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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

- Original 1968 Chevelle Hubcaps on the Chevelle...Finally! -

I responded to an online ad regarding nice looking hubcaps that I have been looking for quite awhile. A nice gentleman from Joliet Illinois offered the caps, 14x rims and tires all for $100.00. What a deal!

This is the image that was included in the ad. They looked great. The bottom image is just before I started work on them.

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I really did not want to travel all the way to Joliet from Chicago, so as he worked in a Chicago suburb, he graciously volunteered to bring them up halfway. All of the items were in very good condition, including the tires, and he said that they came off a 1968 Chevelle - replaced with different wheels.

Pleased with my bounty, I returned home, but as it was winter, too cold to work on them. And besides, I needed to come up with some sort of security fastener so they would not "walk away" while parked somewhere.

So when the weather got a bit warmer I got to work on the caps. I cleaned and polished them to a mirror finish. I used various polishes and compounds of different grits and attributes - and also using a dremmel flex-shaft tool with polishing heads made the work easier, but there was still a lot of hand polishing. After the painting, I protected the metal with a metal prep protector and carnuba wax. (Love the small of carnuba wax...it smells like...summer... )

I also painted the recesses on the caps the same color I will paint the Chevelle later on this summer. They were a dull flat aged black, and not too good looking.

I used a small airbrush and taped off the surrounding area on each cap. I then spayed on a few coats of clear on top. Took about three days.

The center cap logos were all original, but after close to 40 years, they were faded and the gilding under the acrylic was peeling. They looked all of their 40 year age.

I scanned it, and made a new graphic to replace it. I also added unique wording to the logo - (Chevelle 1968 Malibu). I tried to seek out the font that Chevorlet used for the "Chevelle" script, but came up dry. So I just used a generic font.

I also thought that the caps needed a little more visual interest, so I added straight spinners to the caps - which held the new center cap logo just right. ( I have some angled metal spinners, but I just can't seem to find them!)

I printed the new center logo on heavy glossy photo paper, cut them out and glued them in - and dripped a thick layer of clear coat on top to protect them.

I also painted the rims themselves the same metallic blue color and they looked great! After a few months of work, I finally mounted the beautiful caps on the wheels on a bright warm Chicago summer afternoon...

They looked great and I really wanted to start driving with them on, but looking so attractive, they will certainly go missing. So I needed something to secure them. If someone wants something bad enough, they will take it, but maybe I can come up with something to delay the theft.

I looked around hardware stores, on-line, asked around and nothing came up. I desired something "torx" like, but not something someone with a screwdriver or socket could pound on it and remove.

I saw bolts somewhere in a catalog that had two holes in the face and a special tool needed to install and remove it. This is what I want. But I couldn't find the source for these fasteners.

So I made my own.

I drilled two holes in each 1/4" bolt and had planned to use a two pronged "c-clamp" plier tool. But it flexed too much and wouldn't work. I finally found a strong and sturdy tool that would enable me to work the bolt.

I then drilled and tapped two holes in the wheels across from each other for some attempt at balance. It took a few trys to get the angle right, but they all went on tight and secure. I cleaned and painted the bolt heads the same metallic blue and they "dissapear" into the recess.

The hubcap project was now completed, five months later, but well worth the wait.

Now, all four hubcaps are on the Chevelle and I get compliments all the time on them. I think I am fortunate to have found these for so cheap, as they go for $100.00 apiece after researching them on-line. I was content with any generic good looking hubcaps, but to get the originals is just too cool. I thank the nice gentleman in Joliet for the Hubcaps.

While observing the Perseid meteor shower this weekend, it was my Chevelle, my caps and the sky.

Now all I need to do is complete the body work and shoot paint before October... #confuse#