I got some new center caps but cant get the rears on because of this thing. Is there any way to remove this cover?

 

There probably is but I would imagine that is something that needs to stay on idk tho haven't looked down there on my car for awhile.

 

Yea im kind of thinking that to but I would imagine if I took it off then put on the center cap it would be fine.

 

Come on, anyone know how to get this thing off??

 

you can wedge a screw driver in there with the help of a hammer....

but, it should stay on. i know on the front it allows access to the axle nut, and if that gets rusty.....not fun to try and take off

 

you can remove it but i wouldn't as it is the cover for the rear wheel bearing. once you get dirt and grime in there, and you will, you can kiss the bearing goodbye.

 

How far away are you from getting it to fit?

They had these on the Ford Ranger I owned. Some people talked about smashing them in or grinding them down.. but I wouldn't advise it.

Like others have said, you can damage some vital rolling parts.

 

well ****,its very close to fitting, i was thinking of taking a hammer to the thing or a grinder to get it lower, but that's probably not the best idea.

 

This realy sucks, Volk Center caps are not cheap and for it not to fit the rear because of this stupid cap is a real bummer. Its like a quarter of a inch or less from fitting, these where the Low once maybe the High center caps have more clearance under them.

 

Those are dust covers intended to keep undue moisture off bearings.
They are pried off with hammer and screwdriver. You need them or tape replacement. Sometimes you can use a mallet to tap the center in enough to get the wheel caps on but remember the wheel and dustcaps do not rotate as a unit. The cover is on the end of a spindle so you need clearance.

 

Use a hammer little by little until it clears or you realize it won't....

 

I would add that you should remove the dust cap and reinstall the wheel with the centr cap to see it is has a chance to clear; do it again with clay to find out how much you'll need to dent the dust cover (you may not be able to). If you can, then install the dust cover and dent gently to the necessary 'height' while in place otherwise you'l make it out-of-round and it won't fit.
If thats too difficult, make a metal disc that can be 'pushed into the dust cap cavity with a hole in the center so you can extract the cap later. You can tape over the hole.
If thats still too much you can use duct tape but expect to replace it occasionally thanks to the heat in the hub.