Replacement Wheel Badge Tip

Suggested by: Matthew Wycherley

Your TVR is now at least over 12 years old. The original alloy wheels however well cared for are now probably showing some signs of wear and tear. One of the most annoying things that has happened to my wheels is that on one trip to Castle Combe, by the time I got there one of the centre cap badges had fallen off!.

The original cap badges were a convex shaped metallic dish with the TVR logo etced or printed on. I have checked with the factory and although a stock of these are available, apparently they came in several sizes and I had the size that was no longer produced.

I decided to improvise a solution. I obtained four new style TVR 'steering wheel' badges from my local dealer for about £6 each. These are a silver TVR logo printed onto a black background and then clear acrylic plastic is moulded over the top. The badges come with a self adhesive pad on the reverse for easy fitting.

That is easy fitting to a flush surface. Unfortunately, the pad has a straight edge and the centre cap is convex in shape.

The original TVR badge		Missing!

A solution to this is to fill the space underneath the new badge with a strong sealant adhesive such a black 'sikoflex'. The adhesive is gunned into the space and the new badge is pressed home (see diagram below). The excess sealant is cleaned away with a wet rag, once it has set the badge is stuck well and truly to the centre cap.

Cross section		Finished badge

In my opinion, because the badges are sourced from the newer model TVRs it somewhat updates the look of the alloy (see finished result pic). I have had the badges on for quite some time now and have had no problems whatsoever.

Thanks to Matthew Wycherley for submitting this tip.