Vehicle wheel with an ornamental plastic overlay

Abstract

A composite styled wheel including a metallic disc and rim and an ornamental plastic overlay permanently affixed to the disc and/or rim. The overlay has a central cavity adapted to receive wheel hub and mounting parts therein inserted into said disc. A retainer is secured to the body and is spaced radially outwardly from the cavity surface, the overlay material engulfing the retainer so as to at least partially embed the same in the overlay to thereby hide the retainer from view and assist in securement thereof to the body. The body and retainer have cooperative detent structure disposed in the vicinity of the outboard face of said body encircling the outboard entrance to the body cavity and adapted to yieldably releasably engage a center ornament hub cap or the like for removable attachment of the same to the body to close the outboard end of the body cavity. In one form the retainer comprises a split annular wire member having radially re-entrant bowed portions disposed within circumferentially spaced detent projections of said body to reinforce the same. In another form the retainer has a generally hoop-like configuration with a series of circumferentially spaced anchor bit portions extending axially from the plane of the hoop and radially outwardly therefrom toward the disc. The retainer also is circumferentially continuous and has arcuate portions between the bite portions contiguous with the body cavity surface. A method and apparatus for molding a composite styled wheel is also disclosed.