would you redrill axels to save 500.00

Yep! i would do it but, I have a rotary table and mills

 

Well you certainly dont need a rotary table although it would be nice. I have done it several times.In the time this thread has been running you could have done it about 15 times.
Remove the current set of studs
Find an old wheel of the right bolt pattern that fits your axle hub snugly.
Install it on the axle centering it on the hub stub.
Make a centre punch that fits snugly through the bolt hole in the wheel.
Centre punch each hole
Drill and install studs. Small pilot hole first
Done
Don

 

Dancing girl with daddy issues - now why didn't I think of that ! !
More importantly why can't I stop thinking about it now ?

 

Spend the 500 and get what goes on the car that you want......adapters are about 150 and moves the wheels out at least 3/4 inch..........GET WHAT YOU WANT THE FIRST TIME, EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO SAVE A LITTLE LONGER....Believe me, when you get old you'll look back and regret all the ways you tried to cut cost....some things you have to cut coners to survive, but on a Hot Rod, it's your Hobby and not a matter of survival or you wouldn't be building a car..........

 

mill and lathe......... if you got more time than money redrill the axles....

 

Hemi not only would I, I have, even recently I may add.

My 31 spline rear originally was 5 on 5. It is now 5 on 4.5 and the buick drums along with my spare set match.

Most recent I did on a bridgeport with a rotary table but I alo have fixtures to do it the hard way that I have had about forever.

 

Yes, I agree that is a good thing to think about.

I might swap the bolt pattern IF it let the car use more common parts, like brake rotors and so forth. You can save money that way going forward.

But if it's a wash either way, I would just buy the wheels with the correct bolt pattern.

 

I'm taking my Currie axles in tomorrow to have them drilled to 5x5 1/2" so I can run early ford. $110.00 plus new drums from another source. Be into it for about $200.00.

 

I would wait for the right wheels to come along, and they will probably be at the same price you are paying now (for the wrong ones).

 

You dont need the fancy-pants jig, just a set of these, and a old drum with the studs knocked out, or anything else with through holes you can use as a template. And after you have a set of these, you will wonder just how in the hell you ever survived without them...
http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=54892&cat=1,43456
Not necessarily recommending this set, there are DOZENS of places you can get them, just Lee Valley was the first one that popped up on google.

EDIT: I see Dolmetch has aleady said pretty much the same thing, minus the transfer punches. The transfer punches are not expensive, and once you have them, you will use them A LOT. Very handy thing to have around.

 

I think we need to see pics of these special wheels to see why they are so critical to this build....

 

If in the future you need new drums or rotors you will be back to redrilling. Buy the correct set and save the problems.

Have you checked the date code on the tires to see how old they are? may only have 100 miles but how old?

If building an engine would you buy 12to1 pistons and mill them to 11to1 to save money or just buy the correct part if available?

 

George,
I have several templates that i have made from lexan and a set of transfer punches. Have had them about for ever. There has been many an axle, hub, drum or hub/rotor ***embly done that way over the years.

If I have access to a mill and rotory table I use them and when I don't I use my templates.

Something else that I have discovered when I don't have access to expensive studs that allen bolts with the shaft completely threaded make a pretty nice screw in stud of I have to drill the whole on the axle anyway.

Another cheap trick is if you have a hardened flange and you don't have a diamond drill bit you can make a paste out of sugar and dip your drill bit in it to drill through the hardening.

 

Serious? Never hear that before.

 

yea learned it from an old machinist when I was young and we worked for a cheap *******.

I did discover recently that sweet'n'low will not work so if you are on a diet you are screwed.

 

I have redrilled a couple sets of axles and even tapped them for 5/8 srew in studs, it is not difficult if you have bridgeport and digital readout.