besides sand..
a thick pile of rags works well too.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob" <becida@COMCAST.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 9:49 AM
Subject: Re: '84 Hub cap problem

> At  7/8/2010 06:20 AM, Mark Dearing wrote:
>>hello Rob  Take the hubcap and find a solf place, sand works  best.  take
>>a
>>ball peen hammer and bang the center section out some .   later  mark d
>
> I never thought of doing it with sand for the backing, good idea....
> I took some large steel washers (inch or so diameter) and a steel
> piece to get them within reach, supported the hubcap on a metal
> coffee can and smacked it one good one with a 5lb deadblow hammer. It
> was a nice even push out of the center piece, another smack with just
> the deadblow did the trick. From the outside it doesn't look like I
> took a hammer to the inside.
> I tested it with a touch of grease on the speedo cable end and I had
> zero transfer to the hubcap so I put it on and will try it out.
>
>
>
> Rob
>
> becida@comcast.net
> Western Washington State, USA