how to work dents out of hub caps?

[Seth Swoboda]

I need to work some dents out of the stainless center caps for the 39 pickup. What is the best method and how should I go about this? Thanks for the input guys.

Seth

[Old Henry]

I used wood, inside and out for the picking then did the filing.
Here's what I mean:

Need large piece of wood about an inch thick such as plywood or just wide piece of pine. Cut various sizes of holes in it just larger than the various size dents. Then get wooden dowel various sizes and slightly "dome" the ends with sander or whatever. Cut them to usable length under 12 inches. Now locate the hubcap with a dent centered in a hole in the wood just larger than it and use an appropriate diameter of dowel and light hammer to gently tap on the dents to work them down into the space they are centered over. Will take some practice and experimentation with the various sizes of holes and dowels but with practice and patience and some skill you'll start getting it pretty close. This is essentially the first half of the "pick and file" method that also includes, after tapping the dents as close to perfect as you can, use a file on the surface to take the surface surrounding very small dents down slightly and identify the smaller dents needing additional tapping. Tap and file. Tap and file till it's smooth then sand with fine sandpaper to get scratches out and buff it on a buffing wheel with appropriate stainless abrasive and it can look pretty darn good.

Good luck.

[expavr]

The caps on my 40 Tonner were in rough shape. A local metal finishing shop took out the dents using a pick and a sandbag, then restored the stainless through progressive finishing with finer grits and machine buffing. They charged $50/each which seemed reasonable for the finished product (photos attached).

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by expavr

The caps on my 40 Tonner were in rough shape. A local metal finishing shop took out the dents using a pick and a sandbag, then restored the stainless through progressive finishing with finer grits and machine buffing. They charged $50/each which seemed reasonable for the finished product (photos attached).

I like that idea a whole lot better than mine if you can find someone to do it. It is tedious frustrating work. Even if you're doing it yourself, I like the sandbag backing idea. If no one else pipes up to do it for you maybe you can send them to the same outfit that did expavr's. Don't send them to me. I've had enough of that kind of work.

[blucar]

Another trick to use in taking dents out of stainless moldings/hub caps is to use a drill press to hold the dowel, etc.. Positioning the dowel/tool directly over the dent to be removed and using the power of the drill press in lieu of a hammer...

[V12Bill]

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With your 1939 hubcaps, you first have to remove athe stainless portion of the cap from the steel hub cap. I take a broken 1/8" drill bit and place it in the chuck so that just a small portion of the tip of the bit is showing. I drill a 1/8" hole in the steel hubcap and use air preassure to " blow" the stainless cap from the base. After the stainless is removed you can then pick and file and sand the dent out. Be careful as the stainless is very thin and the metal stretches easily. Do not try to take a screw driver and work the edges of the stainless off of the base. You will only distort the stainless and it willl probly fall off the base sooner than later.

[Seth Swoboda]

Bill, I removed the stainless just as you described. They poped off perfectly. Now I have the tedious process of pick and file.

[OLD...BILL]

Seth; I did my 39 caps. that is I took the stainless off as you did, then I sent the stainless out ....To Dave Turner, at 559-237-0892, I say this as Dave sent them back before I payed for them, and thay lookl great like new. Mr Turner is in Fresno, Ca. this was in 07. I hope he stikll there. he is retired and dose this to make a buck. Five of the caps are on the avador/ see em on my hubcap wall.lower left. and it was not cheep ?? he calls em "skins" ..... OLD....BILL

[wspiker]

Or, you can call Bob Drake!

[rickmass]

I use a tree stump ,cut in the middle fine the center an ues a wooden dowel round the end then have fun, it,s great to do it your self.Rick