Smooth Wheel Covers Well kinda convex
 

So after a while of searching around I got me a set of 13" stock steel rims. My next step was to get some smooth wheel covers for them. Well I looked all over the internet for some cheap ones but couldn't find any so I tried some to make so cheap Aluminum pizza pans ( epic fail ) didn't work well. So I just made my own. My brother helped with the idea also.

What you need
cheap walmart 13" hubcaps (or your size) $15.99
Some old T-shirts ( I used cotton ones but any should work)
Zip ties or string
Paint brush $1
fiberglass resin $11 ( had alot left over from other projects)

All you have to do is stretch the T-shirt over the hubcap
Use the metal ring to hold it while you make it really tight with zip ties

Then mix and brush the fiberglass resin over the top of the T-shirt which will make it hard and bond it to the hubcap.

Once dried cut the t-shirt around the hubcap and paint it. I used flat black spray paint.

If you want you can also drill out a hole for the valve stem but I choose to keep it all covered and just pop the hubcap on and off to check air pressure.

So only about $20 since i already had some stuff.
Enjoy! :thumbup:

P.S. If you use this Please Post Pics To share also

Nice job.

You could make "stealth" aero-covers by masking off the original wheel cover
design and painting in the original pattern with silver paint.

I bet hardly anyone would notice the aero-mod.

Mrtony5 -

Very cool. I gotta think that will hold up very well to the elements. Would it make sense to do a resin-coat on the backside or has the resin "oozed-through" the T-shirt to the other side?

PS - I also like the grainy texture of the cover.

CarloSW2

I like it. If I had hubcaps, I would have gone this route.

I would use fiberglass cloth instead of a tee-shirt.

I made an epoxy-reinforced blue shop towel, and it was brittle and fragile.

Great idea, thanks

Be cautious of any type of road debris. Even a small rock will shoot right through that tshirt. You need a material with a greater tensile strength. Even some lightweight fiberglass would make a big difference.

Thanks !

I think it will hold up well but time will tell. And yes the resin went through the t-shirt and can be seen on the inside ran down a little so I would think it has a good hold!

It really doesn't seem that brittle the reason I didn't use fiberglass cloth is cause I didn't want to put layer and layer on them(which would add cost) Plus I would think that T-shirt is more tightly woven so it should be pretty strong (for one layer) but a rock will crack fiberglass cloth also. Right ?

Mrtony5 -

I agree that the rock can do damage, but I think that because you are "orthogonal to the debris", you should be ok. When I had metallic tape on my wheels, the tape was *very* fragile but ended up lasting a long time :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-cf...allic-tape.jpg

Then one day at the car wash, the dude that was drying the car poked some holes in them :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-cf...tape-holes.jpg

I don't blame the dude because I failed to warn him to be careful. Lasting for 8 months is more than I would have predicted.

CarloSW2

Wow That looks nice i didn't even notice the tape until i read it and 8 months is a pretty good time for tape to hold. I was thinking about just duct taping on my steel wheels but i didn't think it would last long at all since winter is coming or be smooth(flowing) . Thanks for sharing!

nice ideas

Nice job! I did the same thing with fiberglass on my stock Metro hub caps. It has worked great since August of this year with no problems. I painted mine red so that people are drawn to look at my super sweet car. I get a lot of thumbs up and/or confused looks on the highway (it could be my yellow skirts on the back, though).

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...aps-14322.html

Here is how I did my 22.5" FleXcap front prototypes:

TUNEKO - Windows Live

First I had a standard 22.5" front rim. I took some measurements and draw a 3D model what I wanted the hubcaps to look like. Attaching idea was the same as in rear wheel version. After this I printed a Y0 section in 1:1 to paper.

Now the problem was how to manufacture easiest way that round elliptic shape. First idea was to use lathe and wood but I dont have that machine on home. Next idea was that I will use clay, because it is cheap and easy tool. However there was one problem that the size of that hubcap was so big that it would not fit to normal potterswheel.

Then the idea came that I can leave the part on table and rotate the shape. I cutted the Y0 section to 16mm thick wood. I also cutted round wood to match the heigth of the part. For base I had a plastic sheet where I drow a round circle of the current rear hubcap model. Marked the centerpoint and drilled a small hole there. After this I put the round wood over the center hole and drilled a skrew to it under the plastic. After this I rotated the wood under the table with powerdrill. Ot the top side I marked the center of the round wood by marker pen. Now I could attach the Y0 wood section to center of that Z-axis.

After this I just started to put some cly over the plastic and every time there were too much clay the woodpiece sweeped the exessive material out. After about 30 minutes I had got into this phase:

After this I just filled the centerhole and applied 5 layers of 300g twill glassfiber and polyester resin. I dont have to apply release agent because glasfiber dont attach to plastic. After a two hours of curing the glasfiber part was ready for cooling holes and cutting of the outer edges. Now when I draw the outer edged to the plastic they were copied to that glasfiber part also so it was easy to cut the outer edge. Cooling holes with holedrill and the prototype was ready for assembly tests.

