i've got some 17" wheels i want to run up front on my A, but the bolt pattern is wrong. the '40 drums have been redrilled to a 5x4.75 pattern, and the 17's are a 5x4.5.(i think) i know i can get adapters, but are they safe? am i better of finding a new pair of drums/hubs and having them redrilled?
Your going to get aswer for both good and bad, My cousin has been running AR rims with adapters for about 3 years and no im has popped off or anything, I think H even kicked the curb a few times and dent one.
As long as you have ever wondered "are they safe?" you will always wonder. So redrill the hubs and drums again or put different ones on. But then the only thing keeping your front wheel on is a 2¢ soft iron cotter pin anyway, so safe is relative to what?
I've got some on the front of my '34. Ain't had any problems with them, although I must admit I was a tad scared about 'em at first. I don't know if I'd trsust any on the back of my car though, what with the huge torque and my propensity to peel out.
thanks for that nads. that's kind of what i was thinking. i'm going to run reversed wheels out back to get away from using an adapter. where did you get your adapters from?
Swap meet mang. They're early Ford to Chevy. They're old Ansens or somthing, very sturdy and well made. They appeared to be NOS and were like $20. They sell some really good ones on ebay, but they're real spendy.
I am running them on one of my rides... use a little lock-tight on the plates and you are good to go... HC
won't you go into the search and look for how many people wonder about wheel adapters? I have seen this question come up many times maybe there are more solutions.
Well there are quality adapters out there. I have never had one come off. Use a little lock tight, and it doesnt hurt to check them once and a while. I check my wheels once and a while anyway, I have had one of them come off.....!
I had a old set from the 60's on my pick-up...not bad....but I heard rumours they were hard on axles,and bearings....but I also have a set for my 34 that go from 4.5 to 5.5...got them from Stockton...Race car approved......they work cherry-pie
Ran them on the front of my pickup for 15 years....No problem...Check them once in a while..........OLDBEET
I have them on my workhorse 35 Ford pickup so I can run the 35 wire wheels on the 53-68 Ford pickup brake drums. I seriously overload this truck frequently. No problems in 5 years.
ok, sounds good so far guys! next question. what style are you using? i've seen the billet ones, and then ones that look cast and have raised portions on them. i'm assuming the billet( uh oh, billet..)ones would be stronger, but damn, they are bank.
Just my experiences; ran them on a '67 Cuda with a 383 years ago, regularly burned the tires off the back with no problems. I did get rid of them when I put the 440 in it however. Also ran them all the way around on a '51 F-1 panel with Olds 394 power, again with no problems. My present beater, a '31 roadster with Cadillac power, ran them on the front for years. I finally redrilled the drums to Chevy pattern when I had it torn down a couple of years ago. So I guess they've worked, for me anyway. But don't think I would put a set on anything again. There is a better way, IMHO.
The Jalopy Journal
