Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: 4380r on Sunday,March 30, 2014, 11:17:45 AM
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When I bought my car last summer it has mini-lite knock offs on it, but it came with 5 OEM Lotus alloys desparately in need of refinishing.
Got them back last week from the refinishing shop, and dug out the center caps the PO included with other parts that conveyed.
Not sure if I have the correct caps or not. The center hole in the rims are 2", the distance between opposite 'clips' on the back of the center cap is 1 3/4".
In other words they are too small.
The caps look like the ones in the parts manual. Gray with the black/silver Lotus emblem.
Do I have the right caps? The center hole in the wheel doesn't look like it's been bored out, and I've no idea why the PO would do that anyway.
Short of gluing them on, which I'd rather not do, any ideas?
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Just measured the hole in my wheels; 1 3/4". Sounds like you have the right center caps, wrong wheels. Very strange. Those center caps are worth their weight in gold by the way.
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Just measured the hole in my wheels; 1 3/4". Sounds like you have the right center caps, wrong wheels. Very strange. Those center caps are worth their weight in gold by the way.
Actually as it turns out I do have the right wheels. The PO did indeed machine off the 'lip' onto which the center caps clip, presumably to install larger 'other maker' caps I found elsewhere in the boxes of parts that conveyed. I will not use those center caps, they are hideous.
I know this because I tried a cap on all five wheels, and it fit one...the one I'm using for the spare. Careful inspection indicates the machining on the other four wheels. I will come up with a way to get the caps to center/fit/stay in the wheels. They were refinished beautifully.
That said, the gray caps do not look very good with the alloy wheels. Considering painting them before fitting.
I see the caps cost $30 each from one source.
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Perhaps if you run rubberized tape (the thick stuff) around circumference of the ears to build up wall thickness of the ears? So they would push on and hold. Or obtain vacuum hose, cut small pieces the slip onto the ears to increase the thickness?
that's all I got.
mike
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Just an FYI, as mentioned above the center caps can be hard to come by. I use a little bit of RTV to assure the don't end up missing.
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Just an FYI, as mentioned above the center caps can be hard to come by. I use a little bit of RTV to assure the don't end up missing.
I'm even more paranoid than that. I take mine off when I drive the car.