wheel adapter ?

I'm getting ready to start a new project and i have a question. I have a 40 ford 5 on 5 1/2 front end and will run a 10 bolt gm rear but i want to have the same bolt pattern.my question is should i do, run wheel adapters or have the axles redrilled. what does everyone do

 

I would think re-drilling the axles is the best way, but I don't see much wrong with a wheel adapter. Just keep in mind that a wheel adapter will most likely be 1" thick, adding a total of 2" to your hub to hub measurement.

Mike

 

Take a look at these drill guides. he sells them.



http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=659626&highlight=drill+guide

 

Depends on which pattern you want to keep. I don't think there's enough meat on the GM axles to drill out to a 5 & 1/2 inch bolt circle. Which means you could either redrill the fronts to 4.75 " or get wheel adapters for either the front or rear, based on the pattern you want. I'm running adapters on the rear of my roadster because the rear end is the small Mopar 8 & 3/4 axle ( 5 hole on a 4 inch circle ) Nobody makes a wheel for that. Just make sure if you go the adapter route you spend some money and get some good machined ones. And yes, they are 1 inch thick.

 

Why do you want the same bolt pattern. You will probably run larger tires and wider rims on the rear and you would not rotate tires as you do on your family car. As for a spare, I have a donut tire (GM) with both 5X4.75 and 5X5 patterns. So one spare will do. I think there is a donut tire with 5X4.5 and 5X5.5 but not sure. Of course wheel spacers are a good way to get the same pattern or at least get to one spare.

 

I run adapters on most of my builds and as long as they are good billet adapters and torqued properly at both the hub and wheel I see no problems at all...

 

I think some early drums require a spacer/shim piece to properly support later style wheels anyway, so unless the extra width is going to throw it off, I'd run adapters on the front and have four 5 on 4.75" wheels. But the spacer/shim thing might only be for using early wire wheels so I could be off on that, I forget exactly how that worked.

I know a lot of guys get a 9" rear axle out of a 67-76 Bronco which is about the same width as a '40 front end and has the same bolt pattern, which might be a good option unless you're really attached to the 10 bolt for some reason.

 

If width is a problem, S10 rearend. s10rearend with adaprtors all the time.

 

thanks for the help. chances are it will be s10 with adapters. I want to run "16 ford wheels and I can get a rear for almost nothing.

 

Sounds good to me!

 

What about using different patterns for the front and rear and carrying a wheel adapter to use with the spare? You said you wanted to run 16 inch Ford wheels, is that solid or wire? If I redrilled I would redrill to the smaller pattern. Maybe someone has a redrilled set they would like to swap with you (I saw someone trying to do this swap a while back).

Charlie Stephens

 

My 55 chevy has a 40 ford front axle and my dad found a kit with the bearings to convert it to nova disc brakes, know it isnt traditional but I dont know if this would help. I think we got it from speedway in 2003.

 

Most adapter co.s tell you to check the lugs(both sets) every so many miles. they tend to loosen.

 

this guy is right. Buy one adapter so you can put your spare on the front or the back