So i lost a wheel cover for my 83 olds custom cruiser and just bought a set off of a gentleman for 50 bucks no shipping! Sounds great right? Wrong! They're to small! I didn't even consider that was a possibility and didnt realize it until i tried to put them on. Why!?!?!?! I didnt even know they made them in different sizes. Are they completely incompatible with my car??

 

Is what your trying to say that you bought 14" hubcaps for a 15" wheel?

 

I guess so, a whole set of them. Ill post a pic of the difference here in a few because im at work. I just never thought about it i guess, mistake on my part. Are 14" wheels common/better in any way? I just assumed my car had stock wheels and the hubcaps obviously arnt remanufactured so it would line up.

 

Correct me if im wrong, but shouldnt it cover up the whole rim?

 

Looks like your back to square one, you need 15" hubcaps.

 

Use duct tape

 

They actually go on, but it doesnt cover the rim completely.... Anyone interested in a set of 14" hubcaps?

 

The gentleman was kind enough to take them back, thats a first lol

 

That was the standard 15 inch wheel cover for the full size 71-73 cars.

The later steel wheels (late 70's+) tend to be different vs the earlier steel wheels & the wheel covers mount differently.

Instead of the wheel covers leaving the edge/lip of the wheel exposed (similar to the pic you showed), they cover the entire wheel right to the sidewall of the tire.

As you found out, mixing & matching early vs later wheel covers doesn't always work.

 

Did the wheelcovers stay on the wheels after you mounted them? If they did, you'd have been OK. Now, if they weren't large enough diameter for their tangs to bite the wheel rim, they were too small.

Think it was 1970 Olds moved to 15" wheelcovers on the full-size cars.

Don't worry about yer noob mistake. Nobody was born knowing anything.

 

You lost ONE wheelcover? What were they? The wire spokes? What did you do with the others?

If they were the wire spokes wheel covers, you'll have a hell of a time finding a new one. And in the future, you gotta make sure those things are bolted into the hub and if you get any tire service whatsoever, DO NOT TRUST THE TIRE GUYS TO TIGHTEN YOUR WHEEL COVERS!!!

NOT EVER! Always double check that they've tightened that cover! Lol. I know from experience and $60 later (for ONE!), I FINALLY found another one on eBay.

One time, I took off the little bolt hole cover in the wheel cover to discover that the tire guy had simply placed the bolt inside and snapped the Olds emblem plate on. Seriously. I was pissed.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Oldsmobile...9WYM8N&vxp=mtr

Buz

 

I believe the smaller frame cars like the Cutlass and Cutlass Cruisers that year came with 14" wheels.. They're not exactly "better" or worse, your larger frame Olds came with 15" wheels.

 

Actually, i lost one from each set i have. One wire and one was the plane stainless steel dog bowl looking one. I was so incredibly mad and i dont think the wire ones came with the bolts to secure them. I dont evwn know what to begin searching for online to find the bolts but it wont matter until i go spend a fortune on wheel covers...... I really liked those spoked ones too...

 

And i figured out that those wheel covers that i thought were 14" just alittle to late as i already traded back with the gentleman who sold them to me.. Looks like the ol CC is gonna have to go naked for a bit longer...

 

Those wire wheel covers aren't expensive for that link I posted and if you don't snag em, I WILL! Lol.

No man, they won't ever come with those bolts because they are LONG gone. You'll have to take the hub bracket (or whatever that is) with you to the hardware store and find a bolt and then just go to a pawn shop to pick up a cheap driver and socket to keep in your glove compartment when you need to take the cover off to put on a spare.

 

If they were 14" caps, and your wheel a 15", you would not have been able to mount the caps on the wheel at all. Now different style caps of the proper size is another story.

Your car had 15" wheels/tires from the factory.

 

Get bigger ones.

 

If you look at the picture the cap is not mounted on the wheel. Look at the difference of the gap compared from the valve stem to the opposite side.

 

Go ahead and get em Buz, the wire ones im looking for have a different emblem unless i buy all 4.
That really is a great price for the both of them id say jump on it!

 

Agree, and the pic shows a 14" cap will not mount on a 15" wheel.

 

wash the wheels in hot water and they will shrink to fit.

 

Can i put them in the dryer or should they be hung out to dry? I wouldn't want them to shrink too much ya know.... xD

 

Kinda like flipping the tire over because its only flat on the bottom...