A few years back i acquired a 1986 cutlas supreme brougham with 32k miles. It was garage kept and i instantly fell in love. The car would grow to be known as "Beatrix". A year or so after i found her, i put some aftermarket rims and tires on her. You know the type that are really big and make the car drive like ****. I drove them around for the last few yeas and decided i was sick of them and i ordered a new set of close to OEM whitewalls i could find , and dug those old 14" spoke rims out of the garage. This is where my problem starts. The place that i had install the aftermarket rims , i believe jimmy rigged the hub cap lock because they never asked me for a key. I don't have the key so it wouldnt matter anyways. When i picked my car up today the guy said i was missing the "3 pronged thing and a locking bolt". After doing some research i found that it was the hub cap locking assembly. I really don't want to buy a new set so i was wondering, is it ok to ride with out the lock? is it just a theft deterrent or does it serve as a purpose to holding the hub cap on? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Both... It deters theft and does help hold the cap in place, but You don't have to have the lock to actually hold the cap on... If the prongs on the outer edges of the cap are in good condition, you should have a snug fit and the cap should stay on...

 

yep thru time they would seize on the stud and were hell to get off so alot of the locking bolts got pitched