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drilling out a hub from 4 to 6 stud

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 1:19 pm
by brumbybear
hi guys i was reading some guides on ORS earlier and came across one about drilling my hubs out to 6 stud hubs... what i really wanna know is if were to do it what would i need to be careful of?? Whatever advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated

cheers Lasty

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 5:42 pm
by Sævar Örn
Have the rim centered perfectly on the hub before marking up drill holes, drill the holes slightly narrower than the stud width


use common sense, duhh :)

obviously...

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 7:37 pm
by brumbybear
obviously i would be using common sense ... i just wanted some feedback on other peoples experiences doing this mod...

cheers lasty

Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 10:43 am
by spike
i haent done it but i would check that you can get tires and wheels underneath your car first.
be a shame to do it then realise you need new hubs to put your old wheels on

Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 10:52 am
by brumbybear
yeah im on the hunt for a 2" - 4" lift kit or just the strut extensions as i will make up the rest as i go... im not drilling them till i get the lift in.... i cant find any 2nd hand lift kits around at the moment :(

Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 12:48 pm
by BRUMBERTY
New or very sharp bits,
Work your way up in hole size from pilot hole to final diameter.
There is a section on each hub (the back) that needs to be ground or filed flat to get the back of the stud to sit flat.
you will see when you mark the new position.

Go slow with big drill bits.
The hub material is hard, use cutting liquid or oil or something to keep it cool.

Have fun mine have been fine for the past 3 years.

Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 12:53 pm
by Alex
yeah as brumberty said. Drill slowly preferably with a drill press. I used wd40 as a lube to do mine, its very important you dont rush it, heat = blunt drill bits, and they arent cheap when you go up to that size.

make sure you use the correct drill bit size, the new studs youll be using actually have a spline near the head so you should be able to bash them in and keep them nice and tight. DO NOT be tempted to weld anything on the hubs, it overheats the steel and changes its molecular structure actually weakening it a great deal.

alex

Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 3:35 pm
by brumbybear
Thanx boys for all the info i'll start doing this as soon as i can get a lift kit ... got some 15" alloy wheels of a triton from a mates old man.. so this plan should all start coming together soon i hope

Cheers lasty

Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:49 pm
by spike
Alex wrote:DO NOT be tempted to weld anything on the hubs, it overheats the steel and changes its molecular structure actually weakening it a great deal.
heat treatment??
yes it changes the molecular structure but does it weaken it??

Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 5:03 pm
by Alex
spike wrote:heat treatment??
yes it changes the molecular structure but does it weaken it??
depends on how its quenched yes. But its still something i wouldnt mess with, like i said if the holes are drilled to the correct diameter you wont need to weld anything. The last thing you want is all the studs shearing at speed. I realise the studs dont actually take any load and are there purely to hold to wheel on, but maybe overtightening the studs after its been welded will eventually cause stress fractures and the studs going bang.

alex

Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 6:56 pm
by wrxer
i think the studs will be loaded in this instance as the centre locating ring will be the wrong size?

Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 8:26 pm
by Alex
wrxer wrote:i think the studs will be loaded in this instance as the centre locating ring will be the wrong size?
nups. it all locates correctly..