'm sure I've taken very similar things off the centre of E38 wheels before.
ETA http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/option/centre_cap...
Seems a few similar on there, they aren't cheap though !
Edited by Jimmyarm on Tuesday 26th April 15:48
Jimmyarm said:
Don't BMW sell those ?
I'm sure I've taken very similar things off the centre of E38 wheels before.
ETA http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/option/centre_cap...
Seems a few similar on there, they aren't cheap though !
I actually have a set of Style 5s with the plastic waffle and cap, and a set of style 17s also with a waffle cap, neither fit unfortunately. I'm sure I've taken very similar things off the centre of E38 wheels before.
ETA http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/option/centre_cap...
Seems a few similar on there, they aren't cheap though !
Edited by Jimmyarm on Tuesday 26th April 15:48
Gassing Station | Bodywork & Detailing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff