Why would you want adapters and spacers, it's just a failure waiting to happen, one of the guys in my old club had an adapter cut loose and it took out the fender with it. Personally I think you're throwing good money after bad here, you should do the math to clean up that housing, weld on all new mounts, seals, bearings, axles, center section, adapters and spacers just to hopefully come out to an acceptable width to use your existing wheels. Then you got to hope the added adapters and spacers don't take out the bearings or worse come loose and lose the tire. I think you need to step back and rethink.
Unfortunately I don't have any to measure the hub. I know for everyone that runs disc brakes usually you got to have a pretty big hub opening.
The Sweet spot generally speaking on a fendered T through 34 ford is 56" wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface anything between 56" & 58" should fit, that being said I only have first-hand experience with a late 1930 Ford Model A pickup and 56" nicely centers an 8.20x15 on a stock 5" wide ford wheel in the center of the rear fender. I used a 1990 to 1993 ford ranger 8.8 because they were plentiful at the time in the junkyard you just needed a 4.0 truck and you had a 8.8 that was 56 inches wide. If you wanted to go to a 58 inch wide axle any Ranger from 94 up until 2012 that had a 8.8 (most of them have an 8.8 I just don't remember which ones to tell you to look for I think after 2001 or maybe 2003 it was they became standard) if I remember right any 4.0 dander ranger were limited slip 3.54 gear sets they were/are damn near perfect for an overdrive transmission setup. As for the backing plate to backing plate measurement it's kind of a useless measurement because it really doesn't tell you you're overall measurements but 49" will normally get you in the ball park. For determining wheel placement you really need the wheel mount to wheel mount. The backing plate to backing plate measurement is relevant for suspension placement but you could theoretically have a vehicle with 2-in wide drums or you could have a vehicle with 4 in wide drums if not wider, especially when we are talking about the indestructible Ford 9 inch axles because those things came in everything from full size wagons to lightweight mustangs and if you get a car like my 73 Lincoln the drums must be 5ish inches wider then the backing plate measurement.
I agree with Swade about using too many spacers or the wrong spacers. The setup you are wanting to run may however require some form of adaption giving you no choice. My suggestion about making the final width of a rear appx 1/2" too narrow (1/4 per side) intentionally, allows the use of some thin (1/8 or 1/4) slip on spacers to get the wheels correctly positioned in relation to the rear fenders. Not needed if not running fenders. I prefer to do that rather than deal with the possibility of a tire rubbing......it simply helps insure you get the fitment that you want. Shouldn't cause any breakage problems. When you start using lots of spacers though, a lot more potential for issues to happen.
Is it a complete rearend? Buy only one that's complete from drum to drum or you will spend a lot more in the long run. Personally I'd look for an uncut one unless it was awfully close to exactly what you need.
The idea is that someone won't need the spacers at all as 1/4" usually isn't that noticeable....but if a spacer is required to get it right, they can be made with a centering lug if needed. The other side of the coin is dealing with a set-up that measures out perfect to the spec wanted and then when cornering or going over a bump it rubs the fender. What does the builder do then ? I say that because wheel manufacturers and tires vary when custom building so I just try to allow myself some flexibility. It's a personal choice though, and what you said is just as correct as what I'm saying.
As did all the mag wheels along with non-OEM application steel wheels I have used over the years. Maybe not technically correct; but they seemed to have gotten by running lug centric vs hub centric. Fact is if you want to run Ford wire wheels on anything other than pre-'49 Ford drums you have to use some sort of spacer/spacer adapter to do so.
that's why i can not understand why he doesn't just get the spacer /adapter to go from 5x4.5 to 5x5.5 he already has the spacer measurements factored into his calulations. just order the adapter with the thickness measurment you need,
There are a bunch of new posts on this thread all of a sudden and there is a lot of material here. Some clearly are not going back to the OP an reading all the post after that. In order to use my 35 wire wheels AND the horribly expensive Lincoln brakes that I already have all painted up and ready to go, is going to require spacers/adapters, there’s no getting around that, it’s a fact. I am not too concerned about that, I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING if I want to ever get off jack stands and back on the road. I can’t follow everybody’s advice because you don’t all agree, there is many, many, different solutions suggested here. Yes, no question, 56” is the exact number I need TO THE WHEEL MOUNTING SURFACE. I challenge anybody to come up with a solution as to how to accomplish this, using the brakes I have, please, I’m all ears. If I buy the axle that has been narrowed to 51” (I know I said 49” that was a mistake) 2” worth of adapters and or spacers get’s me to the 55” I really want. I don’t have to buy new axles, or narrow a housing myself and buy new axles to fit. All I have to do is bolt it all together and the cost would not be ridiculous. The cost to get a 55” axle without using adapters is very high, and very labor intensive. At this point I feel fortunate to have found this one although it may sell while I dink around about it. I’m doing my best and this thread has taken on a life of its own LoL. Virtually every suggestion as to how to get to 55” does not factor in what is required to have the Lincoln brakes. 55” may not be the perfect number however, I have to go over my notes again.
On the first page... It's going to cost you a lot of money whichever route you choose to get you to your required final result.
I have a Maverick rear with 1" adapters to run early steelies. Once for grins, I took a Kelsey and stuck it on. It clears the drum fine and bolted up fine. I had already put the thin support rings in them. The whole width with the adapters is 58.5". I can run the Kelseys if I ever want to. I have Buicks on the front but still have 46-48 drums/hubs that would bolt right on. I have Lincoln backings plates etc. A 32 rear end measures 57.75" The difference is .75" or 3/8" a side.
At this point I have several options. Unfortunately I do not have the budget for the only perfect solution. FWIW motor is max 100hp probably more like 80. I’m comfortable with some of the options that have been bounced around.
Thank you Andy, for that little tid bit, good to know. The Dodge wheels would be good but after shipping and powder coating would be very expensive (although nothing about this is cheap). I’m heading out this am to pick up a 9” 4.10 third member just to have it should I go that route.
The 7.5 rear end from the early small Ranger pickup is exactly what you're looking for at a mere 56 inches wide. Unfortunately, it is only after you have removed all the unnecessary brackets, rebuilt the brakes then cleaned and painted the axle in preparation for the install that you will finally see the fatal flaw in your master plan. I could tell you up front why what you are trying to do won't work but I refuse to ruin the surprise.
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