Hunker Junker Chronicles: Hub Cap Bolts One Rattle at a Time

(Illustrative Only)

This is a little like what the 
car looks like but
the body is not as Shinny 
yet. 

Joking called
 "Guppy Gangsta Wagon"

The “hunker juner” 1985 Buick Riviera is still coming along nicely—most of the engine work is wrapped up, and attention has now shifted to the body.

Recently, while swapping between summer and winter tires, a mysterious clicking noise appeared. Naturally, this was not part of the original “luxury driving experience package.”

After some investigation (and a fair amount of staring, listening, and negotiating with the car), the culprit was discovered: the back of a hub cap bolt had popped loose and was bouncing around inside a tin bracket like it was auditioning for a percussion section.

This is the tin
backing to the
hub caps. 
The little nut pops off.

These are designed to keep people from stealing the hub caps. Since there was more than one it seems the garage made the mistake.

On this particular vehicle, each wheel has five bolts. Three of them are responsible for holding this tin bracket in place—and apparently, those same bolts also enjoy the freedom to occasionally detach themselves and start a new life rattling around inside the wheel assembly.

The fix is simple in theory: locate the loose nut on the inside, reseat it, and glue it back in place so it stops pursuing its dreams of independent movement.

Once secured, the noise disappeared—at least for now—making room for the next mystery sound this Buick plans to introduce. The restoration process continues, one rattle at a time.

4-Way Tire Lug Wrench Fixed. Looks like a solid basic wrench.

4-Way Tire Folding Lug Wrench. This will store well.