Zig-Zag

As I am sure most of you are aware, the spinners Ford offers are considerably easier to remove than the standard center caps. I recall reading here a solution using 2 1/4" wooden closet rod cut into short lengths and inserted into the spinners after installation. Great idea! Problem solved. But given it's biodegradablity, I felt that wood was a poor choice of material and resolved to find a suitable alternative. While zooming Home Depot recently I came across two items that fit the bill.

Both are plastic pipe fittings.

PVC Male Adapter 1-1/2" (Grey) ............... $0.84
ABS Trap Adapter 1-1/2" x 1-1/4" (Black) ..... $1.98

- In order to clear the bearing cap, the PVC fitting needed to be shortened by 1/4".
- To maximize clearance, remove material from the threaded end of the fitting.
- To facilitate installation, relieve the shoulder of the fitting.
- The compression nut on the ABS fitting can be discarded.

After installing the spinner on your wheel, insert the modified fitting (threaded end first) into the back of the spinner and re-attach the wheel. The spinners will still rotate, but because the fitting prevents the fingers holding them in place from compressing, they can't be removed without first removing the wheel, and then the 'lock'.

Hellcat6

Ok, you lost me. So what is the black trap adapter for?

Zig-Zag

An alternative.

gmichael

What about heat? Wouldn't presure-treated pine hold up better to brake heat than PVC?

Zig-Zag

It may well, but I don't think brake heat will be an issue. The 'lock' is isolated from the wheel hub by both the spinner -- which is plastic itself -- and the wheel.

Time will tell.

yur1279

just wondering, how do you remove the spinners, is it just pressign the tabs or soemthing? With my luck I would try and break something.

Hellcat6

An alternative.
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Oh, got it. So these things actually screw into the back of the spinner from the inside of the wheel and that holds them in, right? So does the back of the spinner have threads on it or does it hold because the threads are up against the tabs on the back of the spinner? Sorry, I don't have a car yet. Can ya tell?

Adam

Like everyone else, I don't understand how this works.

stoic21

The spinner itself is a piece that snaps on the wheel. So all around the edges of the spinner there are tabs that depress and recoil to hold it on the wheel. The inside of the spinner itself is hollow, so by inserting a piece of piping or wood dowel, you can restrict the numerous tabs from being depressed. Keeping that in mind, if you put the spinner on the wheel and then put the dowel in, it will still restrict the tabs from being depressed, since all tabs have to be depressed to take it off the wheel and the dowel is locking the tabs, the spinner won't come off.

Inbetween

So the "lock" is installed inside the spinner from "behind" the
wheel while it is off the hub?

Then reinstall the wheel with locking lug nuts?

Or is it like putting the apples in the pie without
breaking the top crust?

DCFAN

Step by step instructions:
Take the wheel off of the car.
Take the old center cap off the wheel. This can be done by using two screw drivers to push the snap ring inward while also pushing the center cap off the wheel from the inside.
Insert the spinner center cap on the wheel by snapping it in the wheel.
Then insert the PVC fitting in the back of the spinner after the spinner is on the wheel.
The wheel is then put back on the the rotor and lug nuts tightened.

The most important thing to consider is making sure that the PVC fitting is short enough so that it allows the wheel to fit flush to the rotor. If the PVC fitting sticks out too far from the back of the spinner, then it will push against the bearing cap on the rotor and the wheel will not mount properly flush with the rotor.

Hatchman

Thanks to Zig Zag for letting me know how to fix this problem. I couldn't believe how easy it is to get the spinners off, just grab it and pull.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here they are. I got two different 2" plastic caps from Lowe's. One is just a cap, they call it a test cap, and the other is a threaded cap. I bought 4 of each for a total of less than 5 bucks, well worth it.

I found to get either one to work, I had to bend out the prongs on the back side of the spinners. Good things is, it makes them even harder to get off/steal by making them fit more secure, and allows the plastic cap to pop in or screw in from the back much easier. Don't bend them out TOO far, or it'll be impossible to put them on.

First, pictures of the threaded cap. Just bend out the prongs a little on the spinners, pop into rim, and simply screw the cap into the back. This will only work on the REAR rims! Not enough space for rotor/bearing bulge to use this on the front rims. But this threaded cap felt more secure than the test cap, so I used it on the rears.

Hatchman

What it looks like installed.

Hatchman

Then for the front, I used the test cap, which is just a round piece of plastic. Pretty simple install. Pop out the blue oval center, bend out prongs a little on back of spinners, install spinner, and pop test cap into prongs from back of rim. Very simple. It doesn't feel quite as secure as the threaded cap option, but good enough, they're probably not coming off without breaking something, probably the spinner blades.

Hatchman

Like the old saying goes, if they want it, they get it, but this little 5 dollar investment might save someone from easily loosing there expensive spinners.

Hope this helps.

Before and after:

Hatchman

uno mas

ILikeBond

Where did you get those pony spinners? hot, man... definitely hot.

Hatchman

Thanks Got 'em from my local stealership, 90 bucks. Expensive for little parts, but I lik'em.

ILikeBond

Price doesn't surprise me. They look expensive, quality. Nice job. Got me thinkin'...

Jeffs05GT

Spinners... on a Mustang.. what's going on!!!