Need Help with those chrome caps on my wheelnuts

[Axman]

the title says most of it, i cant get the damn things off!! and i cant change/get new tires if i/the garage cant take the tires off! lol
believe that....
(nevermind the fact the tire place has to order my tires and i gota wait 2-5weeks for the damn things, even though i ordered em b4 xmass. horror or what...)
any help, any advice, i really need it.

thanks in advance for this.

Axman

[The Marcos Graveyard]

If it's the rover alloy nuts you have, then there is a chrome cap on the nut that when damaged just rotates without loosening, I think BlackSe7en or ZakGT had this problem a while back, I think that all you can do is gunther the capping off and use a smaller socket on the nut beneath. Then order a new nut.

[Axman]

its just the lil chrome caps on the actual nuts.
the caps have to be taken off to get at the nut below (with the cap off, its easy to change the wheels/tires etc) but i cant remove them.

the nut itself is a size 17
with the cap on its like a 17 and a half, but u cant use a 17 or an 18 socket to loosen the wheelnuts with the caps on, cuz the socket just doesnt fit, and u cant get a grip on the nut proper to even try and loosen the damn things!!

last time i got 4 new tires, i had to leave the car in the garage all day, and one of the lads there managed to get em off to change the tires, but now when i took the car back to the same place, no1 knows who the guy was or how he did it!!
nightmare.

can u guys think of anything else to help me get these caps off???

[The Marcos Graveyard]

11/16 is between 17 and 18, works out at 17.46

[BlackSe7en]

There is another post on this somewhere in the past (go back a good few months). Anyway, are you are referring to the four special LockNuts or the other twelve standard nuts.
The LockNut cover just has to be guntered off, use a small screwdriver down the side and force it off bit by bit.
I 've never had a problem with the other wheel nuts.

[Axman]

the anti-theft nuts, that require the special socket, they're fine i could bet the caps off them no probs, its the standard nuts that are giving me huge problems.

im just glad ive got another mini to drive around while im waiting for my new tires! lol
god bless my 94 monte carlo cooper.
bit different to the 98 cooper that need the new tires, the 94 is spi and the 98 is mpi. both are 1275cc coopers both injection, but i think at some stage the monte carlo visited the john cooper garages (its in the histories of the car and its got the john cooper garages sticker in the back window, as well as the special larger licence plate on the back) and it drives a little different.
i really have to take some descent pictures to be honest.

thanks again for the help guys, much appriciated

[Axman]

blackse7en, i found the previous post and i also have one of those t-shaped things, but the 90 degree angle has been bent into a straight line so its of no use....
i might try the other suggestions from that post.

[url]http://www.irishminis.ie/forum/viewtopic.php?t=202 [/url]
thanks again guys.

[The Marcos Graveyard]

[quote="Axman"]i think at some stage the monte carlo visited the john cooper garages (its in the histories of the car and its got the john cooper garages sticker in the back window, as well as the special larger licence plate on the back) and it drives a little different.
[/quote]

If it has been the Coopers for the conversion, the head should be a lilac/blue colour I think.

[Axman]

managed to get those caps off!
using a combo of vice grips (wrapped in tissue so i could actually grab the cap) and the two tools that came with the 94 cooper (that t-shaped piece, even though bent out of shape still was of some use!)

thanks again guys, really helped me out of a jam.

ill find out about that cooper and see if it was JCG converted. to be honest i havent really had a chance to fully look over it yet.

will let u all know.

Axman

[The Marcos Graveyard]

Well done that man!!

BTW how much are you paying for the tyres ??

[Axman]

last time i got 4 new falken 165/60 r12's i paid, about €240ish i think, i cant remember accurately (i blame the doc for that, god damn meds)

but i have to wait for em thou, tires for my cooper are bloody hard to get!
ive been ringing around all day yesterday and now again 2day to try and get some, but looks like im gonna be waiting...

[Axman]

ive just been told that falken are discontinuing the 165/60 r12's!!!!

[kerryminigringo]

i got sime monza tyres put on my 91 cooper look like dunlop sp tyres they are 165/12 for 150 euro fitted and to date they are every bit as good as the falkens on my other car and i got them 2 days later so if your not pushed about the name on your tyre you could try them