dropped I beam has 4.75 bolt pattern. I need 5.5

My A coupe has a dropped I beam front axle with chevy 4.75 bolt pattern. I would like for it to match the rear pattern with a 5.5 bolt pattern. It has disk brakes too. Can I redrill the rotors or use a different rotor? Thanks

 

Really depends on what the SPINDLES are. Ford? GM?

 

You will probably run out of useable area on the wheel mounting surface. Simple enough to measure them(on the inside). May I suggesst a set of drum brakes?

 

They were on the car when i bought it. I think they are a ford spindle because it has stock style steering arms on it. Is there any other way to tell? Measure bearing surfaces maybe?

 

Show us a picture of the spindle and we'll tell you what they are.

 

I don't think the spindles are the problem. You most likely have Chevy disc brake rotors mounted with an inter bearing adapter that presses on the spindle snout. For years Speedway, Ch***is Engineering, Pete & Jake's, etc. have offered disc brake conversions that use Chevy 4.75 bolt pattern rotors and MOPAR 4.5" bolt pattern rotors. More recently kits with the 5.5" bolt pattern have become available. They use Ford truck rotors and they are heavy.

I don't think any parts from the 4.5" BP ans 4.75" BP kits will interchange with the 5.5" BP kit. I have had my hands on all three variations at one time or another. The kits are not all that expensive and if you do a swap out you can sell your take offs here on the HAMB.

Or you can install original Ford hydraulic (or Lincoln) brake backing plates and Ford hubs and drums.

If I had to chose between miss-matched front and rear bolt patterns and using the heavy Ford truck rotors I would learn to live with the miss-match.

I run big and littles on all my rods so a miss-match is no big deal.

 

here ya go. These wheels and tires will be for sale soon too. The rears are 10 or 12 inches wide

 

Are you gonna run fenderless? If you want 40 rims use the big ford brake kit. Or keep what you have got an buy some new 40 style rims in the 4 3/4 bolt pattern .

 

yes, I'm going fenderless. Where might I get some 40 style wheels in that 4 3/4 bolt pattern?

 

I'm not sure, but a friend of mine had a set. Check cooker or maybe wheel vintques, I don't know where he got his but they were dual pattern 4.5 & 4 3/4 -

 

Wheel Smith in Corona,CA makes those wheels with dual bolt pattern,

 

ECI makes a kit that uses 73-93 Ford F100/F150 (2WD) rotors with 71-79 GM big car calipers. Here is the link. Number of wheel manufactures (Wheels Vintique,Rally America,etc) make wheels that will accept the early Ford caps (40- 56 F100).

http://ecihotrodbrakes.com/early_ford_discbrake_conversions.html

 

Rally America has them. I think his user name is wheelkid here on the HAMB. I'm typing this on my phone so I can't search the info but it's easy enough to find.

Good luck

 

Magnum Axle makes a aluminum hub 5 on 5.5" rotor for MII spindles. They may do it for others check with them.

 

If I understand your original post, if your hubs and the inside diameter of the rotor that mounts to the hub are 6.438 inches or bigger in diameter then you would have room to re-drill them. Any smaller and you'll be looking for new parts to get to a 5 X 5.5" pattern.