DIY: Rear hub grease cap

I thought I'd make a diy for this.
I wasn't feeling the center caps that came with my BFD Fn wheels. If I left them off the rear hub was exposed showing the rusty end.
You can easily wire wheel, prime, and paint but no fun in that!
So I bought the 2 front hub grease caps
And modified em to fit the rear.
Part #43514-34020
Tools needed:
Dremel(cutter wheel)
Flat head pliers
Wire brush
Rubber mallet
Vise
Jb weld

First jack up the truck and secure it with jack stands and chock the wheels upfront. Remove the wheels and you can line up the cap on the hub and see where you need to notch it.(at first I tried hammering it in there but no Bueno)


This is where you will need to notch.

Once you mark the cap to notch, put on your safety glasses and wrap the cap in a towel or cloth(prevent any scratches) and vise it down. Do not clamp too tight or you will bend/ dent the cap.

Here is how I notched them. I cut about 1.5" off.(makes it easier for final fit/bending the tabs in)


Next you will need to bend the tabs inwards little bit. Test fit after your bend as you will have to go back and forth til you get the desired fitment.


I cleaned the center hub with a wire brush and the edges with some 400grit sand paper. And finished it off with brake cleaner.

The cap fit pretty snug, but for reassurance I put some dabs of jb weld on the tabs of the caps and a bit on the edges of the hub.
Put back your wheels, hand tight your lugs. Drop the truck and torque them to 90ftlbs (retorque after 100 miles)

I'm happy with the outcome and now the back matches the front with no center caps..
Before

After


Please do this safely and use proper tools!

 

Well thought out, nice work.

 

Thanks fellarZ!!

 

I need this in my life! Great job!

 

Will it work on the front too for 2wd Tundras ?

 

Yeah it should be the same with a little more modification.

 

OP Mark........Following your lead, I just put the caps on my Tundra rear and am wondering if the JB weld held the caps in place?
Anyone else who added these caps......

I won't be doing any off road driving FYI.
Are you still out there?

Thanks!

 

Looks good. It's a buzz kill when you see nice wheels and no center caps, with pure nasty showing in the middle.

 

I just did this on my Tundra but with one change. I made four equidistant triangular notches instead of one long notch. I did still have to bend in the tabs. I bent them using an adjustable wrench while the cap was in a vise. I bought the caps from amayama. Thanks for the write-up. I have Titan-7 T-AK1 wheels and caps are not available for them.

 

I wish I had seen this before I spent $250 on new center caps for my wheels. Great write up!