I have gor a Thunderbird -61 with original steel rims and original wheel covers. I have a problem with the wheel covers rotating compared with the rim. It rotates so much and with such force that it damages the tire valve, that peeks out through the wheel cover, so much that there becomes a leakage and eventually a flat tire. I am now using short tire valves, but need to remove the wheel covers to check tire pressure, impractical.
Any one got some experience with this and some good ideas?

They may look a little odd but you could buy valve extenders for your current valves. These are usually a hard plastic and won't cut. You won't have to remove the covers to get air into the tires.

The wheel covers probably need to have the tangs that hold the covers on the wheel adjusted slightly. Over the years these tend to bend "back" and this loosens the grip. Eventually they'll loosen enough that the cover will fly off.

It will take some experimenting but you can bend the tangs back to a position that holds the cover. DO NOT wedge a screw driver behind the tang and push out. The tang will move but you likely now have a nice dimple in the wheel cover.

You may need to adjust two angles. One is the tang itself. The other is the toothed ends to ensure the grab into the wheel and not rolled over so the smooth back is what is touching the wheel.

You can also try "sharpening" the tangs either with a file or a Dremel tool if you have one. Sharpening the tangs will give them a better grip on the wheel.

Thanks gays, will definatly try out modifying the tangs. /Ulf

I have the same problem. Along with the wheel covers rotating putting stress on the valve stems I get this loud clicking noise that had finally become so annoying that I drove the car without them. One thing that was suggested to me was a nice coat of fresh paint on the wheels to give the tangs a bit more to grab on to. I also wonder if you could put a stripe of pickup truck bed coating around the rim to help hold them still.

I have already tried bending the tangs and making sure they're sharp and that didn't solve the problem.

Jeff

How about if you put a short piece of hose over the valve stem that way it will protect the stem from being cut. It may even help hold the wheel cover in position. Well I hope this helps.

What I found out after buying my 61Bird was the steel wheels MUST have full circle welds around the 'hub' to the rim part of the wheel. There should be NO vent holes in the wheels. The car is simply too heavy for 'normal' Ford wheels. What is happening is the wheel flexes ever so slightly when turning corners thus making the hubcaps 'walk' around the rim. There is no fix for this problem. I still haven't found any real TBird wheels, even in the rust free southwest.
Good Luck, George