More On Wierd 37 LaSalle Hubcap Brass Cap

[carlhungness]

       As reported earlier I finally noticed one of my small '37 LaSalle hubcaps actually had a brass cap over the hubcap. I spent hours removing the dents from the hubcap and finally determined the steel cap was covered with another cap, this one turns out to be .0020" brass.
      I had nearly all of the dents out of the hubcap and was bothered by divots that were the size of the head of a pin, and some about double that size. Since the brass cap was now loose enough to slide around on the steel cap it was impossible to locate these tiny divots, so I decided to remove the brass cap.
     I used my sharpened beer can opener, previously used to remove the stainless trim from the hood, and levered up the brass cap every inch or so. Then I drove in tiny wedges all 'round and finally got the cap off. The hubcap underneath was not precisely like the other three, the edge had a 'break' in it and the other ones were rounded. Overall, from the outside they looked identical, so I thought the hell with the brass cap, I'll just use the steel one under the brass cap.
    Alas, the edge of the cap didn't flow as cleanly as the others, so I decided to take the divots out of the brass cap.
    Since the material is so thin I was reluctant to hit the divots with a hammer and punch, so I used a T handled tool I made for getting the dents out. I laid the brass cap on some flat aluminum and simply started burnishing the divots out with a back and forth, then sideways motion. Once you think you have the divot out you go back to the top side of the cap and gently sand it with a file or sanding block to see if you have achieved the proper plane.
    It's tedious time consuming work, but I was able to raise the divots, sand and file so they're on the same plane and won't show a slight wrinkle or depth dot when chromed.
    To boot, I don't really have any plan on using the small caps on my car as I have successfully straightened out the sombrero caps.
    I don't know yet how much it will cost to chrome both the large and small caps, but doing both jobs was pretty satisfying as this is my first attempt at straightening metal.
   Here are some photos of the small caps, the brass .0020" cap, the divots and the tool I made to remove the large dents, and ultimately the divots.

[sturner50502]

       As reported earlier I finally noticed one of my small '37 LaSalle hubcaps actually had a brass cap over the hubcap. I spent hours removing the dents from the hubcap and finally determined the steel cap was covered with another cap, this one turns out to be .0020" brass.
      I had nearly all of the dents out of the hubcap and was bothered by divots that were the size of the head of a pin, and some about double that size. Since the brass cap was now loose enough to slide around on the steel cap it was impossible to locate these tiny divots, so I decided to remove the brass cap.
     I used my sharpened beer can opener, previously used to remove the stainless trim from the hood, and levered up the brass cap every inch or so. Then I drove in tiny wedges all 'round and finally got the cap off. The hubcap underneath was not precisely like the other three, the edge had a 'break' in it and the other ones were rounded. Overall, from the outside they looked identical, so I thought the hell with the brass cap, I'll just use the steel one under the brass cap.
    Alas, the edge of the cap didn't flow as cleanly as the others, so I decided to take the divots out of the brass cap.
    Since the material is so thin I was reluctant to hit the divots with a hammer and punch, so I used a T handled tool I made for getting the dents out. I laid the brass cap on some flat aluminum and simply started burnishing the divots out with a back and forth, then sideways motion. Once you think you have the divot out you go back to the top side of the cap and gently sand it with a file or sanding block to see if you have achieved the proper plane.
    It's tedious time consuming work, but I was able to raise the divots, sand and file so they're on the same plane and won't show a slight wrinkle or depth dot when chromed.
    To boot, I don't really have any plan on using the small caps on my car as I have successfully straightened out the sombrero caps.
    I don't know yet how much it will cost to chrome both the large and small caps, but doing both jobs was pretty satisfying as this is my first attempt at straightening metal.
   Here are some photos of the small caps, the brass .0020" cap, the divots and the tool I made to remove the large dents, and ultimately the divots.

Good Job Carl!

[carlhungness]

       Thanks for the kudos. After looking at the hubcap again today I decided it was best to knock some of the dents in it out, and metal finish the brass cap, so just invested another 4-5 hours in it and have a few more to go.