How do the center caps attach to the rims? Is it just double sided tape or are they attached to a backing plate that snaps in? Secondly, I thought the 89 16" rims had aluminum centers. My car has the black with the silver IROC-Z logo. My neighbor has an 89 with the gold rims and the same black center cap with gold lettering. I was under the assumption that only 85-87 had the black caps. Thanks for any info.

 

I cant speak for the Iroc or Z'z per se..

On the GTA style and Formula rims, it has tabs with a wire ring to apply outward pressure.

later
Jeremy

 

My 85 IROC has black center caps with silver script. I recently sold a set of gold IROC wheels (85-87) which were black with gold script. The center cap attaches to an insert (glue/adhesive of some sort) which pops into the wheel. This insert, by the way, has plastic "tabs" that are extremely weak. A few times in and out and some or all the tabs will break. I shoot them from the backside with WD-40 o lube them a bit and then use a hammer handle to pop them free.

JamesC

 

The caps have plastic clips in back that snap into the wheel. I'm not quite sure about the centers. Most of the 88-90 caps I've seen have had aluminum centers. I've had a couple with the black centers but I pulled them off and the aluminum center was underneath. I always assumed a previous owner had put them on but maybe not. Would your neighbor let you peel back a corner of one of the emblems and see if the aluminum emblem is underneath?

 

that shouldn't be a problem. He's already lost one, so I'll look and see what's under it. He only lost the black part. Thanks for the info.

 

Iroc caps are like all the other caps, you've got the cap itself, which is universal, it snaps into the wheel and gives a base for the emblem, then you've got the emblem which has an aluminum backing. When they've been on the car awhile the plastic emblem can seperate from the aluminum backing leaving a silver disc in the cap with 'IROCZ' imprinted in it.

The 88-90 Iroc's have the same type of cap with a silver plastic emblem.

 

So now my Iroc wheels (86) just have black plastic in the center with two small holes in it. Is this the wheel itself or the backing of the center caps?

 

The backing.

JamesC

 

Correct, except you can't just buy the emblems, they come attached to the backing new.

 

Humm, well, I've seen the emblems for sale at swap meets (we usually go to Wichita in Feb. If you want to go, let me know), and they aren't attached to the insert, the part which goes into the wheel itself. Maybe we're talking about different things.

JamesC

 

I'd definitely be interested in checking out the local swaps.

I just replaced one of the caps last year on my 87, because the emblem seperated. The only way my parts guy could get the emblem was on a new insert.

 

I generally hit Wichita where there are normally several hundred vendors and literally thousands of people. Last year, I bought a set of gold IROC wheels for $100 and a Lear Siegler Conteur...oh, well, you get the idea. Lincoln, NE, and Lawerence, KS, are also big venues. By the way, Modern Day Muscle, a TGO sponsor, seems to show the emblem separate (but it's difficult to really tell). Last I knew the emblem was some $20 and the insert was about the same.

JamesC

 

Hmm... interesting... I'd love to see a real swap meet. In SF the closest was the annual racers swap. Usually there would be lots of dirt trackin' stuff, but not much else.

Given the option I'd probably just replace the entire piece, since most glues tend to attack GM emblems. Who knows, maybe that's what I did a year ago... It's possible if the price was the same.

 

I just bought 4 center caps, black with gold font. They are all new and still in the plastic wrapper from GM.

 

Ok, well I just went to my neighbors and checked the rims. I could've sworn that he had black centers with the gold IROC-Z font. WRONG! He has the standard 88-90 rims center caps which are aluminum with black font. Anyone need black with gold centers?

 

Darnit! I need black with silver.

BTW, where did you buy those for 30$?

 

Yah 85-87 got the plastic caps for the 16" rims on the Iroc, 85-88 or 89 also had the 15" Z28 rims with the big plastic caps (like on the rally rims) on the Z28 and Iroc, and I have seen black and silver ones of those. My 88 Iroc came factory with the 15" Z28 rims and silver centercaps that said IROC on them. 88-89 (90 too?) got the aluminum ones on the 16" rims.

I got my caps from an ebay seller... $40 or so I think.

 

At least I'm not losing my mind. As I stated in my first post, I thought all 89 16" rims had the silver or aluminum center caps. I had never seen black centers on a 16" 88-90 wheel. It wasn't the case here either. I'm back on track and screwed up buying the wrong caps. Oh well!

 

Just thought I'd mention, I had the Iroc out of storage yesterday and while washing it the new centercap emblem, less then a year old fell off the backing.

I'm really starting to lose faith in GM.

 

The Ebay caps are identical to the OEM caps except they are made in Taiwan. I bought a set last year, lost one already. They seem to fit a bit looser than the originals or maybe it's just the wheels. My rear caps are snug, fronts are a little sloppy. Be nice to find a source for these repros cheap though.

 

I bought ebay caps for my GTA that have the WS6 gold emblem in it.The problem is that they dont come with the protective clear plastic piece that goes over the WS6 sticker.I have emailed every GTA center cap seller on ebay to see if theirs comes with this clear piece and none of them do.They told me just to reuse the ones on now.The problem is someone glued my current ones on and they wont come off without tearing them up.Does anyone know where to get them?

 

Try these inserts, they seem really reasonable.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Gradu...QQcmdZViewItem

 

The authentic GM centercap emblems on the Firebirds have the test molded into a plastic disc on the back side. Then the text is painted, and the background color finally and the entire disc is glued into the cap. You probably won't find just the clear disc anywhere.

The best bet all around is still to just buy the real parts from the dealership. Cheap knockoffs are just that. Even if the real parts aren't that great, they're better then the alternative.