The friggen hubcaps will not come off without me breaking them. I have no idea how to take this off. its the original Hubcaps thats in all my pictures. I have new rims for the car but I still wanna keep these for winter. Ive tried prying off the whole thing, twisting off the very center cap...idk what to do!
Did you take the black center cap off? Under there is a bolt with a security head on it. You should have a 'key' to loosen the bolt, then you can pry the hubcap off. If you don't have the key, you will have to go to 'plan B' to remove the bolt.
Good luck....
Yep,remove the center cap,and as stated above,you'll se a bolt in the middle.There should be a "key" with the car that fits the bolts to remove them.If you don't have the key,a pair of vice grips may work.Good luck,and ditch the hub caps for some aluminum wheels....even if they're factory Ford wheels (there are some nice looking 4 lug Stang wheels that are direct swaps).
Yeah I have the key But I cant figure out how to get the center black cap off. I cant twist it off...
HAHA actually yeah They are 5 spoke thickies off a stang
Put a screwdriver (or the flat blade on the key)between the black cap and the chrome hub cap,and gently pry them out.They just snap in place.
OH so the chrome currounding the black middle doesnt come off with it?
Just pry it off. Get between the black plastic cover the the metal rim. There are 3 or 4 metal fingers that hold it on pretty tight.
Hey, wait a minute.. I like the hubcap/whitewall look! :hick:
ok lol thanks. and by the way that was really fast. lol I actually broke one of the little spokes....its not very noticable but im REALLY picky. and im 16 haha.
No,the chrome is the hubcap itself.The black plastic cap is a piece all it's own.
Nothing wrong with preserving the original classic luxury look! I actually like both sport and classic luxury looks. It depends on the actual model and your preference between luxury and sport I think.
With my project I never know what final direction it will take... All these interchangable choices in details drives me crazy.
Yea, I like the classic look on some cars.
Don't get me wrong, I love a car with a nice set of wheels but on some cars the 'vintage' look is hard to beat. Funny how wheels can make or break how a car looks, which is why it's always a dilemma!:D
true lol. Idk they just arent my personal style and my belief is that ur car should reflect your personality. thats why Im getting Dual 12" glass packs... haha Im a loud mouth :) nah but I love it when the guys at the strip/cruise nights give me hell for having a "granny car" so now itll make them think twice when i start her up.
As long as you enjoy your car, it doesn't matter what anyone says.
Besides, no matter what you drive, there's always some wise guy out there running at the mouth. Usually it's a guy that has a py car or only knows about his car and lives in his own little world. :hick:
Definitely a dilemma for me! My first choice was to stay with the original wheels but there is no way I can find affordable metric tires for it. I have one bent rim anyway. So I thought it would be nice to try the 1980-82 standard Tbird stainless steel wheelcovers on a set of standard steel wheels. I have one installed on the left front to replace the bent TRX rim, with a D grade stainless wheelcover installed.
Now I am having second thoughts! It could be though because I do not have all new tires yet with the B grade wheel covers installed. However, would not mind finding a nice set of Mustang turbines eventually. I think the Mustang dash swap lends to a sportier look, even to the point I am not as excited about the more formal Cougar nose as I was before.
The only other wheels I really like are the ones Vinnie has. I cannot find anything else that appeals to me.
I've seen several style wheels that look good on the Tbird so I'm sure you'll find something you like.
The five spoke look tends to make the car look sporty. I played around with these wheels off of a SVT Contour.
Some Mustang wheels look good too. Good luck. :D
yeah I was about to put mine on earlier today after school and the rear tires look really py, im gunna pay a visit to the junk yard to see if i can find some good 16" tires so i wont have to fix a flat soon. but i figured out hoiw to take the caps off so thanks lol.
I never took notice before that some other 4-lug Ford cars besides the RWD ones have the same bolt pattern. My only concern would be the offset on a set of FWD wheels. However I am so picky with wheel styles and the look of most five spoke wheels has worn off for me since I have had so many cars with them in the past. My Mustang has the Bullitt style wheels from the factory and I am even getting tired of looking at those. Would love to have a new certain set of 2010 style wheels for the Mustang but I will not be changing any time soon. I am focusing on my Tbird only until it's complete.
