'86 Offset Dust Cover
 

Any advice on getting this thing off?

No one knows how to pull the caps from the wheel spacers?

Are you talking about the front brake dust shields? If so you have to unbolt/suspend the calipers, remove the rotor with spacer/hub attached, and unbolt the dudt shield. You can do it without removing the spindle. I removed mine years ago and have never regretted it. The dust cap on the hub can be worked off with a fat screwdriver carefully tapped between the cap and hub.

I'm talking about the dust cap on the hub. I wanted to know if there was an easy way to remove it before going at it with a screwdriver...

Wow, the spacers and rotors go on ass-backwards...

Welcome to the wonderful world of Porsche...you can get the spacer/hub off without pulling the rotor but you won't get it back on without doing it. It's a good time to install a new seal and repack the bearings anyway. The dust cap is no big deal and you won't booger it up if you are careful. I drive it back on with a 2" PVC cap.

Carefully tapping it off with a chisel is usually what i have to do.

I used some 1" wide pry bar to get it off. Just worked it open a little, moved to the right an inch, worked it off a little and so on until it was off.

I used a rubber mallet to reinstall it. I tapped lightly, moved to the right an inch, tapped lightly and so on until it was back on.

Anyway, new rotors are installed. Just waiting for new (used) calipers from a fellow Pelican. My old ones are cooked. I don't think the paint on them is is supposed to be bubbled and tacky.

Then I can bleed the brakes and hopfully be back on the road.

the dust caps often come off with a big pair of water pump pliers but sometimes you just have to go to the hammer and screwdriver method.

good luck,

nate