It is hard to tell what size holes some drill in an original I beam from pictures. Some appear to be as big as 3/4"? I was thinking more along the lines of 5/8 as I would think drilling in the I-beam at that strongest point you would have to watch? Also depending on the hole size how far apart should each hole be? I know a lot would be someones preference of the look, but what is the norm?. Maybe some of you could add some pics to look at, thanks
Most I've seen (and done) have 1" diameter holes. 1" is the height of the web in the axle and drilling that size leaves the upper & lower flanges intact. Drilling on 1 3/4 centers leaves 3/4" of web in between holes.
Drilling the web is NOT the strongest part of a I beam axle. The strongest point it the top or bottom flats. Last one I drilled I did 1" holes at 3" spacing. Ran for years and no problem. There's thousands of drilled I beams in service.
I drilled 1 inch holes in my willys front axl 2 inch on center. I started in the center & went left & right to keep it even. I ended up with 11 holes. then I drilled 1, 7/8 hole on each end after that. It looks killer. Ill try to load a pic.
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