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how to drill holes in wheel


crazylong127
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1) Get a hub off of a Subaru. ( you want to use an old one, like a used up drum off the rear. That way you don't run the risk of ruining the knurl mating surface for the lug studs on a good one )

 

2) Knock out two opposing lug studs. Diagonal from each other.

 

3) Use the remaining studs, and two lug nuts to secure the hub to the wheel being drilled. Be sure it is tight, as this acts as your guide for drilling the wheel.

 

4) Attacking the situation from behind, use the holes in the hub as a guide to begin drilling your new holes. This means you will be drilling through the holes that you just removed the studs from, from the inside of the hub, towards the outside, and into the back of the wheel.

 

I used a 1/2 inch drill bit. You could go a little larger if you like, but I don't see a point. The 1/2 inch holes worked perfect.

 

And a Very good drill.

And a can of Cutting Oil This will allow you to use the drill bit more than this one time.:rolleyes:

 

I used a good corded drill, as even my really nice cordless one would only drill a couple of wheels before the battery went dead. It was much slower as well.

 

For the tapered mating surface for the lug nut, you could use a larger drill bit. From the front of the wheel, use the larger bit to make a small taper in the holes you just drilled, making a nice small seat for the lug nut, similar to the ones on the rest of the wheels original holes. Anything a little over an inch would work good to lightly make a tapered lug surface. I however didn't have a drill bit of that size, and didn't do this. I have yet to have any problems. For anyone scoring at home; I could really care less if you personally think this is a big no-no. A tight lug nut, is a tight lug nut.

 

 

I'm not sure of the size of the drill press you have access to, but it may be more of a problem than just doing them with a hand held drill. The size of the wheel (especially if it has a tire on it) may make it very difficult to get into the drill press. I would honestly just use a really good corded drill. If you pay attention, this is a pretty hard thing to screw up.

 

Good luck. Enjoy your new tire options!:burnout:

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has anyone had any issues with the angle of the taper not matching the lug nuts and therefore the lug nuts working loose?

 

I did the same thing (hand drill). my taper is even more redneck, as I just slanted the same drill bit, which effectively tapers both sides of the hole (inside/outside). I have really thick/heavy wheels though. have not had any problems, or nuts come loose in the last 2 years.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just drilled out the hubs on my wagon so that all 6 lug wheels will fit. That gives me more than just better tire selection, now I can get wheels from Nissan, Chevy, and Toyota, and they bolt right on. Just my $.02.

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wow, those things are stuffed in there! what size are they?

 

with the rust on the wells I would think that it would eat into the tread over bumps...

 

 

--Spiffy

 

yeah that picture was before i beat on them some more. they are 235/75/15's. 28" diameter. now they only rub on big bumps. i like the way it makes it look.

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sweet!

 

got an updated pic?

 

according to the tire size calculator you gained 4.2 inches, which is like a 2.1 inch lift...

 

went from 24.7" to 28.9" diameter...

 

"Speedometer reading with non-stock tire is 17.1% too slow.

When your speedo reads 60 mph, you are actually traveling 70.3 mph."

 

don't get a ticket! hehe...

 

 

--Spiffy

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sweet!

 

got an updated pic?

 

according to the tire size calculator you gained 4.2 inches, which is like a 2.1 inch lift...

 

went from 24.7" to 28.9" diameter...

 

"Speedometer reading with non-stock tire is 17.1% too slow.

When your speedo reads 60 mph, you are actually traveling 70.3 mph."

 

don't get a ticket! hehe...

 

 

--Spiffy

 

actually i went from a 22.6 to a 28.9. lol 6.3 diffenerce/ 3.1 inch lift. i will take more pics of it today after work.

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  • 2 weeks later...
what is the size of these 15 buy 6 or 16 buy 7

 

Just curious if the wheels jut out. IM not so concerned with the tires because i would be running low profile tires on mine, but im curious if you didnt have the big wheels on it would the rims stick out from the car.

Ben

 

they are 15x6's. the rim is pretty much even with the fender. maybe a little inside the fender. i ended up taking a sawza to the fenders. so with no lift and some trimming i fit 235\75\15s on my 87 dl!!!

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