Shape worked well but the cooling holes need more testing with plastic prototypes. My glasfiber part became too stiff compared to plastic. I could have taken other part of that clay tool with little restauring but I was only testing the basic shape. The used caly can be quite soft but not too soft. The tool broke up where the clay was most softest due to water etc...

Same method can be applied to all elliptic parts ;).

After this I will take a glasfiber mold out of that part for vacuumforming. Costs for vacuumforming tool are under 50 € in this case because the glasfiber materials are free for me. Oherwise the cost would be something like this:

Clay 16€
Polyester resin 1 liter + hardener 12€
Normal glasfiber mat 3 layer about 15€ (if 5x 300g twill about 50€)
paint brush and gloves etc 3€
plastic sheet about 10€

Materials prices depend on where you buy them and how much...

So total cost about 55€ (90€) without the tools being used ;). If you want that same tool to be CNC milled to wood it would cost about 1000€.

A single layer of fiberglass cloth would have been enough and much stronger than a cotton T shirt. That said your setup should probably last fairly well unless it takes direct hits.

Vekke -

Ingenious exection. Are you going to manufacture your wheel covers in different sizes?

CarloSW2

First only the truck sizes but automotive hubcap series will follow. All depens on how these will start to sell which dictates do I have enough money to invest to moulds. Hopefully before next summer...

At the moment bank account is quite empty ;).

Vekke -

Ok, I'm crossing my fingers for an eco-trucker fashion trend. When you expand your empire I think Piwoslaw will want to talk to you!

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...iscs-7381.html
CarloSW2

I've been nagging him about that for quite a while! I'm having trouble typing since I'm holding my thumbs for Vekke's truck caps to be a success, knowing that smaller sizes will be next. Good luck Vekke!! :D

I thought the same thing

(as I believe Metro did something something)


Could you have sanded the grainyness down a little?

Also just came to mind:
What if you sprayed adhesive on the hubcap first
then it would lay flatter (not poofed) and you might not need zip ties



Great job on this!

Way to go, Those look smooth enough and you know hubcaps will mount right and simply pop off. I made flat discs out of ABS and zip tied them to the spokes of the rim. The zip ties keep failing. Also the annoyingness of removing them prompted me to cutout access for valve stems which I would prefer to not have done. I should have figured out a way to mount them to actual hubcaps. Anyway, nicely done, these are really cool

I have a set of OEM '93 Saturn wheel covers that I'm going to try this trick on for the Saturn TDI; the nice thing about them is that they secure over the OEM lug nuts, so I would just need the four holes to access them for installing/removing. They are also fairly flat, so most of the cloth would have some backing for additional strength.

Craig -

This may also work for you because it's Saturn S-Series centric :

CarloSW2

Hey, that turned out really nice! I'll have to look into that one.

Nice I hope it works out, mine have been doing great until I slid in to a curb ( darn snow) but they are still together nicely and the one's that hit the curb still look good but the curb shattered the hubcap but surprisingly the t-shirt is still in tack. Plz post pics if you plan to do so other can see. The reason I did it this was is because I didn't have any other way to attach pizza pans :confused:

weird.

I'm trying to decide how I want to do mine, and I'm liking the aluminum pizza pan idea.

For screwing them in they are fine without nuts or washers? And you unscrew them whenever you check tire pressure? Similar to the instructions for these?

Did one today and the t shirt method came out so much better than the fibreglass sheet. Im going to stick to the t shirt and see how long it lasts. If it doesnt last up then I will simply fibreglass sheet over the t shirt next time. I like the fact that the t shirt allows for getting it tight over the hubcap.

Yeap, that's why i choose t-shirt, much easier. I'm glad you like it. It has been on my car for about 8 months i think as of now and they are in great shape other than the spot where i slid into the curb which cracked the edge of the hubcap/cover but fiberglass would crack also.

another thing I've used is speaker cloth. It's like the super stretchy black stuff you would see wrapped around a frame that snaps to the front of speakers. You can pick it up in fabric stores and it's very form fitting. Same concept as the Tshirt but you probably save on resin.

This is an awesome idea. I love that it fits over the stock covers and can snap on. Fantastic.

Is there an average mpg boost by using smooth wheel covers?

Here's my newest smooth wheel covers:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...h_DSC_7479.jpg

Aluminum "coupe" style pizza tray pop riveted to plastic wheel covers, on steel wheels. These have a small air gap at the edge.

The flatter the cover, the better. The domed ones I started with helped me ~5-6% in the winter, when air is denser and therefore when aerodynamic drag is greater.

