So this is a strange one- I threw a wheel cover on my '89 Custom Cruiser recently. Retraced my steps and of course it was long gone. Now these are the wire-style so I did some searching on ebay, located a replacement, and when I went to install it, lo and behold, it would not fit! Careful examination shows they are identical EXCEPT for the outermost visible perimeter that hides the lip of the rim. Mine angle ever-so-slightly outward while the replacement angles ever-so-slightly inward. Hmmm. On the backside, this interferes with the wheel weight surface (not just the weights). The seller swears these were pulled from a b-body Delta. So, did the wagons use different wheels? Was there a changeup somewhere along the line? From what I can tell, these are all original. -Cory
Buyer Beware Hmmm, lotta views but no responses. Well, from what I'm able to gather the last couple days, it appears Olds may have had separate wheel covers depending if it has 4.75x5 wheels vs 5x5. Apparently, 98's, Wagons, and Diesels got the 5x5 for bigger brakes, while 88's have 4.75's (same for Buick, Pontiac, etc.) This is the only tie-in I can seem to come up with. Take a look at the pics... My originals slope up and out (from outside diameter towards inside around perimeter) while the replacement is the opposite. There's also a slight difference in depth of the center wire "support". Never would have guessed!
Well...all the years I've been around you showed me something I never knew, cad. Who'd a thunk it. Thanks for the good info!
I've got a parts database, Cory. Can you pick out any GM part numbers off of those? In the meantime, I'll plug your vehicle into the Db and see what info on wheel covers comes out.... ........................................................... A bit later...... Seeing as it's 23 year old, my Db for a 23-yr old vehicle isn't as complete as when the vehicle was new. Only shows 2 different wheel covers listed for the Custom Cruiser: 'Deluxe' - part# 22505014 $106.09 'Wagon' - part# 22524159 $258.00 Unfortunately, no graphics anymore, so I am unable to tell what these covers looked like. Also thought of something else... In 1989, your Custom Cruiser was the only rear-wheel drive Olds sold. Everything else - 88's, 98's etc. had already been converted to the front wheel drive chassis..... Chances are, that other wheel cover you got is for a different year. I'll do some digging on wheel covers for other years. ................................................................ A bit later still.......... Nothing much listed for the earlier years.
On a slightly related note, you should not be winging caps. There is a cap that bolts to the wheel with 3 lug nuts that have a special shoulder to hold it on. The center of the hub cap pops out and a 3/8(Don't remember the size or thread for sure) bolt holds the hub cap to the wheel so it doesn't go anywhere. You are probably missing the mount cups. Its common when these cars were worked on lazy mechanics didn't bolt the covers back on. However, with the weight of those covers, trust me it is a necessity. I have NEVER lost a cap on my cutlass. Oh, and your hub caps are SUPER shiny and nice.
You're on the right track... The fullsize, RWD Cadillacs of the same era have similar issues. Even within the same year, there are differences in the available steel wheels that make a difference in what wheel covers you can put on. My 1987 Brougham has the wire wheel covers option. I have a whole collection of wheel covers in my garage and just for giggles, tried to install a 1980 Cadillac Brougham wire wheel cover, which is 15", same size and overall style as my original wire wheel covers...just different style center. It wouldn't fit. Some discussions in the Cadillac Owners message board reveal that in order to have a non-wire cover on the car, you have to have a particular steel wheel...which is apparently different from the ones that Cadillac included if you got the wire wheel cover option. So, at least for my 1987, if I want to put different wheel covers on...including Brougham wire wheel covers from, say 1980, ...or if I want to ditch the wires for standard 1987 covers...then I'll have to change the wheels. As Marcar pointed out, you should have a retainer held on by three of the lugnuts under each wire wheel cover. I've seen some retainers that have a fixed, threaded stud in the center that will go through the center of your wheel cover (with a removable nut that holds the cover on)...but more commonly are the retainers that have a threaded hole in the center and the removable bolt that goes through your cover and screws into the retainer. I've used plain old bolts in place of the special bolts (the special bolts are anti-theft, and use a specific "key" to screw/unscrew the bolt). Either way, make sure that your bolts are on tight...I've had a couple that weren't on tight back out due to the continued turning of the wheel and nearly fall out completely. Those covers also had teeth that held them onto the wheel, so I did not lose the covers...but the bolt was rattling around behind the medallion. Interestingly, my 1987 Brougham wire wheel covers have no other means of attachment to the rim (such as teeth or barbs or what-have-you that standard wheel covers would have)...only the retainer/nut assembly. If the bolt comes loose, the cover will simply fall right off. As far as the wheel covers you have go, I have a Hollander Interchange book for wheels and wheel covers. That style (Hollander 4089) had three different part numbers... (all of them $237)...here's what it says... 22511787 - '81-85 - red emblem 22527866 - early '85 - red & grey emblem 22524159 - late '85-90 - red & grey emblem NOTE: Available w/ red or red & grey emblem Olds '81-83 wire type, Ninety-Eight, Brougham Olds '84 wire type, Delta 88, LS Olds '84 wire type, Ninety-Eight Olds '85 wire type, Delta 88 Olds '85-90 wire type, Custom Cruiser (S.W.) Hope this helps...
Thanks for all the interchange info, this one has been a real headscratcher! On the matter of the retaining bracket, that's my own fault. I had backed off the retaining center bolt last year to cure a bad case of wire-cover 'squawking'. I made sure to tighten them all up yesterday. Being I already had the wheelcover, I decided to see what I could do to make it fit. After notching out around the wheelweight with a cut off disc, and liberal use of a rubber mallet, it's on there now. Doesn't sit quite as flush as the others but it's better than a bare steel wheel and I don't think anyone will notice.
