My center caps ar looking pretty shabby and showing their gray
base color. Want to paint them matte black.

How do you remove them?

 

I'd pull the wheel, and use a large wooden dowel or block and a soft rubber mallet to knock the cap loose from the back side.

If you try to tilt the cap to pop it loose, you'll likely break any of the alignment pegs that arent already broken.

 

Mine just popped off when I pried on them with a flat head screw driver.

 

There is a metal ring with a spring on the inside of the wheel pushing plastic fingers out to hold it on. I pull mine off by giving them a little twist while pulling out. Or take the wheel off and tap them out with a rubber mallet and a long extension.

 

If you have little nubs on em that go into the wheel like OEM they won't be there after trying this method.. Go and take the wheel off and tap them out with a rubber mallet and a long extension as mentioned.. Or find a new repro set on ebay..

 

Thanks guys.............

A cold spring has finally sprung here in frosty NY so its time to get
the Z out of the garage and spruced up for summer crusin'

Got them off with a little gentle wack with a mallet.
A couple of them were missing the alignment pins and badly cracked.
I just bound the cracked ones together (to close the crack gaps) and whipped
out the fuser stuff my bud uses at the body shop to fill and stop the cracks.

Sanded the fuser smooth and preped and painted them matte black.

I suppose I still have to mask off the black painted area around the lug nuts
and spray them too.
Also the air intakes in the lower nose/bumper cover need a shot of paint too.

Pics soon............

 

cracked wheel cap





finished cap

Still need to mask off the lug nut area and spray that too

 

Guys..............

SCORED a NOS set of 4 off fleabay for $30 bucks !