Yeah, rear disks are better - for anyone that has cut cast iron, compared to mild steel it cuts like butter.

I plan to post tonight the write up on my lug conversion.

 

Never sat in front of the PC this weekend...spent time barnstorming on gravel roads with my little boys in the wagon, though.

 

Sorry for the delay.:cornfuzz:

Originally posted by Rallywagon

Never sat in front of the PC this weekend...spent time barnstorming on gravel roads with my little boys in the wagon, though.

 

Sorry for the delay.:cornfuzz:

 

Jeez .. you neglected us so you could spend time with your kids?

 

hmmph..

 

 

Just kidding:D

 

Family first

....lost the original detailed write up when I upgraded my e-mail software. Here's the basics I remember:

 

1. Make all modifications to your Subaru hubs at your own risk.

 

2. I was ultra conservative...had a welder friend braze the backs of the old studs to the hub/drum.

 

3. Grind the old studs off flush with the wheel mating surface of the hub/drum.

 

4. Buy studs for a '95 Honda Civic, M12x1.5, I believe. And they have a smaller shoulder for press fit than the OEM Subrau studs. So they require a smaller hole in the hub/drum.

 

5. At a machine shop...A. on a lathe, turn down the centers/locating bosses to 54mm. The center bore of OEM Toyota and Mazda wheels (4x100) are 54 mm. Honda is 56mm so that wheel fits, but you would mount "lug-centric."

B. On a mill, precisely locate the holes for the new studs on a 100 mm circle, offset from the old studs by 90 degrees. Bore the new stud holes to the proper diameter to allow a press fit.

C. Still on a mill....on the insides of the hubs/drums use an end mill a little larger in diameter than the head of the new studs to make a flat for the studs to shoulder up against. Do not remove any more material depth than necessary to make the flat spots.

 

Note: The front hubs are very hard steel.

 

6. Press the new studs into the hub/drum. We had to use a hydraulic press to push them into the front hubs because the steel was too hard for the stud splines to cut. SO I hope to never have to try to field replace one of them.

 

7. As mentioned in a previous post, the rear drum material is very soft and this is apparent when installing the new studs. Do not use too much pressure when installing them. Inspect the material after installation and use good judgement. There is a lot of metal thickness where the studs are located.

 

8. Get a good coat of primer at least on the machined surfaces, then re-install the hubs/drums as removed.

 

9. Purchase rims from a local yard or http://www.tires.com after researching what width and offset you would like. I use '95 Protege' 14x5.5 inch. They have a large positive offset so the tires are completely under the fender and they were cheap. MAKE SURE THAT THE RIMS ARE NOT WARPED BEFORE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME CLEANING AND PAINTING THEM.

 

10. Get taperered lug nuts for the M12x1.5 studs. The taper should be matched to the OEM rim spec. THE RIMS AND LUG NUTS MUST BE "LUG-CENTRIC" DESIGN, MEANING THAT THE WHEEL IS CENTERED BY THE LUG NUTS' TAPER. This is because the front hub will probably not have enough metal on the hub to center the wheel with its bore, "hub-centric."

 

11. I run 205/75R14 Cooper MT tires with no lift kit and minimal scrubbing when locked out in a turn. http://www.1010tires.com has a large selection of 14 inch mud tires.

 

12. When everything is installed test drive with caution, and after some run time, inspect the hubs/drums where the new studs are in place for cracking or other problems.

 

I am sure that I am forgetting some important details because it's been a couple years. Please post any questions. Hope this is helpful.

...located in Western NC, so I could tag team Subaru projects with you!

 

Y'all come!

Rallywagon - very nicely said, couldn't have written it better myself!

 

One question though - how did you get the 54mm centre on the rear drums? I have concerns to fit a rim without any locating centre at the rear...

 

Regards

 

Ben

That's what the "lug-centric" lugs are for. Read #10 on the post again.

The locating centre isn't actually there to locate the wheel - it is there to stop the wheel from moving on the same plane as the hub, all the lugs do is hold the wheel against the hub. No centre will result in broken wheel studs - especially if smaller stud spline diameter is used....

so how exactly should I do my drums then? I wanna do this conversion on my 79 wagon. I really don't wanna f*** my drums up cause it would be a b**** to find some more:rolleyes:

It's too bad we can't just throw some hubs from a Justy on our cars. They have the 4x100 pattern. Or a legacy would be even better. Tons of 5x100 rims with a high offset too.

This guy did some intereting stuff to his Fiero hubs, check it out.

http://fiero.cc/fiero-tdc/members/mws/Boxster/index.html

Are those Fiero's any good? I want one!!! never seen one of those before....

 

Turning the rear drums into 5X100 is actually pretty easy, it's the front thats a pain!!

The wheels are held in place AND CENTERED solely by the lugs. IF tapered lugs and lug-centric rims with the same taper angle seats are used the center bore of the rim does not even have to touch the wheel center. Mine currently are centered by the lugs and ride very smoothly. But you can see the importance of drilling the new stud holes accurately.

 

Hope that is clear. Good luck and be safe.