I'm working on a set of these today. Waiting for the resin to finish curing, then I can cut and paint. Hopefully I'll have pics and a description tomorrow.

I just picked up the materials to do mine today...hoping to start them this weekend! Definitely want to see how yours turn out; I'll be posting pictures of mine as I progress.

Honestly I'm not 100% sure since i did other stuff at the same time.maybe 5%? :confused:

I've just got to wait for the paint to dry then I can put them on my car. I think they turned out great. I'm gonna do a whole write up probably tomorrow (I know I said tomorrow in the last post. I forgot about work ;p) I've got tons of photos to go with it. I'll probably also post an instructable for it.

Ok, so I finally Finished and got them on the car. they Look great. I painted them black (cause that's what I had) and with the t-shirt texture they kind of look like rhino lining. Write up IS coming. Gotta resize pics. I will leave you with a couple of photos of the finished product though if it will let me.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1132.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1131.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1130.jpg

wow, these look really great! I haven't been that happy with my homemade discs and I can handle fiberglass, I may just have to copy this technique. Nice job again!

...kinda "hard" on your T-shirts though.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1118.jpg

They look really good, just like mine. Good Job !!!! I'm glad others are following this still. :thumbup:

Parts:
Wheel Covers
Fiberglass resin
T-shirts x 4
Mixing Bucket
Acetone

Tools:
Mixing Stick
Paintbrush
Razor knife
Dikes

Ok, so I bought my wheel covers on ebay for a total of $15.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1073.jpg
I went to Lowes and my local auto parts store for the needed Supplies. I got the Fiberglass Resin at the auto parts store for about $12. It was about $12 for the bucket, paintbrush, and acetone at Lowes.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1074.jpg
Something I didn't take a picture of was the actual sanding of the wheel covers, but I took a 150 grit foam sanding block to rough up the surface a bit to help make sure the resin would stick. Here's a pic of the after. Also make sure to clean off the dust with a damp rag.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1075.jpg
Instead of using t-shirts I had, I went to goodwill and bought 4 from their $.99 rack. Here is one of the ones that I got.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1076.jpg
Make sure to not use shirts that you like because this is how they will end up
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1117.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1118.jpg
Ok, start by putting the wheel covers in the t-shirt facing the side with no printing on it. ( I say this because I don't think the resin will soak through the screen printing.)
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1077.jpg
Make sure to position it so that all the holes can be gathered easily into the center.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1078.jpg
Ok, now install the tension ring
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1079.jpg
The next step is to carefully pull the shirt as tight as you can. Gotta be careful that you don't either tear the shirt or break the cover.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1080.jpg
This next part is kinda difficult at first. Take all the loose t-shirt gather it up nice and tight and put either 1 or 2 zip ties around it depending on the length of your zip ties.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1081.jpg
You want to get this pulled around the wheel cover as tight as you can this is what will help you get a nice smooth surface on the other side. I set it on a bucket to make it easier to work on at this point.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1085.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1087.jpg
Ok, Now for the smelly part. Mix the resin according to the instructions on the can. My instructions were to mix approx 1/4 of the hardner with approx 1/4 of the can. Just make sure to follow your instructions and mix well. Also remember to work quickly.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1088.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1089.jpg
Now time to apply. I started in the center and worked my way out. just keep going and spreading until the shirt is saturated and you can kind of see the wheel cover through it. Make sure to get the edges well.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1090.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1091.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1092.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1093.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1094.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1095.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1096.jpg
When you finish with the one, set it aside and move on, keep doing this until you have finished all 4.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1097.jpg
Allow the resin to set and cure for however long it says on the container. Mine said 2 hours, but due to lack of lighting working outside I let mine sit until the next day. Once it has cured remove the tension rings.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1099.jpg
Next take a pair of scissors and work your way around the edge cutting off the shirt.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1100.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1105.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1107.jpg
This is what you end up with after removing the shirt.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1109.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1110.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1111.jpg
Now go around the edge with a razor knife and trim off anything that you couldn't cut through with the scissors.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1113.jpg
For especially thick drips you may need to use a pair of dikes.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1114.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1115.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1116.jpg
So the kinda muddy brown of the hardened resin is kinda ugly so I grabbed a can of black spray paint I had lying around.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1119.jpg
This is probably a good project for practicing your spray paint technique if you need too. I just did multiple passes until it was solid black then moved on. Don't forget to get the edges otherwise you'll have black covers with white (brownish) edges.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1120.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1121.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1122.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1125.jpg
All four of them painted and waiting to dry.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1126.jpg
Ok, that's it. you are now the proud owner of (mostly) smooth hubcaps.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1129.jpg
If you want them absolutely smooth you could do multiple layers so you can have enough to be sanded. I don't mind the bit of texture.

And here are the before and after pics of my car.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1127.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1128.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1131.jpghttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...h_100_1132.jpg