The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 46 1/2 Ton Aftermarket Drums and Re-assembly Confi

Installing the axles and hubs on aftermarket drums and a couple of questions have come up.

First, the castings of the after-market drums are rough compared to OE. Obviously they have were cast and machined to meet a need only - no extra attention was paid to them. Would it be worth the extra attention to run them over to my local machine shop and have the outsides "surfaced" a bit? I am wondering how the rough casting and weight may affect balancing of tires and wheels.

Second, the dust/grease shields install on the inside of the front drums as pictured, correct? There is a lip on the outer edge of the shields bolt flange that seems to preclude its installation between the hub and drum.

A couple of pictures of the castings and assembly configuration are at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dodsonbrett/sets/72157627516567871/

Third, a PM question from another post (axle gasket related), yes, I swapped the 7/16-20 x 1 3/8” wheel studs for longer 1/2-20 x 1 11/16”, Dorman part number 610-183.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dodsonbrett/sets/72157627488025001/

As always, any thoughts and ideas appreciated,
Cavebull

Wheel stud holes are too freakin' small on the rear drums! urragh - Argintina!
Cavebull

...just a guess here but the wheel holes may have been drilled for a standard stud while the studs you are using are metric???
Probably not as you the ones your using should be standard to.

(I ran into the oposite when I put S-10 wheels on my Malibu rearend. I had to drill out my axle & front hub holes for the metric studs for the bigger wheel holes!!)
Just trying to help you find an answer.

Hey Alvin,
The wheel stud holes on the rear drums won't accomodate 7/16-20 OE studs, much less the 1/2-20 I am going with. Ironically, the front drums worked with the 1/2-20 studs with no problem. I wonder if they are drilled metric? It is irrelavant, as I will drill them out to 1/2 anyway to match the front (front are too big for the 7/16-20 studs). It is just that they are not cheap, the casting is poor and sloppy, and the wheel stud holes are not uniform dia. front to rear. Helps me make a decision on the original intenet of this post - I'll get the machinist to drill them out when he is turning and cleaning them all up a bit.
Just be cautious on after market items, US craftsmanship of the 40's often leaves me wanting.
Cavebull