Technical Enlarging center hole in wheel

I installed an 8 inch rear end out of a Maverick in my '54 Ranch Wagon. I want to use stock wheels and poverty caps. Only problem is the center hole on the stock wheels is
2 1/2" in diameter and it needs to be 2 5/8" in diameter. Can I safely enlarge the center hole on my existing wheels by removing 1/8"? If I can safely modify the wheel, I'm assuming that I need to have it done on a mill, not just use a rotary grinder? My cylinder hone would go small enough but I doubt it would get the job done

 

I've seen them cut out with a torch, and no problems...but I recommend doing it a better way....

 

Usually the centering lip on wheel does not have much material and would be almost gone after you cut that much out. If you are set on using the wheels, I would turn down the axle register to fit the wheel instead of cutting the wheel.

 

That center lip was put there by Ford for strength. But I have seen after market wheels with out that lip and a huge center hole , so they fit everything and they have no problems.
Might get a large hole saw that will fit snugly over the lip and cut it out. Use a large older slow drill and a lot of cutting oil.






Bones

 

I had the same problem Took wheels to a machine shop friend and put in a bridgeport mill and solved the problem

 

You would have to leave a small shoulder for the brake drum to center on which would take some doing. Not sure if that would be the best way to go

 

I'll concur with modifying the axle register bore and not the wheel.
If you need a new wheel, or get a flat, your gonna need multiple wheels with this custom modification.
Less likely you will be changing axles all that often. And if you get sick of the wheels, lot easier to sell stock parts than to sell weirdly modified parts.
Can always get register bore rings to properly center wheels/brakes on smaller diameter register bore hub, not so much the other way around.

 

If you were closer, I would chuck them up in the lathe, and bore the center out.

 

Remember you are only removing .0625 from the lip, much of the factory lip will remain. If it was me I would get the clearance you need with a hole saw.....

 

Get the right rim. If you do it your self,be very careful to keep new center hole on real center. Lugs will make there self fit wrong in holes, if rim hole is off center an then the wheel is out of balance for ever.

 

You will be fine by enlarging that hole, many wheels do not register from the center. I ran a set of truck wheels on my T that way.

 

I used my milling machine to open up the holes using a boring bar set on a boring head. The tool was expensive but worth every penny.

Any half decent machine shop could knock this out in an hour or so.

NAES

Sent from my SM-N950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I can do them here at the shop, but the drive to L.A. takes longer then the job.

 

I had to do the same thing when I went to a Pontiac rear. I had the axles turned down at work. If you choose to do that remember to leave enough to register the brake drum. The centering boss left will have 2 steps.
I would do this to keep all the wheels the same. Good luck.

 

Either way you decide to go, you need to get the axle or the wheels into a lathe. I would not use a hole saw route.

 

Most Ford drums have a small 'flared' lip where they register on the axle. Make sure this doesn't prevent the wheel from fitting flush to the drum, if it doesn't I'd do the axles rather than the wheels. Otherwise I'd replace the wheels.

 

Just curious...what are you doing at the front of the car? Stock drum brakes? or something else?

 

Ok, so you are showing steel wheels. I have done this on an “off topic” car to get snow tire/ Steel wheel combo to fit from one car to another. What happened to me after doing this, is the wheel centers developed cracks.
The raised lip around the center still existed, but was very thin. I believe, that because of the coined stamping for the lug nuts, that lip in the center needs to remain to keep the lugs from distorting the wheel center both radially & axially. If I had to do it over again, I would either find the correct wheel, or machine the axle/ hub register.
I did mine on a Bridgeport with a boring bar.
I wouldn’t hesitate to do this on an aluminum wheel with significant thickness as compared to stamped steel.

 

Disc brake conversion with the hubs machined to accept the smaller diameter center hole on the stock 15 inch wheels. Because of the front discs I can't use the stock 14 inch wheels from a later model Ford such as a Mustang. I think some Crown Vic wheels would work but then there is still the hub cap issue.

 

your messing up the wheels that were engineered that way, like most saying sell or trade then for the correct wheel that went to the rear. or get aftermarket wheels that fit.
This happens a lot when you go to discs in the front. Even that Aluminum slot wheel that is machines out looks iffy to me but hey, its not my butt in the seat.

 

I did a couple with a 4" grinder. Was on a Bronco II my son wrecked, it had a set of aluminum wheels I wanted to keep, so I had to enlarge the holes on a pair of early Ranger steel wheels I had. It was totaled anyway, was just waiting on the adjuster to come write it off, and didn't want it to leave with the new tires and aluminum wheels on it. I knew the insurance company wouldn't pay a penny more with them on it.

 

Most after market wheels for cars of the 70's and older do not register on the hubs. So I would say you can cut them as needed. Just remember to do the spare. I have used the torch to enlarge them for demo cars and for wheels to get a car home. I have used a round file at times, and have paid to have them cut on a lathe. Whatever works.

 

I think Ford made 14 inch disk brake wheels. I know Chevy did.

Sent from my Trimline

 

But he needs a 15" as he wants to retain the OEM-type wheel...

Ford used the same center hole size from '49 through '68 on both 14s and 15s and basically the same center design with the three 'nibs' for the hubcap. Then in '69 they enlarged the center hole diameter, upping the 14" wheels to 2 5/8" and the 15" just a bit larger. The 14s still looked much the same, but the 15s got a new center design that was 'flatter' looking and now had four nibs instead of three. Then around '73 or so they changed the bolt pattern on the full-size cars to 5-on-5 where they remained until the 'great downsizing' in the late 70s/early 80s.

 

If u only need to go a 1/8" bigger,, wouldn't you just need to remove 1/16" of material all the way around inside the lip?? I think I would be fine

 

trim tech...

 

It's a bit of danged if I do or danged if I don't.

Machining the wheel hubs out as Marty showed in post 8 would probably be the simple way but could be costly if you have to pay a job shop machine shop to do it. Resale value after you cut them because they aren't hub centric on stock hubs is a moot point and not worth discussing. Spacer rings work either way. Here where I live you are looking at a minimum of 200 to have them cut with the shop rates of the machine shops around here. Plus you have to be positive you are showing up with a set of perfectly straight and true wheels to have the work done on.

I don't see the cost of doing the axle ends and front hubs to be any less though. Job shops around here have a minimum rate and you have to do two setups to get it done.

 

They changed the size of the hubcaps, too? Interesting...Chevy didn't....

I used to have a bunch of old wheels to look at, but I got rid of them.

 

I'd just open up the hole.

How many aftermarket rims on the road that have larger holes than the axle? And still safely on the street day in, day out?

 

I had it done by a machine shop & it worked out fine...never any problems. It's been so long, but I remember that if the wheels were lug centric, you had a better chance of not having any problems than if the wheel was hub centric (which makes sense).