Looking at the photos of a long lost EAST COAST Hot Rod with Wide Five Ford wheels (1936-39) I wonder why they were popular? Sure stock cars used them because most of the cars had them to begin with, but are they lighter that a 40-48 Ford wheel & drum? Why did Ford go with that design in the first place? No right or wrong reason to use them, just wondering about their history. Bob
The hub, wheel and tire combo is lighter than the later 5x5-1/2". The main reason that the racers used them is because the wheel lugs are farther out 10-1/4" and the farther out you go the less leverage the tire has against the lug studs. The stronger hub could take the force that the smaller lug pattern couldn't. I have seen the lug nuts ripped through the rim in dirt track racing with small lug patterns. Another reason is that they started to use 3/4 ton truck rear ends in the race cars. These had the wide five pattern with thicker hubs and a larger center section with a 10" ring gear. Consequently this rear end called the Timken (also used in other makes like Willys and Studebaker) became the go to rear end and the someone made a quick change out of them by turning the pinion to the rear and welding a change box on and drilling for a quill shaft. This would become the championship quick change that has been made by Frankland, Halibrand, Winters, etc. that are used in sprint cars today. They would also cut off the rear 3/4 ton rear spindles and bolt them on the right front to put the heavier rear hub on the outside wheel to withstand the forces induced by constant left hand turns. The wide five wheels are 4" wide unless you get the V8 60 ones that are 3-1/2"wide and the truck ones that are 5" wide. The 36' hubs are all by themselves as the brake drum is about 7/8" farther inboard. The 37'-39' hubs are interchangeable between mechanical and hydraulic brakes and will fit all the way to 48'. Some hubs and drums are 1 piece and some are two piece with no real rhyme or reason to it other than the fact that they were manufactured by different suppliers. That is all I can think of now other than Dick Spadaro made adapters to fit modern rear ends for the hot rodders who wanted them. When he closed someone bought the last of the adapters and I bought them from him. I had them counter bored on the back side so that the studs would never be able to have interference with the brake drum. I got permission from Frank (Dicks brother) to go ahead and manufacture the adapters. I have that done at a local water jet place and a local machine shop. Proudly Made in USA. I sell them through a dealer, here is a link. http://ripkustoms.com/t/aftermarket I also sell adapter covers like the one pictured in my avatar but am out of stock right now.
I have a question or two, some wide 5 hubs are 2pc. Is there a certain year they were done that way? On the 2pc hub there is a counterweight, can that be removed if you use that hub with buick drum? The hubs have an odd 'dimple' in them, like when it was really hot somebody just pushed a screwdriver into the soft steel. What is the purpose of that dimple?
That is the most likely reason. The 37' are usually 1 piece, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason when it comes to other years and shapes of the hubs. Best guess is they were made by different suppliers or different plants. The weight is to balance the drum. I am working on a disc brake conversion for the front 2 piece hubs and that weight will need to be removed. Even if you remove the swedged studs the two pieces won't separate because the drum is spot welded to the hub and needs to be drilled out.
I'm currently out of stock on wide five adapters and covers. I plan on doing another run of them sometime this year. highway101ind.com
I am out of stock and he is not selling them for me anymore. My website is highway101ind.com I am trying to find a place to water jet them for a reasonable price.
Few people know that when you damage a Bugatti GP car wheel you just smash the other flat spokes with a hammer and saw off the rest, drill five holes, add the Wide Five and you are rolling again.
Is this the dimple you're talking about? If so, It's there the clear the hubcap clip rivet on the early wheels. Later wheels used a countersunk flush head rivet but the early ones use a round head that protruded from the back of the wheel and would interfere.
Is water jet cutting cheaper or more precise than laser? There are a couple of laser cutting shops here in town that do a lot of precision cutting for car parts manufacturers.
I used to get stuff made by the local steel yard here when they had a water jet. expensive, took a long time, they didn't like to do small runs ( less than 50) Then a laser cutting shop started up. What a precious resource! I submit my CAD lol, ( cardboard arcane drawings) or pre-existing example, and less than 30 hrs later they call saying "it's done" in a fraction of the time it would take me in my primitive shop. They sometimes ask what the piece is for, and when I tell them a Hot rod or bike or old car, they are enthusiastic and keep their computer program for the piece on file should future "runs" be required. 1 piece or 100, Steel, Stainless, alum, wood, anything except substances which produce toxic fumes when heated. At about 1/3 the cost of water jet. Like the Acorn ad says, "I was surprised at how little they cost!"
Some hubs have a divot in the face of the crowned part of the hub. It doesn't serve any purpose in normal use so it probably had something to do with the raw machining process.
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