Lost the hub cap key to your 1983 Delta 88 Royale The dealer and factory no longer stock that itemI can't tell what color What can you do to remove the hubcaps safely without damaging the hubcaps?

Answer 1

I had a similar problem. A mechanic told me you can get them off with a pair of needle nose pliers. Might work best with the right-angle kind. My own suggestion, if that did not work would be try several diffent sizes of deep sockets, metric and standard, most likely 12- point , and see if one goes on, or almost on, and then tap it on if neccesary. You might get lucky. You could also drill the stud out. Better to destroy that part than the wire covers. You might also be able to drill into the edge of the nut itself, twho holes opposite sides, starting with tiny bits and work your way up til you are thru the whole wall thickness of the nut, and then break it the rest of the way off with a chisel. I've heard from a tire store it is still possible to get the inner part from aftermarket sources. One other idea, it might be possible to get a stud remover through that keyhole. For any method, start with some penetrant oil. Also, ask a tire / wheel store if they have any ideas; they may have a tool that works or even a bunch of old keys. A GM dealer (Buick or Pontiac) also might have the extra keys in their service department. One last idea, the original location for this key was in a plastic carrier on the spare tire in the trunk. GM might have marked somewhere in there what color the key was so they would not get mixed up coming off the line. It is probably in some kind of code, but could be as simple as a colored dot. Once removed, replace the keyed nut with an ordinary metric one (the threads are metric I'm pretty sure.) Good luck with your Olds, a fellow boater.