Those hubcup covers

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Xatlatc
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Those hubcup covers

Post by Xatlatc »

I’ve got those fancy looking hub cap covers on my wheels and I think they look better then the regular wheel look. Well, one ‘ nut ‘ fell off leaving my tire pressure extenders flopping around. I tucked it into one of the openings with no issue until the second nut/ fake nut fell off and the hubcap cover was loosely holding on. I took the fancy cover off.
Question, where do I find these ‘fake’ nuts to attach to keep the tire pressure extenders and hub cap cover attached to the wheel?
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kdarling
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Re: Those hubcup covers

Post by kdarling »

Truck hubcaps with fake lugs are called wheel simulators. Weird that both nuts would fall off. Must not have been tightened down?

- Look at the Ford wheel. Do two of the lugs have thread extenders? Usually there are extenders that also change the 9/16 OD (outside diameter) Ford lug to a 7/8 OD lug. (But you should check your adapted diameter.)

- The wheel simulator is placed on top with the two extenders poking through opposite each other.

- Then a jam nut screws onto each extender lug to hold the simulator on, and finally a chrome cover pushes onto the outside of the jam nut (or is already permanently part of it).

It's possible that a cheap super thin sim might skip the adapter in the hope there's enough Ford lug left.

You can search the web, amazon, ebay for "simulator jam nut", "wheel jam nut", "lug jam nut", "lug nut cover", "jam nut cover", etc. They are specified by their inside diameter (which should match the extender lug bolt outside diameter) and height (for matching decorative purpose). And also sometimes the chrome cover's diameter for removal tools.

If you know who made the simulators, you can also try to find their website to get replacement parts. Assuming the company still exists.

Kev

P.S. Then there's the old Phoenix simulators my Chinook has. The extender and jam nut were permanently mounted together in each sim hole as a rotating unit. Impossible to lose the nut, but a real pain to replace if screwed up.
1994 Concourse dinette, Ford 7.5L (460 V8)
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Blue~Go
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Re: Those hubcup covers

Post by Blue~Go »

Yep, those are "simulators." There are two nuts (mine have little indented strips so you can tell which ones they are) that hold them on. The others are fakes and will tear off if you try to turn them.

There have been a couple of different styles of ways they are held on. They both seem a bit hokey to me. I've removed my front ones (bought new remanned Ford wheels and they came painted silver), and will remove the rears as soon as I'm in a good place to paint the rims. I think they look fine removed and it's one less bit of bric-a-brac to worry about (IMO).

When I am/was running the simulators, I always removed them before bringing rig in for any work. It seems it's just too easy for other people to put them on wrong, torque the fake nuts (and break them), get the sharp edge lined up wrong so it touches the extended stems (brass), etc.

BTW those look like the same brand my Concourse came with and they are Dicor Versa-liners. You can get the nuts from them last I checked (and figure out which attachment style you have).
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Xatlatc
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Re: Those hubcup covers

Post by Xatlatc »

Thanks for the wheel simulator information. I’ve looked at the Ford wheel and it appears that two bolts have some threads on them but not many. I also located my special ‘ lug nut’ wrench and tightened the other wheels. The other rear wheel needed a quarter turn to tighten up. I also found an extra nut with the wrench so I should be able to describe what I need from the manufacturer.
Another thing to add to my checklist. Sometimes something so obvious and simple escapes my vision. Check tire pressure and tighten nuts. Got it.Thanks again.
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kdarling
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Re: Those hubcup covers

Post by kdarling »

Well heck, knowing the brand makes it super easy :)

https://dicorproducts.com/wheel-parts-finder/

Thanks, Blue!
1994 Concourse dinette, Ford 7.5L (460 V8)
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kdarling
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Re: Those hubcup covers

Post by kdarling »

Xatlatc wrote:Thanks for the wheel simulator information. I’ve looked at the Ford wheel and it appears that two bolts have some threads on them but not many.
After finding the Versa-Liner instructions, I see that Dicor didn't use a lug extender like some other companies.

Just the simulator directly on the Ford lugs, and then a jam nut & cover to hold it on. Really depends on how much lug nut is left.

But then, you knew that :)
1994 Concourse dinette, Ford 7.5L (460 V8)
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Re: Those hubcup covers

Post by Wolfy »

I placed washers at the end of the studs against the inner lug nut, this allow me to tighten the holding lug not having it bow/bend inwards and get a tight feel on the lug nut
Xatlatc
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Re: Those hubcup covers

Post by Xatlatc »

I ordered two jam nuts from Dicor last Monday and UPS delivered them to me at my campsite in Buccaneer State Park In Mississippi. Thanks to Don and Kathy at Dicor for the great customer service, UPS and of course members of this forum.
Checking the jam nuts are now part of my checklist.
Xatlatc
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Re: Those hubcup covers

Post by Xatlatc »

Versa-liner by Dicor has been sold to Kaper Industries earlier this year. If you need ‘ jam nuts ‘ to keep the covers on or just a few extra to carry with you, here’s their new telephone number: 800-336-2011. Go through all the automated choices and try to find Leslie, sales manager. She’s was very helpful. The nuts are about $3.50 each plus shipping. I ordered four today and will post the results soon.
Three weeks ago we stopped at Walmart in Bozeman, MT. for provisions. When we returned to our Chinook we found a Mini-Me Toyota parked next to us. So cool.
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chin_k
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Re: Those hubcup covers

Post by chin_k »

The picture will go right side up when I click on it, so no need to apologize.

It is very neat to have the Toyota right next to your spot. I bet the fellow got a kick out of it when he saw your rig, and decided to purposely park right next to its maxime. It is even more neat to have the same color scheme. Cool!
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
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