**Sorry to have wasted time with this. After posting I checked online and there's more than enough info on this. For what I'm seeking it doesn't seem to be cost effective.** Has anyone tried to have slotted aluminum rims redrilled with a different bolt pattern? I should say a new bolt pattern, resulting in a multi-fit rim. Before posting here I tried asking at a car building shop in my area and got nowhere. Since the front and rear are flat it would seem possible. Any help would be appreciated.
More drilling may weaken the structure depending on the thickness. There must be a spec on this somewhere. Perhaps one of the wheel manufacturers would help.
Didn't they use to make some that way? I'd think any machine shop with a big mill could do it. Sent from my LG-TP450 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Open up the slot either inward or outward , 1/8" , they were called uni- lug , special nut and washer....
Here's what I did when I re-drilled my front hubs. I took a piece of 1/8" aluminum and drew 2 concentric circles on it. One for the existing bolt pattern and the other for the new one. I marked the bolt pattern (every 72*) on the old one and did the same on the new one, placing the marks in between the marks on the old one. Next I drilled the holes for the existing bolts so they would just slip over the bolts. For the new bolt holes I just drilled a 1/8" pilot hole. Cut out the center, bolt it down, sharp drill bit, have fun.
Go right ahead, as long as the mounting face is flat, there is/should be no issues. The only thing you sacrifice is the looks because of the extra holes but you can countersink the back side and screw in extra lug nuts for the 10 bolt custom look
I appreciate each response. I welcome ideas and experience. The wheels are our standard five slot aluminum mags. Having the five extra holes doesn't bother me, it works fine for Weld Drag Lites, and I could bounce from Chevy to Ford. My real concern about getting it done is having it done precisely so there's no problem with balance. Again, thank you.
I bought a drill jig to change bolt pattern off a Hamb member several years ago. Worked perfect. Trouble is I don't remember who he is.
The difference between a forged wheel having two bolt patterns and a cast wheel having two is one for the engineers.
Just to clarify I changed the bolt pattern on the axles not wheels, much safer than on an aluminum wheel.
A rotary index table on a mill will do it with precision. Dreracecar would be the best. CNC accuracy is hard to beat.I'm sure you found this out.
I think most re-drill hubs/rotors and axles instead of the wheels. If you dont mind the extra holes drilling the wheels will save a bunch of other work. For example,when Dad and I started built the Valiant we found it had the 5 on 4" bolt pattern there is little after market support for. We added front brakes (ask me later about the previous owner running with rear 9" drums and NO front brakes) we opted for disks with the 4.5" pattern. Instead of re-drilling the rear axles for a bigger bolt pattern we purchased Moser axles with the larger 4.5" pattern. We still had to have the drums re-drilled and center register enlarged for the new axle. I may take a different approach depending if your working with a completed car or a project car.
This is actually only half correct. The wheels with the single lug holes slotted by 1/8" were called Dual-Fit, and need no funky washer or lug nut, just a standard mag shank lug nut and mag washer. These fit with the outboard half moon side of the lug shank fitting tight to the outboard half of the slot on the larger half of the pattern, and with the inboard half moon of the lug shank against the inboard half of the slot on the smaller bolt pattern. Good only for pattern changes 1/4" different, like 4-1/2" Ford/AMC/Dodge-to-4-3/4" GM, or 4-3/4" to 5.0" .I've got both Western and Ansen slots like this. Uni-Lug were typically a bigger slot, with an washer inset into a counterbore in the surface, and fit 3 different bolt patterns like 4-1/2 on the small side, 4-3/4" in the center, and 5" on the outboard end of the slot. Some used just the washer for locating, some also a centered hole or offset hole metal slug that was fitted into the lug holes from the backside to align with whatever pattern you needed to fit. I've seen ET, US-Indy and Ansen slot mags like this, and Cragar SS, Keystone Klassic also used this system. True Uni-Lug like this also has a bad reputation for working loose and snapping lug studs off, resulting in severe tire vibration/shake/wobble or worse yet sending the wheel flying off(Ask my little Bro about that with ET slots ) Slotting the existing holes 1/8" on a mill is an easy task and you avoid both Uni-Lug washer ugliness or having another set of unused holes showing. Ideal way to go if you ask me. I've been 120MPH at the dragstrip on dual fits aluminum slots(Western Wheel Corp) for over 25 years with zero problems
Again, thanks for the info. You guys have given me info that I'm sure will help others as well. I used a set of Uni-Lug ET wheels on a Chevy van during the great van scare of the '70s with no problem during a hell of a lot of driving but I really prefer not to use the Uni-Lug washers. I really hadn't considered possible problems with drilling out five more holes on a cast aluminum rim. I assumed that big flat expanse would be strong enough.
As stated, as long as the back side surface is flat and solid, there is no compromise in strength, some wheels had pockets between the holes to reduce the amount of alu. used in the casting process and such, one should never redrill those. Quite common practice on Cast Mag Halibrand wheels used in drag racing
Halibrand has always been a premium wheel and if it was drilled that way new its because it was designed to be. Drilling an old aluminum wheel is just asking for trouble. I will say I would have a problem using a 40 or 50 year old aluminum wheel in the first place especially when you can buy a new one. I bought these for the Fairlane last year 15x5 and 15x8 for less than 450.
I bought the piece from rotten Leonard, worked out well, but I did hubs, wouldn't do it on a cast wheel. I think that having the holes on the rim precisely elongated, as someone else suggested, would be much safer.
Yep. I had my grandson do a set of wheels for me. All it takes is locating on the table. Most CNC mills have a hole circle program as a standard program. He just had to select diameter/radius, degrees between holes(that machine uses that instead of hole count), insert proper tool and go.
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