I have always been a big fan of radial finned wheels, so the Mustang turbines are still on the top of my list.
I had the factory wire wheels on my T-bird when I got it. I replaced them almost immediately with some T-bird 8 hole 14" wheels.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/Northerly%20Island%20Oct%2022%20Tbird/Pic182.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/Northerly%20Island%20Oct%2022%20Tbird/Pic179.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/Northerly%20Island%20Oct%2022%20Tbird/Pic176.jpg)
I'm now running Turbo Coupe 16" Snowflake wheels. I like them better and they are exclusive Thunderbird wheels.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/new%20wheels/Pic002.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/new%20wheels/Pic001.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/Ron%20Hopkins%20Ford%20Jul%2018%202009/Pic222.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/cantigny%202009/DSCN0982.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/cantigny%202009/DSCN0983.jpg)
That is such a nice Bird you have.. two tone paint and all...
I wouldn't mind a good set of 8 hole wheels. They look really good in your older pictures with the white lettered tires. You gotta have the right tire size for them to look substantial which yours do. They look right and tight to me being one of the original factory wheel offerings. I keep seeing 8 hole wheels here and there in the salvage yards but never a full set and I am resistant to doing any kind of labor intensive restoration to a set of wheels since none that I have seen are in good shape.
Ya know those 8 hole wheels do a good job of retaining the TRX wheel look on a conventional size. I like my original wheels but the tire availabilty and price.
Oh yeah and your Bird beak is still making me crazy and indecisive about wanting to switch out the header panel for the newer style. It would be an interesting mix with the 84-86 body with a 87-88 nose. If I was not so tight on money this month I would probably be out in the salavage yard tomorrow to snag what I could before it got gone. I don't mind having extra parts and trying them out to see what I like best because they are generally dirt cheap. I can always change my mind. I just have to commit to something before the day comes the car goes to paint and body work, which is not anytime soon.
I'm going to have a set of 8 holes available pretty soon :D
Good shape? With tires or without? Hmmm.... Let me know how much and I'll see if I can swing the expense soon.
Thanks so much for the tip!
Very good shape , tires are borderline but will come with the wheels and if i could get the $50 i paid for my turbines I would be thrilled
I am in no hurry to move them though , so I can wait as long as you need.
I'll get you some pics tomorrow if you wish
Pics would be good and in good shape definitely worth $50 to me. Shipping from TN should not be too bad being as close as we are to each other. I think I paid more than that for just the wheel covers I bought!
I just used the factory size tire on the 8 holes: 215/70/R14.
The Snowflakes have a slightly bigger than factory size on them. The factory size is 225/60/R16. I'm running 225/55/R16 tires on mine.
The white letter tires on the 8 holes make the 70 series tires look less tall. They do however give the car a bit of a hillbilly look. The Snowflakes make the car look more classy ;)
Oh and Watchdevil I'd keep the stock T-bird header panel on your car. Trying to get the 87-88 header to match the body lines won't work well at all and the car will look a bit funny. Plus in my opinion the factory look is the way to go:D
I will not be using body side moldings at all when I get the exterior refinished. It's virtually impossible to find any in good shape, so there would not be an issue with the header panel lining up with the fenders. I have seen the four eyed header panel and bumper cover installed on a 88-87 car in a salavge yard. There were no actual fitment problems as the front fenders were only modified in certain places, not completely recontoured for 87-88 model years. The only thing that was done for 87-88 was the recessed groove above the bodyside moldings of the 83-86 cars was "filled-in" smooth and the body-side molding raised slightly to cover the top of where the old groove would have been. If cars were equipped with cornering lamps in the bodyside molding, the cutout was raised in the sheetmetal stamping to line up with the raised molding.
Now if a 87-88 header panel is installed without the corresponding bumper cover, there would be a gap all the way across the bottom of the lamps and grille. The 87-88 bumper cover is raised on the top front compared to the 83-86 bumper. There would also be a mismatch with the 83-86 front bumpers swept back on the ends with the center straight accross while the 87-88 header with the lamps and grille installed would come to a point in the center conflicting with the straight accross center of the 83-86 bumper cover. For it to look right though you would have to use the 87-88 front bumper along with the same year header panel.