I've mentioned before that I got a '48 F100 axle for my '55 Sedan. I wanna redrill the drums for the 5 x 4 1/2 car pattern and a couple of things make me leary. 1) The hub seems too wide at the "snout". Will I have to cut into to it to fit the studs? Is the steel heat treated? How difficult will this be and should I just find a shop to do it? 2)If I can do it, what's the best way to mark where to drill? I imagine setting a wheel with the correct bolt pattern on the hub and spray painting the lug holes, find center, punch and drill it. Am I on the right track? Anyone done this before?
If you don't have a mill, you'd probably be better off sending it to a pro to do. The holes need to be drilled pretty accurately.
i've re-drilled many F-1 and F-100 hubs/drums...i'm not sure what you mean by "too wide at the snout" . they are easy to drill once you get the holes marked correctly. you also need to use a drill of the correct size for the new studs to press in. i use a fixture that was made on a CNC machining center....the way you described doesn't sound accurate. i suggest you have it done at a machine shop
I have done it with hand tools in the past make sure you use a punch that fits snug in your pattern. I have also used a wheel spacer that changes lug patterns I knocked the studs out and bolted it to the hub and used the holes as a guide hopefully my description makes sense. Good luck
I do CAD design work, so I drew up the lay out here at work and used a punch to mark the holes matching my pattern. I used my drillpress and a step bit to drill them and waalla perfect.
Pretty sure the hub is cast.I did mine for my chevy but used my bridge port.I went from six lug to five and had to weld some holes not to hit existing pattern.To keep runout to a minimum it seems best to have a shop with the right equipement to do this.Burl
The hubs are cast steel. Your only question should be, will the wheels I've chosen seat on the hubs or is the hub snout too large for the wheel's center hole?
buy a adapter for 5 1/2 to 4 1/2, knock the studs out and bolt it to the axle and use it as a fixture
That's a damn good question! i plan on using the 5 spokes from my galaxie (my avatar). I'll mesure them tonight....
By snout I mean where the inner bearing and race go. the wall looks fairly thick there, I'm not sure if I would have to make indentions to put the studs in.
Correct me if I'm wrong. I think part of why he is questioning is because the wheel hub center pilot is quite a bit bigger in outside diameter than the intended wheel's center hole inside diameter. Does he have enough room to have the pilot turned down without compromising the hub integrity? Is the hub casted correctly to support wheel stud relocation?
as i said , i have re-drilled F1 and F100 many times with a 4-1/2" bolt circle with no problems. after you drill the holes in the hub you have to machine a flat on the backside for the head of the wheel studs to sit flat against
Measure the OD of the "snout" and post it. More than likely the wheel will fit if it's a mag. Most of them are "lug-centric." - vs "hub-centric." If you have to make an indentation to get the new pattern lug studs in, you may be able to get away with grinding a flat on the stud retaining shoulder and orient the flat against the hub. New wheels may be the easiest way to go. Depending on the pattern you're going from and to, machining the original wheel lug hole to an oval Uni-Lug style may be a good way out. Generally, doing it this way is only good for one step up. IE: 4 1/2" to 4 3/4". Use CenterLine's 3/16" thick mag lug washer if you go this way. The common 'mag' washer is thin and bends in when installed. Running the wheel will have the thin mag washer bend in some more and wheel torque values will decrease. You can also make your own "thick" washers from stainless round stock. Lugnut vendors at auto oriented swap meets will have other brands of thick washers. They work ok, but CenterLine's do better. Probably because of a better alloy used to make the washers.
We recently did this to my '48 Ford hubs & some '47 GMC hubs.. Found it was MUCH easier to use ARP Screw In studs, Forget press in studs. ARP Screw In studs are like $26.00 for 10, They are LONG so you can cut them down if needed & you don't have to hunt for the correct size & length with the correct knurled shoulder or find the Drill bit. Drill the holes, Thread for your stud, & Screw them in !!
Drilling to a Ford bolt circle (4.5) comes very close to the snout you refer to. You can take a right angle grinder and just flatten the area slightly. I have used wheel adapters as a guide and it works real well. Chevy circle fits a little better on the hub but I have done both. Good Luck.
A local axle specialty shop is going to drill my Ford axles and drums for $100.00. I have drilled axles and drums before on my dirt race car but I think $100 bucks is cheap to have a smooth safe ride for the family...
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